ATF Unveils New Highlights

October 21, 2014 World Screen Top Stories

SINGAPORE: New details have been announced regarding the lineup for the upcoming Asia Television Forum & Market (ATF), which takes place December 9 to 12 at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.

Kicking off the pre-market conference on December 9, Alon Shtruzman, the CEO of Keshet International, will deliver the format keynote session Keshet International Looks East. At the Kids Animation Masterclass, Tom Beattie, the head of animation and children's programming for Tiger Aspect Productions and the mind behind Mr Bean: The Animated Series, will talk about what it takes to transform a global live-action legend into a successful animated icon. Nicholas Wodtke, the VP of the media solution center at Samsung Electronics in Southeast Asia and Oceania, is also set to keynote.

Other highlights include the session Focus on Asia's Growing Business: Market Leaders' Discussion Panel, which will feature Rob Gilby, the managing director of The Walt Disney Company for Southeast Asia; Ricky Ow, the president of Turner International Asia Pacific; and Jonathan Spink, the CEO of HBO Asia. Another hot topic will be addressed during the session Asia's Growing OTT Market: Where is It Heading?, which features execs from Fuji Television Network and Dailymotion.

The Acquisition Panel: What Do Buyers Want? will feature Tracy Forsyth, the genre director for factual entertainment and entertainment at BBC Worldwide, along with Hyun Park, the VP of licensing and business development for DramaFever. The session The Power of Alliance: Exporting Asia's Format Globally will include execs from 3C Media, Fuji Television Network and Small World International Format Television.

Myleeta Aga, the senior VP and general manager for India and content head for Asia at BBC Worldwide; Vikram Channa, the VP of production and development at Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific; David Haslingden, the owner and operator of a network of television production companies comprising NHNZ, Beach House Productions and Northern Pictures; and Maria Kyriacou, the managing director of ITV Studios Global Entertainment and Rest of World Production, will speak on the growing consumer demands for factual entertainment in Asia.

Yeow Hui Leng, the senior project director of Asia TV Forum & Market and ScreenSingapore at Reed Exhibitions, said, “Asia accounts for 60 percent of the world population, and recent research shows that total pay-TV subscribers in the region will grow to 696 million by 20201. These figures clearly highlight the importance of keeping pace with the burgeoning Asia TV market and corresponding consumer demands. With a strong lineup of renowned industry leaders sharing at the ATF 2014 conference, the sessions will provide delegates with an opportunity to learn from and interact with top-of-the-class industry professionals.”

“We are excited to welcome the Asia TV Forum’s strong roster of speakers, which complements the Singapore Media Festival’s (SMF) endeavor to become one of Asia’s leading international media events,” said Joachim Ng, the director of industry operations for the Media Development Authority of Singapore. “With the strong participation from global industry experts, we are confident that SMF will serve as the choice platform for the leaders of creativity, content and commerce to come together and exchange new ideas and form fruitful partnerships.”