Singapore Contingent Secures $128 Million Worth of Deals at MIPTV

SINGAPORE, May 7: The Media
Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) has announced that Singaporean media
companies clinched $128 million worth of co-production and distribution deals
at MIPTV, doubling the US$54 million secured at MIPCOM 2006.

In terms of co-production deals,
Singapore Technologies Electronics has struck an agreement with Canada’s
Nelvana Studios to co-produce three animated TV series and 10 DVD movies. Worth about US$100 million, the
projects will be completed over the next four years. The first two DVD projects
rolling out from the partnership will be Puff the Magic Dragon and Franklin the Turtle.

Other deals include the Singapore
animation company BIG Communications’ $6.5 million collaboration with
Australia’s Flying Bark Productions and Canada’s Thunderbird Films on the 3-D
animated TV series Zigby, which is
based on HarperCollins’ popular literary children’s character of the same name.
The series will be distributed internationally by EM.Entertainment and broadcast
on Australia’s ABC 2 as well as Canada’s Treehouse TV next year. BIG
Communications has also reached a MOU with South Korea’s Sieundesign to
co-produce two 3-D animated TV series, The Chronicles of Oujo and Rpeng Bini. Mediafreaks
Cartoon Pte Ltd, has also secured MOUs to co-produce with Rocket Fish Studios The
Pupu Squad and with Omens Studio Sedo
Dog. Both deals are estimated at $2.6
million each.

On the distribution end, Spain’s
Neptuno Films has secured representation of Character Farm’s Katakune for the European market, while Scrawl Studios’ Nanoboy will be distributed by Canada’s Cookie Jar Entertainment
for North America and Europe. Nanoboy has
also been sold to Mediacorp TV12’s Kids Central. In addition, Scrawl’s Milly,
Molly was pre-sold to worldwide
broadcasters such as Australia’s ABC, Canada’s TV Ontario, Portugal’s Aquaris
& Auqris Ltd (Radiotelev), and Hong Kong’s ATV World. Deals for Milly,
Molly are still pending with Finland’s
YLE, Norway’s NRK and France’s TPS Jeunesse.

Aside from animation, MIPTV deals
for made-in-Singapore content include Upside Down Entertainment’s collaboration
with Korea’s Dreamville Entertainment and India’s Clapstem Productions on Asian
Crisis Centre, a US$5 million adventure
drama series. And Mega Media, Six-Six-Eight and France’s Project Images Films
will be collaborating on the first ever Singapore-France TV series Déjà Vu. The US$4.1 million youth fiction series will feature four
episodes shot on location in Singapore.

Dr. Christopher Chia, the CEO of
MDA, noted: “Singapore companies have risen above their size and shown mettle
to achieve success on the international stage. The newly established networks
at MIPTV provides more collaboration opportunities for exportable
Singapore-made programs and firmly establishes us as a major player in the
international television and animation production industry and beyond.”