![\"\"](\"http:\/\/worldscreen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Now-Forever-ABS-CBN-1218-201x300.jpg\")
Asian storytelling is in the spotlight as the region\u2019s dramas find fans across the globe.<\/i><\/p>\nAsian storytelling is in the spotlight as the region\u2019s dramas find fans across the globe.<\/i><\/p>\n
Netflix\u2019s Reed Hastings and Ted Sarandos made a splash in Singapore earlier this month as they unveiled 17 new original productions from Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, India and South Korea.<\/p>\n
\u201cAsia is home to the world\u2019s great creative centers producing some of the most compelling films and series of today,\u201d said Sarandos, chief content officer, at the streamer\u2019s first-ever content showcase in the region. \u201cThe beauty of Netflix is that we can take never-seen-before stories from South Korea, Thailand, Japan, India, Taiwan or elsewhere, and easily connect them to people all over Asia and the world. More than half of Asian content hours viewed on Netflix this year are viewed outside the region, so we have confidence that our upcoming slate of Asian productions will find fans in their home countries and abroad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Netflix certainly has raised the bar for original scripted in Asia, but it\u2019s not the only game in town. The likes of HOOQ, iflix and Viu are making waves pan-regionally, as is HBO Asia with properties like the horror anthology Folklore\u00a0<\/i>and the Indonesian thriller Grisse<\/i>. Elsewhere in the pan-regional space, FOX Networks Group Asia has been investing heavily in Mandarin-language scripted, recently picking up the worldwide rights, outside of China, for the period drama series The Legend of Hao Lan\u00a0<\/i>from Huanyu Film.<\/p>\n
\u201cStaying on top in the entertainment industry means constantly listening to what consumers want, and we have seen again and again that viewers today are voracious for the most exciting and dramatic Chinese series,\u201d said Cora Yim, the senior VP and head of Chinese entertainment at FOX Networks Group Asia, in announcing the agreement at MIPCOM.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur strategy is inspired by the FX network series production model, where success comes from developing relationships with the best creative talent,\u201d Yim says. \u201cIn terms of original Chinese content collaborations, we also strive to partner with the best talent, top filmmakers and producers to create premium content. We also see this strategy as empowering storytelling and taking our relationships to the next level. The recent expansion of Fox Creative Lab to Taiwan is helping us create a pipeline of 360-degree creative talent for FOX in Asia. As well, it enables us to increase the diversity of ideas in the region\u2019s film and TV industry, providing a platform for up-and-coming talent hailing from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and beyond. Working collaboratively to groom new talent in front of and behind the camera is also helping FOX Networks Group Asia to spearhead an evolving trend we\u2019ve been witnessing for the past few years, in which entertainment from the East is reaching new viewers in the West.\u201d<\/p>\n
Turner Asia Pacific is also stepping up its regional scripted efforts, sealing a multi-year pact with mm2 Asia that includes the film Killer Not Stupid<\/i>, from the multimillion-dollar box-office director Jack Neo. \u201cWe are [also] discussing a TV drama with a Taiwanese producer, based on an award-winning script,\u201d notes Marianne Lee, VP of content for general entertainment.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, broadcasters and distributors in the Philippines, Korea and India are finding a slew of additional opportunities to license their drama series, produced for their local markets, within the region and across the globe.<\/p>\n
RIDING THE WAVE GMA Worldwide in the Philippines is also finding interest in its scripted-format slate, according to VP Roxanne J.\u00a0 Barcelona.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have received inquiries for drama formats from production companies in Korea, India, the Middle East and Thailand and we hope to unlock new territories through format sales in the future,\u201d she says, adding, \u201cScripted format sales are doing well in Latin America.\u201d<\/p>\n In terms of finished programs, meanwhile, Barcelona cites Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa as key territories. \u201cWe are slowly opening up Europe, Central Asia and China.\u201d<\/p>\n For fellow Filipino media group ABS-CBN Corporation, Asia and Africa have been the strongest markets for drama sales, according to Macie F. Imperial, VP\/head of integrated acquisitions and international sales. \u201cWe are aggressively strengthening our ties with the Latin American and European markets. We are also actively pursuing countries like China and Korea. We are hoping that we will have a strong foothold in these big markets soon.\u201d<\/p>\n Imperial adds that ABS-CBN has become active in the format-sales sector, previously licensing The Two of Us\u00a0<\/i>to Cambodia and The Promise\u00a0<\/i>to Mexico. \u201cWe are in talks with our partners in Asia and the Middle East for format adaptations of our dramas,\u201d Imperial says.<\/p>\n PASSAGE FROM INDIA One Life Studios cracked the Japanese market this year when it licensed its period epic Porus\u00a0<\/i>to Hulu Japan. \u201cNow we are aiming to venture into the Latin American market and also Africa,\u201d reports Siddharth Kumar Tewary, founder and chief creative officer at the Indian distribution house.<\/p>\n Digital platforms are beginning to create new opportunities for distributors, but the executives surveyed here note that there are challenges in working with on-demand services.<\/p>\n \u201cIndian dramas are typically long-running, airing for many years,\u201d Dasgupta says. \u201cDigital platforms are looking at shorter series. We have syndicated our series to digital platforms geo-blocked to a specific territory. We are now awaiting the feedback on the performance of the series.\u201d<\/p>\n For ABS-CBN\u2019s Imperial, \u201cDigital platforms have created a dynamic business environment for our drama distribution. It has led us to reexamine our operations to be able to supply the demands of this emerging digital trend.\u201d<\/p>\n GMA\u2019s Barcelona notes that digital platforms often prefer different kinds of dramas than the ones sought out by linear services. \u201cWe find that heavy dramas are preferred by free TV while the romantic comedies are preferred by the pay and OTT markets.\u201d<\/p>\n Barcelona has also observed a willingness for \u201cnew, even risqu\u00e9 drama storylines,\u201d such as the one in Silent Shadow\u00a0<\/i>about a transgender woman.<\/p>\n Regardless of platform, compelling storytelling will travel, One Life\u2019s Tewary says. \u201cToday, language is not a barrier\u2014if the content is good, it travels globally. Indian dramas are very family oriented and high on drama, which is something that travels all around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur shows capture the celebrations, the trials and tribulations and the joys of our culture well,\u201d says Viacom18\u2019s Dasgupta. \u201cWhile our content is symbolic of the core culture and diversity of India, our approach has always been global.\u201d<\/p>\n Pictured: ABS-CBN\u2019s <\/i>Now & Forever.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Asian storytelling is in the spotlight as the region\u2019s dramas find fans across the globe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":290,"featured_media":10369,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[77,70],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-features","category-top-stories","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\n
\n<\/strong>Korea remains the region\u2019s biggest licensor of drama, with CJ ENM among those leading the charge. \u201cCJ ENM introduces three to five new dramas every month, and the diversity and competency of the lineup leads to their popularity throughout Asia,\u201d says Linda Lee, head of global content marketing at the Korean conglomerate, which arrives at ATF with highlights such as Encounter<\/i>, Quiz from God: Reboot\u00a0<\/i>and Priest<\/i>. \u201cThe Asian territory is one of the most important markets for CJ ENM. The new markets we wish to [enter are in] Europe. We believe we have potential there with both our finished shows and scripted formats.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Dramas from India have been steadily expanding their reach worldwide over the last few years. Debkumar Dasgupta, senior VP and business head of syndication and digital at Viacom18\/Indiacast, says his company\u2019s shows have reached Central and Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia and the Americas, among other markets. \u201cWe are looking at introducing our series in China, the Philippines and Japan,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n