The Week at ATF

SINGAPORE: Asia TV Forum and ScreenSingapore came to a close on Friday, with some 5,000 delegates in attendance.

Ahead of the market opening on Wednesday, a host of conference sessions were held on Tuesday, beginning with a keynote by D.J. Lee, president of the media content business at Korea’s CJ E&M. The company is well known for its drama exports and has been ramping up its format business over the last few years. “Formats are traveling faster and further than ever before,” Lee said, noting a recent deal with NBC for the reality format Better Late Than Never.

“Asian broadcasters have relied on Western content for a long time, especially in prime time,” he said. “Now it’s time for Asia to capitalize on its creative content skills and resources [and to] create content that can be enjoyed around the world.”

Lee spoke about South Korea’s endeavors to brand kimchi and other elements of local culture that are now easily identifiable to people around the world. “I encourage all of you to make your own kimchi,” he quipped.

Lee went on to discuss the evolution of CJ E&M into Korea’s “number one content creation and marketing company. That wasn’t the case a while ago. In the early 2000s, most of the content broadcast in prime time was licensed—Hollywood movies and shows like CSI. We did not have the means or the acumen to create content that would attract lots of viewers. It became clear we had to invest in development and produce diverse and compelling content.”

Lee continued, “The key to our recent success was our deficiency,” he said, noting that as CJ’s competition was primarily the group of well-established free-to-air broadcasters, “we didn’t have a huge, loyal audience. That deficiency was the seed of our creation. We focused on digital marketing and social media and emerging platforms that can have a massive impact, especially with the younger demographics. Our programs, [including] SNL Korea and Get it Beauty, benefited from these digital strategies.”

He identified the factors that have contributed to CJ’s success: creative casting, stories that cross generations and share common values, and series that “show emotions and relationships with warmth and humor.”

The Tuesday conference schedule also included René Rechtman, the president of international at Maker Studios, discussing the digital content creator’s global strategy. “We’re investing in local talent, in content, and we’re expanding with people on the ground,” Rechtman told World Screen Newsflash following his packed session. “And then we’re monetizing across different platforms.”

Later in the day, Steve Macallister, the CEO of all3media international, took to the stage to discuss the company’s expansion strategy. “We need to position ourselves for the next phase of growth,” said Macallister, who joined the distribution arm of the U.K.-based indie about nine months ago. “We have a fantastic slate of content. Our challenge is to get this content on screens around the world. We announced that we’re opening an office here in Asia Pacific, and also in the U.S. We’ll open the office in the U.S. in Q1 next year and the Asia office at the end of next year. That’s really about making sure we’re able to manage time zones.”

Another key strategy, he said, is “investing more in content. We’re going to take a more proactive approach to co-productions. Formats is a very big genre for us in Asia. Certainly one of the areas we’re focused on, apart from formats, is scripted. So finding co-production partners for us is a very important component. We’re also investing in our market research department.”

Discussing all3media’s Asian format business, Macallister revealed that the company has signed on as the sponsor for the ATF Formats Pitch 2016. “We invite producers from Asia to enter. We are looking for great ideas for studio-based entertainment shows which we ultimately could be distributing around the world. There is a cash prize of US$2,500 and all3media international is committing to $15,000 of consultancy, where [we] will work with you to nuance your pitch so it has a better chance of resonating with audiences in other parts of the world.”

Macallister continued, “We see Asia as an untapped area where there’s incredible talent and we want to be part of bringing some of that talent to the rest of the world.”

Meanwhile, ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVS GE) held a formats showcase at ATF, with executive producer of international formats and production, Dave Winnan, in town to impart knowledge on successful adaptations. “We’ve got an awful lot to offer in terms of production expertise and methodology,” Winnan told World Screen Newsflash.

It was indeed a busy week for formats at ATF, with numerous announcements regarding new adaptations and renewals. Viacom International Media Networks concluded a deal with GMA for a local adaptation of the format Lip Sync Battle in the Philippines. Second seasons of Master Class and Rising Star, talent-show formats from the Keshet International catalogue, are slated to begin airing next year in China and Indonesia, respectively. All3media announced at the market that it has landed a number of new format commissions across Asia, including a deal for a version of The Only Way is Essex in China. Plus, the game show Are You Normal?, which has been a huge hit for Tencent in China, is set for a local treatment in Vietnam. In a deal with Bomanbridge Media, CJ E&M renewed the cooking competition format Chef in Your Ear for a second season. Bomanbridge Media also inked a deal for a second season of the popular format DNA with Zee Tamil, a regional general-entertainment channel in South India. Scripps Networks Interactive marked the one-year anniversary of HGTV in the Asia Pacific by commissioning the channel’s first long-form original production, House Hunters Asia, from Endemol Shine. It will be filmed in Singapore and Malaysia beginning in January. Passion Distribution and IPCN concluded a deal with iQIYI that will see a local version of the Worst Driver format head to the Chinese streaming video platform. The Chinese adaptation of Sony Pictures Television’s Mad About You is set for a January 2016 debut on Dragon TV and will be available for streaming on Youku Tudou shortly after the satellite TV premiere.

Finished factual, which has always been a strong seller in Asia, also generated a number of announcements. Turner commissioned Beach House Pictures to produce A World Icon: Singapore Botanic Gardens, an original documentary that is set to debut on the recently launched World Heritage Channel in Asia. It spotlights the planet’s first and only tropical botanic gardens to be designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The hour-long 4K special, which features commentary from expert historians, botanists and taxonomists, was produced using drone technology. Blue Ant International arrived at ATF with deals sealed in Asia on more than 175 hours of programming, including agreements with Discovery and RTL CBS Entertainment. The sales arm of Blue Ant Media did deals across its portfolio of factual and factual entertainment content, encompassing nature and wildlife, lifestyle, documentary series and formats. TCB Media Rights sold more than 180 hours of content into India and the Far East, including package deals in China and Thailand. Locally, MyChinaChannel (MCC) and China Business Network said they are co-developing a pair of infotainment/documentary series, along with 100 hours of financial business content in English.

On the kids’ front, Cartoon Network launched its Cartoon Network Anything app, designed exclusively for phones and tablets, in Southeast Asia. The network also scored the fifth season of Xilam’s slapstick series Oggy and the Cockroaches for a 2017 launch across the Asia Pacific. A new Mandarin-language kids’ channel, MaxToon, is set to debut in Singapore on StarHub TV. Primed to launch in the first half of 2016, the edutainment channel will feature Mandarin-language HD children’s content produced in China. MyChinaChannel will own and distribute MaxToon. In addition, MCC has entered into a partnership with Marshall Cavendish Education, a subsidiary of Times Publishing Group, to co-develop a brand-new kids’ reality-edutainment program.

There was also news on the scripted side, notably HBO Asia aligning with the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) to develop the drama production capabilities of the local industry. Over the next two years, HBO Asia will train talent and work with production houses to develop and produce content. HBO Asia will make use of local production facilities or locations in Singapore for future original productions. The other major development for HBO Asia was its landmark deal to bring its original programming to India via Star. The premium channel operator’s original series will air first on Star’s OTT platform hotstar, and will then be carried on the company’s English-language networks in India. Jonathan Spink, HBO Asia CEO, commented, “HBO is delighted to enter this new chapter in India with Star. Through the first release of our shows on hotstar, Indian audiences will now have unprecedented flexibility in how they consume HBO’s much-loved premium programming.”

Hotstar wasn’t the only Asian OTT platform making news with high-profile scripted deals. The AMC Studios series Into the Badlands starring Daniel Wu was licensed by Entertainment One (eOne) to LeTV in China.

Other scripted deals included several at Content Television. FOX International Channels Asia Pacific inked a pan-regional deal for Dead Rising: Watchtower, which is based on the hit video-game franchise, for broadcast across the region. The live-action drama Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, also inspired by a video game, is headed to GMA Network in the Philippines. GMA additionally went for The Ark, which re-tells the biblical story of Noah and the Great Flood. Also in the Philippines, Solar Entertainment snapped up a package of drama titles, including Cyberbully. In China, CCTV took a number of TV movies.

Feedback from distributors indicated that this was the busiest ATF yet, with a vibrant and crowded show floor. “As the region’s preferred integrated TV and film content event, ATF and SS present the quintessential marketplace for international content sellers to connect with the regional Asian content buyers and sellers,” said Hui Leng Yeow, senior project director for ATF and ScreenSingapore at Reed Exhibitions. “Attendees benefit from meeting the best in the entertainment content industry, to buy and sell content, co-produce and distribute their productions. As a conference, the ATF and SS grant participants the opportunities to imbibe knowledge from guest speakers and visit thought leaders. Through ATF and SS, we are excited to collectively move the industry forward to the next level.”