ATF Opens with Attendance Up 9 Percent

SINGAPORE: The Asia TV Forum officially opened in Singapore today with some 5,000 registered delegates, a 9-percent gain on last year’s edition, Reed Exhibitions’ Michelle Lim told attendees at the Opening Ceremony this morning.

“With the Asian nations of China, India and Indonesia among the high-growth markets that are powering global media and entertainment revenue, the region is certainly not one to be ignored,” Lim, managing director of Reed Exhibitions, said in her opening address.

This year marks the 15th annual edition of the Asia TV Forum, which is running alongside ScreenSingapore from today through Friday at the Sands Expo and Convention Center. There are about 5,000 registered delegates from almost 60 countries representing 1,281 companies. Of those, 642 are seller companies from 39 countries and 596 are buyer companies from 40 countries. A number of new countries are represented at ATF this year, Lim said, including Bangladesh, Croatia, Finland, Nepal and Poland.

The Opening Ceremony also included a speech by Lawrence Wong, Singapore’s Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and the Second Minister for Communications and Information. He noted the positive feedback received for the inaugural Singapore Media Festival, which encompasses ATF, ScreenSingapore, the Singapore International Film Festival and the Asian Television Awards.

“Through the Singapore Media Festival, we hope to create more opportunities for businesses, celebrate the best of Asian TV and film talent, and we hope to give Singapore audiences the chance to watch first-rate films with a distinctive Southeast Asian flair.”

Wong continued, “We are meeting at an exciting time for Asia’s media industry. The outlook is positive. There’s a more affluent and discerning middle class in Asia spending more on entertainment. Markets like China, India and Indonesia are growing rapidly. International players are all looking for inroads into the region.”

Singapore, Wong said, “is well-positioned to take advantage of these opportunities.  We are located at the heart of Asia and Southeast Asia. We are a gateway between East and West, so we can help Western media companies expand into Asia. At the same time we can help local and regional companies in Asia to expand to Western markets. We are also supporting the growth of this exciting industry, including promoting activities like film financing for films produced in the region.”

Wong went on to discuss the ways in which the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) is supporting the local content industry. “One strategy is to look at opportunities in the digital space.  It’s crucial for our local content producers to stay abreast and capitalize on new media consumption habits. MDA has assistance programs to support media companies’ ventures into the digital space, by helping to support areas like talent development and production. It is also studying what more can be done to help our companies in this new space.”

Also key is facilitating partnerships between international and local media companies. “Many leading international media companies are already in Singapore. We are encouraged by the growing partnerships between these international companies and our local talent.” He cited as an example HBO Asia’s latest original Grace. “Going forward, we hope to foster more of such partnerships between international and local media companies.”