{"id":3713,"date":"2015-11-17T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-11-17T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvasia\/passion-for-drama\/"},"modified":"2016-01-26T16:30:23","modified_gmt":"2016-01-26T21:30:23","slug":"passion-for-drama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvasia\/passion-for-drama\/","title":{"rendered":"Passion for Drama"},"content":{"rendered":"

Asian drama is a hot commodity within the region and increasingly popular around the world.<\/em><\/p>\n

The digital upstarts arriving in Asia are not just battling it out for access to the Hollywood studios\u2019 deep libraries. The region\u2019s new players are well aware that to make it in Asia, they need a lot of local content. That demand, combined with the emergence of platforms like DramaFever, Viki and others bringing Asian content to the world, means that purveyors of scripted content from the region are finding a wealth of new opportunities.<\/p>\n

Of course, it\u2019s not just OTT players who have realized the value of Asian drama. Sony Pictures Television (SPT) Networks, Asia, whose business has largely been driven by English-language entertainment on AXN, has made a big bet on the regional content business. First it launched ONE in order to tap into the ever-present demand for Korean content. The channel has proven to be a strong performer in territories like Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. \u201cRecently we brought the star of The Gang Doctor<\/em> into Jakarta and Singapore and we engaged almost 10,000 fans during this two-day trip,\u201d says Hui Keng Ang, senior VP and general manager at SPT Networks, Asia. Following the success of ONE, SPT partnered with leading Japanese broadcaster Nippon TV for GEM, a pay-TV channel that is delivering hits like Death Note<\/em> across the region. HBO Asia has also dipped its toes into the Asian-drama business, releasing its third scripted original, Halfworlds<\/em>, earlier this year.<\/p>\n

Japan and Korea were the first to prove that dramas made for one specific market in Asia could actually travel across the region\u2014and then around the world.<\/p>\n

Within the continent, Japanese dramas have had the greatest resonance in Taiwan and Hong Kong, according to Shigeko \u201cCindy\u201d Chino, senior director of international business development at Nippon TV. Comic-based stories such as Death Note<\/em> and The Files of the Young Kindaichi<\/em> have been strong sellers, Chino notes, alongside female-led dramas like The Pride of the Temp<\/em> and Mother<\/em>.<\/p>\n

One of Korea\u2019s biggest producers and exporters of content, CJ E&M Corporation, has found Japan and Southeast Asia to be particularly fruitful when it comes to scripted acquisitions. \u201cHistorical and romantic comedies are steady sellers,\u201d reports Ellen Oh, international sales executive at the company.<\/p>\n

Southeast Asian markets have also opened up to the dramas being produced by the Philippines\u2019s two major broadcasters: GMA Network and ABS-CBN Corporation.<\/p>\n

\u201cGMA\u2019s artists are well known to the audience and have developed their own fan base in countries such as Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore and Malaysia,\u201d says Roxanne Barcelona, VP of GMA Worldwide.<\/p>\n

Buyers in those countries have much to choose from, with GMA producing at least 24 new dramas a year across the melodrama, fantasy and romance categories. The melodramas have become particularly popular, Barcelona says. \u201cViewer profiles in Southeast Asia are similar to the Philippines, meaning housewives from the ages of 25 to 45. Our dramas attract them because they capture their emotions and they can identify with our stories.\u201d<\/p>\n

ABS-CBN\u2019s biggest buyers hail from Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia and, more recently, Thailand. \u201cStrong family ties and traditional family values with very strong romantic [elements] are recurring themes in our dramas, and Asians find these close to home,\u201d says Evelyn \u201cLeng\u201d Raymundo, the head of integrated acquisitions and international distribution at ABS-CBN. \u201cMost of our buyers also find that our dramas are somehow an ideal cross between the emotional fire of Latin telenovelas and the quiet intensity of Asian dramas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also looking to deliver a cross between Latin American soaps\u2014which have long found fans in Asia\u2014and local drama is Mexico\u2019s TV Azteca, which partnered with Malaysia\u2019s Astro for adaptations of three of its shows, to be produced by Global Station. The pact began with A Love to Remember<\/em>, which TV Azteca\u2019s distribution arm, Comarex, has been introducing to broadcasters across Asia. \u201cWe already have numerous countries interested in the Malay version of A Love to Remember<\/em> and we have several offers on the table that are still under discussion,\u201d says Martha Contreras, the head of sales for Asia at TV\u00e2\u0080\u0088Azteca\/Comarex. \u201cWe are delighted with the response so far.\u201d<\/p>\n

Global Station is now at work on adapting Fierce Angel<\/em>, and Contreras says the version for Astro will give international markets \u201can opportunity to get to know and see Malaysia and all that it has to offer.\u201d<\/p>\n

TV Azteca is looking to replicate the Astro model elsewhere. \u201cWe are in the process of closing several other partnerships with TV stations in Southeast Asia to localize our formats for audiences in the region,\u201d Contreras says. Those local versions will then be repped by Comarex.<\/p>\n

South Asian content owners, among them Zee Entertainment Enterprises, have also found opportunities to sell their scripted shows, produced primarily for Indian consumption, to other markets. \u201cMost countries from the Asia-Pacific region have a natural affinity for Indian dramas,\u201d says Sunita Uchil, the global head of syndication and chief revenue officer for international ad sales at Zee. So do the Middle East and Africa, Uchil adds.<\/p>\n

GLOBAL ASPIRATIONS<\/strong>
\nCJ is aiming to extend its scripted tentacles well beyond the region in the year ahead. Arriving at Asia TV Forum with a slate that includes the romantic comedy Bubble Gum<\/em>, CJ \u201cis planning to travel further to India and beyond,\u201d Oh says. \u201cWe believe OTT VOD will become the right vehicle to take us there.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Chino at Nippon TV, Turkey and Australia are key growth opportunities, as is the digital space. \u201cDigital rights account for the largest portion of our revenue now,\u201d she says. \u201cThis was not the case just a year ago. Although it is a challenge for us to keep up to the digital-driven speed, it is also a new chance for us that opens up opportunities for our dramas to travel to the Western world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another way that can happen is via scripted formats, Chino adds. \u201cWe are currently negotiating with various parties, including broadcasters and digital platforms, on how we can create locally adapted versions [of Nippon TV shows]. Such local versions will give us the momentum to reach out to the other parts of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

At ATF, highlights include the crime series High&Low<\/em> and Higanbana, <\/em>the female-led A Girl\u2019s Breakfast<\/em> and the suspenseful Angel Heart<\/em>.<\/p>\n

GMA\u2019s Barcelona is aiming to capitalize on a growing interest in Asian drama from markets around the world, with key offerings that include the brand-new launches Little Nanay<\/em>, Tila Madrasta<\/em> and Dangwa<\/em>, and proven performers such as Beautiful Strangers<\/em> and The Half Sisters<\/em>. \u201cFurthermore, we will continue to strengthen our presence in Africa, which we have maintained in the last five years,\u201d Barcelona says.<\/p>\n

Barcelona also sees the potential for scripted-format sales for Filipino content. \u201cIn fact, we sold two drama formats to two Asian broadcasters. At MIPCOM this year, we received quite a number of inquiries from several broadcasters and production companies regarding our scripted formats. These companies are in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zee is bringing to ATF a broad mix that includes the crime drama Agent Raghav: Crime Branch<\/em>, fronted by well-known actor Sharad Kelkar, and the historical series Ek Tha Raja Ek Thi Rani<\/em>, among others. Uchil is looking to expand Zee\u2019s syndication business further in Asia and the Middle East\u2014where the broadcaster also has a presence with its pay-TV channels. She is also looking at opportunities presented by digital players, both in Asia and around the world. \u201cWe are exploring and understanding the medium and believe in arriving at a mutual value where both the content and the pipe can evolve together while providing the consumer with easy and seamless access,\u201d Uchil says. With a catalogue of 210,000 hours across a broad range of content, Zee is able to offer a variety of options for different time slots, Uchil adds.<\/p>\n

Africa has become a key market for ABS-CBN. \u201cWe have established a strong presence in Africa since 2002, with Ugandans as our dramas\u2019 most avid fans,\u201d Raymundo says. \u201cThis year marked a breakthrough when we were able to penetrate Central Asia, Southeast Europe and even Latin America, whose telenovelas we continue to import.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the business of drama becomes even more international, expect to see more borders come down for Asia\u2019s top scripted exporters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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