ATF Buyer Profile: MediaCorp’s Joy Olby-Tan

PREMIUM: New-media rights and shortened windows are becoming increasingly important factors for the buying strategy at MediaCorp, according to Joy Olby Tan, VP of network acquisitions at Singapore’s Channel 5.

What have been some of your most successful acquisitions recently?
Our day and date telecast of X Factor and branded series such as Grimm and Undercover Boss have performed well. Our carriage of the London Olympics also created large channel buzz.

How much do you buy annually?
Channel 5’s content mix is predominantly acquired in nature, we buy over 2,000 hours annually. Channel 5 aims to provide the best curated mix of quality international English entertainment across all key genres (e.g. movies, drama, comedy, variety, entertainment, reality). The international sports content that we currently provide is event-programming in nature such as the multi-sports events.

What do you look for in format concepts?
We acquire formats which have strong brand values and relatability to the Singapore audience.

Have your programming needs changed significantly over the past year?
With the change in lifestyle of the viewers, we increasingly take a 360-degree approach in providing multi-faceted content across multiple touchpoints.

What are some of the slots you currently need to fill?
The primary need has been and continues to be prime-time slots. We are also open to working out any new win-win content business models, especially in non-primetime.

Are there particular types of shows you’re eyeing at Asia TV Forum?
Our focus remains firmly on quality content. Any content with day/date or short windows from original telecast will be prioritized over others that have long untenable holdbacks. In this digital age, we also want programs which are able to provide content across multiple platforms.