The History Channel (Asia)

World Screen Weekly, November 1, 2007

COUNTRIES: Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand

LAUNCH DATE: June 15, 2007

OWNERSHIP: AETN All Asia Networks (AAAN), a joint venture of A&E Television Networks and ASTRO All Asia Networks.

DISTRIBUTION: 3 million subscribers via cable and IPTV.

DESCRIPTION: The History Channel is the only international television network dedicated to historical programming. Content includes a range of series, specials and documentaries, covering ancient times, modern history, military warfare over the years, as well as the history of science, technology and the natural world.

GENERAL MANAGER, AETN ALL ASIA NETWORKS: Louis Boswell

DIRECTOR, CONTENT, PROGRAMMING, ACQUISITIONS

& PRODUCTION: Michele Schofield

PROGRAMMING STRATEGY: Already well established in Europe and Latin America, A&E Television Networks has targeted Asia as its newest key growth area. This year, the company entered into an alliance with the Malaysian DTH player ASTRO All Asia Networks for AETN All Asia Networks (AAAN), which has been rolling out The History Channel and Crime & Investigation Network across Southeast Asia.

According to Louis Boswell, the general manager of the two channels, The History Channel is tapping into the region’s demand for factual content. “The History Channel is really serving a documentary niche that hasn’t adequately been filled in the market today.”

Boswell is looking to position the service as educational but not “preachy or pedagogical,” telling “unknown stories with great production values in a really entertaining way.”

Since the June launch, Boswell says he is receiving “very strong anecdotal feedback” for Engineering an Empire on The History Channel. “This is a series which takes the history of the ancient Egyptians, the ancient Romans, the ancient Chinese, [and] tells a story of their empire through their engineering feats,” explains Boswell.

The series Cities of the Underworld, which reveals the history beneath the streets of major cities around the world, launched on The History Channel earlier this month. The science-themed The Universe, covering the history of the universe and its mysteries, will launch on The History Channel in Asia on November 11. Other new programs premiering on the channel include Dogfights, rolling out in January 2008, which features first-hand accounts from fighter pilots supplemented with computer graphics. “You really feel like you’re fighting that battle, and you’re in the airplane, and you’ve got somebody on your tail,” notes Boswell. “I think that will be a very strong series for us.”

Attempts have also been made to localize the channel in the various markets. This has been done partly through dubbing and subtitling. Boswell notes, “Its very important to have a look and feel to the channel which feels more locally relevant and content which will be more locally relevant.”

Boswell acknowledges that the amount of local programming on the channel is still a “fairly small percentage today,” with the bulk of the schedule coming from AETN. However, the channel plans to up its local fare and Boswell notes that it “will grow over the next 6 to 12 months quite considerably," adding, “we already have short-form programming in production and we’ll be increasing that to long-form programming in the coming months.”

The short-form programming includes Secrets of the South China Sea, with 5- to 6-minutes interstitials chronicling the stories of trade and travel in Southeast Asia by exploring the Chinese shipwrecks at the bottom of the sea.

There will also be acquired programming and third-party content rolling out on the channel. “We just came back from MIPCOM, [where] we met with a huge number of program producers,” notes Boswell. When acquiring content, Boswell says that he is looking for stories and themes that are going to appeal primarily to the Chinese and Malaysian audiences. “China is obviously a dominant cultural influence in the region, so we’re very much looking for programs that tell a story about Chinese history. A lot of overseas Chinese people relate very strongly to their common heritage,” says Boswell. “And similarly we want to do the same for Malay populations.”

WHAT’S NEW: Boswell is looking to secure further distribution on multiple platforms within the current markets for The History Channel. He says that Taiwan is going to be an important territory to crack. “That’s another market we’re not in yet, but we’re in conversations, and again, the preliminary feedback is very encouraging on the potential for the channels there,” says Boswell. Discussions are also underway for the launch of the Biography Channel early next year.

WEBSITE: www.HistoryChannelAsia.com

—By Irene Lew