Mediacorp Preps Korean Co-Pro, Aligns with VICE, Wattpad

April 23, 2019 Mansha Daswani Top Stories
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Singapore’s Mediacorp announced three content partnerships on the eve of APOS’s official opening, aligning with VICE Media, Wattpad and Korea’s Spackman Entertainment Group, the producer of the 2018 film Default.

The co-production deal with Spackman sees the two companies partnering for a 20-episode romantic drama tentatively titled Equity of Love, set against the backdrop of Singapore’s luxury hospitality and finance sectors. It is expected to air in the second half of next year featuring talent from Singapore and Korea.

Doreen Neo, chief content officer of Mediacorp, noted, “Spackman Entertainment Group and Mediacorp share a passion for brilliant storytelling and high-quality production values. We are thrilled to be working with the group to transpose their cinematic prowess into drama production and produce a riveting drama that will entertain and intrigue audiences in Korea and Singapore. This partnership is also a statement that Mediacorp is open for business. We are actively seeking partners for co-productions and other collaborations.”

John Ko, CEO of Spackman Entertainment Group, added, “We are very excited to embark on this unique opportunity to produce the first Singapore-Korea drama with Mediacorp. We hope that the cross-border collaboration will have a significant impact on the Singaporean entertainment industry as we bring in fresh and original content to viewers across the region and beyond. Starting with this project, we intend to add non-Korean content production as a new growth segment complementing our core Korean movie production business.”

The deal with VICE brings the youth media company’s content to Singapore via Mediacorp’s digital assets, including Toggle. The pact includes VICE Reports, The Cute Show and 10 Questions You Always Wanted To Ask alongside shows from VICELAND, i-D, MUNCHIES, MOTHERBOARD and more. Mediacorp will also represent advertising sales in Singapore for VICE.com.

Hosi Simon, CEO of VICE Asia-Pacific said, “A partnership of this scale, with a respected media player in the region, forms an important part of our continued expansion in Asia. Young people across the region are immensely proud of where they come from, and relentlessly optimistic about where they’re going. We want to reflect their values and lifestyles, wherever they are and whatever screen they’re on.”

Mediacorp’s chief commercial and digital officer, Parminder Singh, added, “We are very excited to welcome VICE as our latest esteemed partner into our Mediacorp Partner Network. With VICE, Mediacorp will be able to offer more original VICE content to the digitally-savvy youth population in Singapore via our digital entertainment destination, Toggle. Through Mediacorp’s reach and relationships, VICE will gain access to new audiences and advertisers in Singapore.”

Mediacorp has also announced a development deal with Wattpad, with the companies partnering to adapt scripted series and films for Toggle and its free-to-air platforms. Mediacorp and Wattpad will identify Singaporean writers and stories to adapt for the screen.

Tham Loke Kheng, CEO of Mediacorp, noted, “This partnership again demonstrates Mediacorp’s commitment to reinvigorating our content and formats and innovating the very way we source stories. A nation’s literature holds up a mirror for people to see themselves and what binds them. With Wattpad, writers and readers congregate and give voice to one another. Readers being able to share their insights, comments and ideas with writers, while writers reveal the collective soul of a nation through their writing. Singapore stories have much to offer to our society, and we aim to uplift them from written word to national screens.”

Dexter Ong, head of Asia for Wattpad Studios, added,  “We’ve created a new model for discovering stories and bringing them to screens, unlocking a world of possibilities for storytelling in every format. With our data-driven approach to entertainment, we’re able to identify new voices and bring their stories to audiences all over the world. We’re thrilled to work with Mediacorp to bring this model to Singapore, creating opportunities for Singaporean storytellers.”