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01 Dec 17 DAY 3
THE 2017 OFFICIAL
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Re-live Singapore’s National Day Parade in its first ever 360° VR video.
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Take the hassle out of purchasing a vessel when you can ’test drive’ your favourite boat or yacht in VR.
Explore Sister’s Island and Famagusta of Cyprus through a new age of storytelling with environment conservation initiatives.
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A VR game with truly immersive character interaction.
PhoenIX is an animated sci-fi series that uses VR to give audiences a most visceral narrative experience.
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THE GLOBAL APPEAL OF INDIAN-NESS
Step into a 360° kitchen to witness the passion behind the making of Chilli Crab, Fish Head Curry, Nasi Ambeng & more. Presented by the Singapore Tourism Board
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01 Dec 17 DAY 3
AT A GLANCE CONTENTS
02 MARKET 07 CONFERENCE 16 FEATURE: THE GLOBAL APPEAL OF INDIAN-NESS
17 FEATURE:
REINVENTING THE DINOSAUR
28 FEATURE:
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
30 PRODUCTS Hand-jiving hotness: A great fit is everything and we applaud 3 dashing judges for their Savile Row-inspired tailoring
CONFERENCE
HIGHLIGHTS
DEC 01
DEC 01
EUROPE & ASIA: AN INSIGHT INTO CO-PRODUCTIONS 10am—10:45am
THE ONLINE/OTT ORDER: A NEW REBEL ALLIANCE? 8:45am—9:50am Peony 4511, 4512, Level 4
RISING GIANT: A SPOTLIGHT ON INDONESIA 10:50am—11:35am MEET THE FINANCIERS 11:35am—12:20pm THE ASEAN FILM ECONOMY: THE TRENDS AND MOVEMENT AHEAD 1:30pm—2:15pm Mascot-mingling: Has he seen Wukong before? Could he be a fan?
EDITORIAL & PRODUCTION TEAM Editorial Director Lunita S V Mendoza On Site Editor Suhaimi Sainy Conference Writers Marcus Goh Gwyneth Goh
PROJECT MANAGEMENT Senior Project Director Yeow Hui Leng
CONFERENCE Executive Producer Lunita S V Mendoza
Project Manager Joyce Chua
Producer Assistant Mira Lee
Senior Project Coordinator Chrystia Liew
MARKETING Marketing Manager Monika Au
Market Writers Bernice Koh Nur Atiqah
BUYERS Relationship Manager Lim Li Min
Designers Zoey Lim Shellen Teh
Exhibitors & Participants Account Manager Phua Meenyi
Photographers Milton Tan Dalton Tan
PUBLIC RELATIONS Ninemer Public Relations PL
Assistant Marketing Manager Valerie Lim OPERATIONS Operations Executive Amelia Kho Operations Coordinator Phelicia Ng
Published by REED EXHIBITIONS, a division of RELX (Singapore) Pte Ltd
SOURCING FOR NEW BUSINESS MODELS IN MEDIA FINANCING 2:15pm—3pm KOREA’S LOCATION INCENTIVE FOR INTERNATIONAL PRODUCTION-FILMING IN KOREA 3:20pm—3:55pm CREATING BUZZ: MARKETING AND PUBLICITY FOR INDIES 4pm—4:40pm KEYNOTE: BRINGING A LOCAL IP GLOBAL 4:45pm—5:25pm SAFF PROJECT MARKET PRIZE CEREMONY 5:30pm—6pm
KCA -KOREA PAVILION ‘RAINBOW ART EVENT’ 11am—12pm KCA Booth - L10, Level 5 KCA -KOREA PAVILION ‘RAINBOW ART EVENT’ 2pm—3pm KCA Booth - L10, Level 5 KCA -KOREA PAVILION ‘RAINBOW ART EVENT’ 4pm—5pm KCA Booth - L10, Level 5
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01 Dec 17 DAY 3
MARKET RAINBOW LEADS THE WAY FOR EDUCATIONAL ANIMATION
At Rainbow Internazionale (Rainbow), Europe’s leading studio dedicated to television, theatrical and digital productions, the creation of meaningful entertainment products sits at the heart of its business strategy. Kumar Naryana, who leads Rainbow’s strategic direction in Asia, revealed that the company’s wide array of content will continue to perform due to the endorsement it receives from parents. Opening up, Kumar highlighted that parents are becoming more cautious of the types of content their children are consuming. “There will always be demand for fun yet educational content that do not only encourage learning, but help to inculcate the right values in young children,” he shared. Thus, it’s no surprise that Rainbow is garnering interests from Asian broadcasters at this year’s Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF) and ScreenSingapore. Among its slate of new content is the brand new pre-school animation, “44 Cats” – a stunning CGI comedy show that combines music, entertainment, top quality animation and acting. With a promising plot to boot, the series will also be offered to leading broadcasters in Singapore such as Mediacorp’s okto.
In 2006, Channel 31 adopted the 16:9 broadcasting format ahead of most channels. It has its own Internet resource and portal where streaming is being implemented in full, with additional distribution routes being implemented as smart-applications in main TV-set brands, as well as mobile apps like the AppStore and Play Store.” – Yerlan Karin, Chairman of the Board of the Republic TV & Radio Corporation, JSC
SEVEN DEALS SEALED The Southeast Asian Audio-Visual Association’s Media Investors Summit saw seven new partnerships sealed. Of these, Aurora Media Holdings and 108 Media signed a partnership to co-produce 10 to 15 projects in feature motion pictures and television series. Lifestyle channel BeachTV scored two deals; one, to set up BeachTV Philippines with M.D. Allego Music and Arts Production, and another, to launch new DJ reality format “Rave Wave” alongside AOS Collective and 108 Media. In celebration of its first anniversary, Malaysia’s dimsum closed four landmark agreements with broadcasters from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand.
GOING TO THE OPERA
IMPROVED CONDITIONS MAKE KYRGYZSTAN A NEW GEM Good news for sellers as Kyrgyzstan has fully switched to digital broadcasting. As well, with a new policy set to come into effect in early 2018 supporting content rights holders, the potential buying power of this Central Asian nation can only skyrocket. Mirbek Kasimov who represents Nomadmen Media LLC is 02
at ATF this year is enthusiastic. He is looking for documentaries, animation, TV series, feature films and sports to fill the potential demand of 40 TV channels in the country. More than just a distributor, Mirbek says his company is also in the midst of launching a VOD service in Kyrgyzstan early next year.
Striving to expose young children to different cultures and mother tongue languages in Singapore, Singaporean director Raymond Tan produced “The Wayang Kids” – the first movie supported by the Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism. The movie features a group of primary school children overcoming cultural and language barriers to represent their school in an international Chinese opera performance, with a student suffering from mild autism leading the team. “The Wayang Kids” will make its debut in cinemas in March 2018.
MARKET WATCH OUT FOR SAFF PROJECT MARKET WINNERS
FUTURE OF DIGITAL CONTENT SHINES BRIGHT At the intersection of the television and Internet stands a whole new kind of consumer – those who are increasingly empowered and tech-savvy, with a thirst for useful, accessible and richer user experience. Therefore, in meeting the needs of this target audience, FremantleMedia International’s Vice President for Digital Partnerships and Brand Licensing (Asia), Nicholas Dale, highlighted the importance of digital content providers and broadcast media working together to create a dynamic and win-win situation. Nicholas added that while broadcast media remains a dominant feature in
many territories including Asia, the future of digital content consumption is bright. “Digital content providers like us need to be able to identify and leverage key moments that have the potential of going viral. We should also continue to create and produce interesting content that are tailored specifically for digital platforms such as Facebook and YouTube to attract the most eyeballs,” he said. Nicholas also encouraged the collaboration with brands and partners to create a 360-experience for consumers.
SNUGGLE WITH 72 CUTEST ANIMALS ABC Commercial announced a deal with Central Cooperation International, China’s national broadcaster, for its factual series “72 Cutest Animals”. The two-year deal will see the series broadcast on the network’s documentary channel CCTV9. Packed with amazing scientific facts, this visuallystunning programme features the cutest animals on the planet from koalas to bats, and uncovers the unusual characteristics that makes an animal cute.
Our goal at ATF this year is two-pronged – to seek buyers for our three existing IPs, and to scour for new projects in development that we can invest into for 2018/2019. We also have a very flexible approach to partnerships, are platform agnostic, and if appropriate, offer our own platform as an initial point of distribution for the IP.” – Goh Hsu Teik, Head of Animation & Merchandising, Astro
The SAFF Project Market was created to help Southeast Asian filmmakers learn from experts and get their films made. A partnership between ScreenSingapore, Southeast Asian Audio-Visual Association (SAAVA) and Ties That Bind: Asia/Europe Producers Workshop (TTB), this pitching competition is in its third run. From a large number of submissions, an esteemed panel of judges identified 15 finalists from Malaysia, Myanmar, The Philippines, Singapore (in collaboration with producers from India and Mauritius) and Thailand. Over a three-day period, producers of the 15 shortlisted feature-length projects had opportunities to meet potential investors, providing them a chance to make this their launchpad. Genres featured this year included animation, drama, fantasy, thriller and dark comedy. President of SAAVA, Chan Gin Kai said that this has been an exceptional year, with great reviews from the investors, distributors and festival organisers. He added that some projects have received investment offers and one can look forward to seeing them on the silver screen soon. A number of prizes are also in place to help to realise projects with the most potential. Watch out for the winner announcements at 5:30pm today. 03
01 Dec 17 DAY 3
MARKET TBS IS AFTER YOUR HEART Known for bringing heart-racing entertainment programme “Sasuke”, Tokyo Broadcasting System continues to keep viewers on the edge of their seats with a new format of a live quiz show. Titled “Rush 4 Win”, it was on showcase at ATF, where participants raced against time and each other to answer a series of multiple-choice questions to avoid elimination from the game. Receiving equally enthusiastic response at ATF were TBS’ new drama series “Rikuoh” and “Dr. Storks” with their storylines that had tugged at the viewers’ heartstrings back home in Japan.
NHK ENTERPRISES RETURNS TO ATF AS A MAJOR SPONSOR A major sponsor at the Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF) and ScreenSingapore this year, NHK Enterprises (NHK) has shown its confidence in the trade show through its continued participation over the years. According to Hisako Fujioka, Senior Manager for Program Sales at the production company’s Global Business headquarters, ATF’s unparalleled position as the leading content market in the region makes it an attractive platform yearly. Noting the increase in the number of exhibitors, Hisako attributed the large turnout to the convenience and ease at which ATF offers participating buyers and exhibitors. “Strategically located, ATF is a fitting platform for participants to converge, catch up with existing clients and forge new working relationships with potential buyers,” Hisako said. Similar to previous installations, NHK aims to raise the appeal and value of the NHK brand, and garner significant interest to supply and license programming to various media platforms within and beyond Asia. Of the wide range of content it offers, NHK hopes to secure deals for its animations, documentaries and 4K TV broadcasts, while finding ways to create greater synergy with its partners. 04
KESHET KNOWS WHAT YOU WANT The art of listening and having knowledge of your catalogue at your fingertips is considered a key skill, opines Gary Pudney, Head of Keshet International Asia. While purchasing trends have generally remained the same, with buyers looking for new content that remains cost effective and is not too risky, it is the task of the seller to know the needs of the buyers, while offering them content that fits their bill. Gary touted the Asian market as a melting pot of cultures peppered with nuances and diverse viewer appetite, rife with opportunities.
MARKET TREND SPOTTING FROM INDIA Content distributor, GoQuest, has been presenting at ATF for the past three years and it has become an annual “pilgrimage” says its MD, Vivek. With Southeast Asia’s rapid growth, “it’s important to enter now rather than later.” He spots two key trends in this region – one being the increasing appetite for children’s content in animation, and the other is an interesting trend about cross border remakes. First-time participant, One Take Media, highlights the trend of consuming content on the go. The Khera sisters behind the company, launched a mobile app to extend the experience of their food and lifestyle TV channel, and plans to do so for their animation channels.
BPI, SAAVA SEALED INAUGURAL STRATEGIC ALLIANCE In line with the trade show’s Country-of-Focus initiative, Singapore’s leading content producer association, Southeast Asian Audio-Visual Association (SAAVA) inked a landmark deal with Badan Perfilman Indonesia (BPI) at the Southeast Asian Film Financing Forum (SAFF) on Thursday. The strategic alliance, a first-ever for both associations, aims to promote the filmed entertainment, digital content as well as media production industries in Indonesia and around Southeast Asia. As part of the cooperation and collaboration, BPI and SAAVA hope to foster more co-productions, develop the regional media finance industry, facilitate knowledge and skills transfer as well as promote best practices across the region. 05
01 Dec 17 DAY 3
MARKET NICKELODEON AND TELKOMSEL PRESS PLAY
A 17 YEAR FRENCH AFFAIR WITH ATF
Nickelodeon and leading Indonesian telco, Telkomsel, has launched Emmy awardwinning Nickelodeon Play app in Indonesia making it the the second Asian market for the app, after Singapore. The immersive and interactive freemium app is created for kids aged seven and above, their parents and caregivers, as an extension of the unique content available on Nickelodeon. This is the first kids’ pack in the Telkomsel OTT stable, VideoMAX.
EMPEROR “PORUS” LANDS IN THAILAND Epic historical drama series “Porus” by India’s One Life Studios has been licensed to Thailand’s Workpoint Entertainment for exclusive TV rights in Thailand and nonexclusive digital rights. Workpoint also has the rights to create original music for the Thai broadcast. This is One Life Studio’s biggest drama series to date, bringing to life one of the most iconic rulers of ancient India.
It was all smiles among the French as TV France International marked its 17th consecutive year at the ATF and the biggest showing to date with 35 French companies represented.
Almost all Kazakhstani TV channels reviewed their price policy downwards with regard to content buy. However, Channel 31 is looking for ways of procuring high-quality content at an acceptable value. Not to mention that at present, there is also a growing demand in Kazakhstan for local television production.” – Denis Alkhovsky, Programming Director of Channel 31
NORWAY REACHES OUR WAY Norway’s debut at ATF ScreenSingapore was a pilot project to introduce Norwegian documentaries and animation to Asia and was undertaken with strong support of the Norwegian Film Institute. Fronted by Aurora Insight Media Consulting who acted as the bridge to enhance the receptiveness of Asian buyers to this new source, buyers were enthralled by these films with a distinctive Nordic touch. Adrienne Seet, Managing Director of Aurora Insight believes that ATF has given Norwegian companies an invaluable opportunity to test and understand the needs of the Asian market. 06
TV France’s President Hervé Michel affirmed Asia’s potential, in particular Southeast Asia as an important area of focus for the French companies to tap on. He also shared their goal to increase the French’s market share in Asia, as the current gross turnover in Southeast Asia stands at 5-7%. Judging by the quality of output, number of hours produced and variety of genres, Hervé was confident of the French companies’ showing and ability to attract buyers in the Asia market. Within the first day of the market’s opening, Newen Distribution was finalising a deal on a three-parter fantasy tale drama in Southeast Asia. French video game publisher Ubisoft and producer of Rabbids Invasion TV show were also excited to meet local broadcasters at the market and expand their reach, after their shows were sold in China and reached more than one billion views on key streaming platforms. Looking forward to the future, Hervé hopes for an expansion of ATF, with participation from more companies around the region, creating greater opportunities for both buyers and sellers. French ambassador, Marc Abensour also visited the French Pavilion bringing his support to the French delegation of exporters, producers, distributors and broadcasters.
CONFERENCE Disruption, Innovation And Transformation in Indonesia Turning the spotlight on ATF’s Country Of Focus this year, Reza Haryo, Senior Consultant at IDC Indonesia serves up a platter of informational insights at the Indonesian breakfast networking session. In this era of intense digital transformation, Reza advises that traditional businesses need to understand the market to stay afloat. As consumers become increasingly tech-savvy and demanding for digital commerce in Indonesia, more and more start-ups are entering the market to disrupt legacy businesses. While everyone intuitively understands the need to go digital and stay competitive, what’s lacking is a sound business plan for moving forward. Reza proposes that the solution lies in innovation and data transformation. “Digital transformation is a MUST for every company in Indonesia,” he firmly states, “but the interesting thing is, companies see digital advertising only as a use of technology to help them now, not in a long-term sense of advancement and innovation.” Digital Transformation (DX) should be a continuous process, and a DX
experience should incorporate digital, physical, business and customer engagement elements to drive organisational efficiency, productivity and revenue. Reza stresses information transformation as an absolute imperative, which means it’s not just about acquiring big data but being able
to make sense of it for your business. The strategic priority should be to collect and analyse data, glean market insights and turn that into competitive advantage, Reza emphasises, “You can have data without information, but you can’t have information without data”.
Joshua Simanjuntak, Deputy Chairman of Marketing from BEKRAF Indonesia captures a memento of a strong turnout at the Spotlight on Indonesia session after his welcome speech
(champions pitting their physical capabilities against each other) being screened. Two other formats, like Simon Cowell’s Syco and Canxing-Star China’s talent show “Path to Glory”, and CJ E&M and England’s ITVSGE’s psychological profiling game show “The Line-Up”, illustrated the increasing commonality of multi-country co-productions. Keri Lewis Brown of K7 Media shares her insights at the ATF Conference
Fragmentation, consolidation and globalisation in the last five to ten years has caused the TV industry to change rapidly and dramatically.”
Perhaps the three most interesting formats were “Can I Follow You Home”, a 2014 Japanese TV Tokyo reality show where a camera crew offers late night loiterers a free taxi ride home in exchange for a glimpse into their house and lives (adapted in the UK as “Can I Take You Home”); “Ancient Games”, a reality game show in advanced development for China’s Hunan TV in 2018, where fit celebrities and former athletes are pitted against each other in real games from ancient history; and “Dropout Pvt Ltd”, an Indian reality show where top entrepreneurs select dropouts to run a startup successfully.
– Keri Lewis Brown, Managing Director, K7 Media
Keri also expects to see more unscripted formats coming from India.
A Wealth of Asian Ideas Asia’s unscripted formats are seeing tremendous exportability across the world through partnerships and adaptations. Keri Lewis Brown, Managing Director, K7 Media, curated a list of exciting new shows from Asia across a broad range of genres. Two of these shows are family focused: “Kids in Power”, a social experiment series that sees kids taking over the role of parents for a week, produced by Korea’s CJ E&M and Israel’s Gil Formats; and “Families That Laugh Together” by
China’s CCTV, which sees families acting out comedy sketches based on their true stories for a celebrity panel, a format which Keri predicted would be seen in Europe within two years. Reality shows featuring professional experts being challenged took up the lion’s share of the formats, with shows like CCTV’s “Mission AI” (experts vs AI); TV Asahi’s Japanese shows “VS Kids” (ex-champions taking on child champions) and “Experts vs. Experts” (translocating experts from one country into another); and Nippon TV’s Japanese game show “Witness the Fitness”
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CONFERENCE Formats’ Secret Receipe for Success Studio Lambert, Viacom and FOX Networks share their thoughts on what makes a superformat fly. With titles like Gogglebox, Lip Sync Battle and Bolt of Talent between them, this illustrious panel of UK exporters pinpoint their key ingredients for success. “You want drama and conflict, but you also want people to be in a better place at the end,” says Stephen. For Laura, she thinks it’s important that formats stay attuned to how people want to consume entertainment now, “You must reach your audience where your audience is, and that’s why we invest a lot in the digital side of things.” On branding, Michael emphasises, “I think markets are becoming increasingly complicated and fragmented and it’s increasingly hard for people to know where to find good content. Brands need to be aware of this and ensure that the shows they produce meet and exceed those brand expectations.” The key points: 1. Superformats need a great cast, and authenticity is key. 2. Superformats must not only satisfy local audiences, but cater for millennial and centennial tastebuds. 3. Superformats require a clearly structured, brand-driven business model.
Tough competition but “Ranking” walks away the winner
For us, casting is very important. If you find the right cast that reflects the diversity of the nation, and people like them and the entertaining things they say…” – Stephen Lambert, CEO, Studio Lambert
Fresh Ideas Abound at ATF Formats Pitch ATF Formats Pitch 2017 saw a record number of entries, said Nick Tree, Senior Vice President, all3media International. With last year’s winning pitch, “Hit It”, already seeing production on Mediacorp’s Malay channel Suria as “Hentam Sajalah”, this year’s champion could see their project on the fast track to success. Two very different pitches from China were shortlisted. First up was “Kid’s Meal Time Challenge”, a cooking show by TVZone Media Co Ltd where celebrities have to whip up dishes for kids aged 6 to 8 – who are picky eaters, was well-liked by many on the judging panel. Next was “Tower of Love”, a dating programme by 3C Media with a twist – pitting the woman’s friends and family against AI as they choose from a pool of ten men they thought the woman would favour. Judges though, wondered whether the stakes in the show were high enough, as each episode would feature a different lady.
From L-R: Jin Woo Hwang, General Manager/Head of Formats & Development, Global Content Development Team, CJ E&M; Stephen Lambert, CEO, Studio Lambert; Laura Burrell, Head of Formats, Viacom International Media Networks; Michael Dick, Vice President, Acquisition, Management and Content Acquisitions, FOX Networks Group Asia 08
“Action Academy”, by Vietnamese Fun Box Media, a martial arts reality show would see competitors literally battling it out, with an action film role as the ultimate prize. The judging panel were concerned about the
practicality of finding a martial arts movie to peg to each season of the series. From Singapore, The Hummingbird Co (creators of popular web series “Average Guys”) pitched “Living off the Land”, a cooking show which would also require contenders to forage for their own ingredients in different environments, in order to win prize money to start an eatery/restaurant. Judges observed that the feasibility of production and the prize costs could be challenging. Ultimately, it was “Ranking” from Indonesia’s Setianugraha that won with its quiz show that had contestants answering questions by ranking answers. Amreet Chahal, Sales Manager, Format & Finished Programs, Asia, all3media International liked the concept for its simplicity and flexibility but had questions about casting on pan-regions channels like A+E, but was assured that it would not be an issue in English-speaking countries. We wish Ranking and all the finalists all the best and look forward to seeing their ideas materialize on screen in the future.
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CONFERENCE What a Kid Wants In a session skilfully moderated by Don, four highly successful content creators discuss how to keep kids spellbound. At the core of the eternal question “what do people want to watch?” lies the strength of content, whether this audience is aged five or fifty. What comes first: character or environment? Olivier believes environment comes before characters, but Rajiv and Sana begin with their characters. Rajiv explains, “Chhota Bheem came to me in 15 minutes. I started with characters before everything else.” Sana agrees, “At Marvel, we always
From L-R: Rajiv Chilaka,Founder & CEO, Green Gold Animation Pvt Ltd (Chhota Bheem); Sana Amanat, Director of Content & Character Development, Marvel Entertainment; Olivier Dumont, Managing Director, Family & Licensing, Entertainment One; Hyemin Gemma Joo, Senior Manager (Media Distribution), SMartstudy (Pinkfong Baby Shark); Don Anderson (Moderator), Head of Family & Learning Partnerships, YouTube APAC
think about who our characters are fundamentally as human beings first, and their relatable qualities, before laying out all the other elements.” Gemma reveals a radically different approach at Smartstudy, “Actually we started with 100 mobile apps for kids.” Thanks to YouTube, their subscriber count has exponentially risen since then. When asked what format types favour kids content in this age of digital disruption, the unanimous answer is “all”. “What we have found in terms of research is that different platforms oddly enough don’t cannibalise each
With Multiple Platforms Comes Multiple Stories Mission statements might sound like something only large corporations have, but it’s important for characters to have them too. In a fireside chat with no actual fireplace, Don Anderson, Head of Family & Learning Partnerships, YouTube APAC, moderated a discussion with Sana Amanat, Director, Content and Character Development, Marvel Entertainment. She shared that their process always starts with characters. Characters need a strong mission statement, like how Spider-Man’s is “with great power comes great responsibility”, and they think about that with all their characters. Sara created Marvel’s first major Muslim superhero, Ms Marvel (there have been other characters called Ms Marvel before her as well). Under her tenure, Marvel has also developed a Korean-American Hulk, a female Thor, and a Latino African-American SpiderMan. Storytelling is important as it educates people about the world, and 10
I loved storytelling growing up. I drew myself into books, I loved cartoons, and there was always this innate sense of escapism. But it was also a way to challenge my imagination in a way I never really experienced before. Stories were a window into what was possible.” It was a another full-house session as Sana Amanat tells it all
Sana feels that it is their responsibility to tell aspirational and empowering stories that are representations of the world as it truly is. She spoke about the Marvel ecosystem, where audiences have
– Sana Amanat, Director, Content and Character Development, Marvel Entertainment
other. They unite the brand, and allow users to better experience our content,” Olivier adds. Sana however explains Marvel’s preference for short form, favouring bite-sized story pieces because of how people choose to consume content these days—particularly how parents prefer their kids to consume digital content. All agree that multiple channels, meaningful data analysis, and experiential content is the way to go from here. “Kids would love to touch and feel the characters. AR/VR is the future, but it’s not too far away!” predicts Rajiv.
different ways to experience its content, and how they’re moving into a digital space. She acknowledged that they were still trying to understand how it worked, but they know that the way people are consuming content is on many different platforms. Therefore, it has been an interesting creative challenge for them, because fundamentally it’s about how to tell different kinds of stories based on the platform it is on. They’ve created different platform-specific content, such as video comics, short form content for kids, and telling stories through podcasts. Sana raised the example of “Marvel Super Hero Adventures”, a multiplatform programme targeted at pre-schoolers, to illustrate how they package content for different consumers. As they are mindful of the amount of screen time that parents give to children, each episode is only two to three minutes long. But what if they do not feel like they have the right type of content for a platform? “We’ll establish a new character or tell a new story,” said Sana.
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CONFERENCE Of Pigs, Siblings and Boogers At ATF’s inaugural Animation Pitch, Rajiv Chilaka, CEO of Green Gold Animation, led the charge to express his excitement about the event, expressing also a desire to continue the segment year on year. For this year’s contest, 5 projects were chosen from over 60 pitches with much difficulty, because “most of them were fantastic”, Rajiv said ruefully. The 5 shortlisted pieces included two from Malaysia and one each from China, India and Taiwan. “Nobodies” (The R&D Studio, Malaysia), presented a humorous story about three booger, bacteria and amoeba characters living within a “hygienically-challenged 10-year-old boy”. Another pitch, Kim & Jim’s Wormhole (Escape Velocity Animation Studio, China), featured the wormhole adventures of a brother-sister pair in response to China’s post-one-childpolicy sibling wave. While all featured vibrant graphics and well-conceived worlds, the pitch that
The winners from studio2 Animation Lab of Taiwan (center), with the glamour line-up of judges (L-R): Justin Deimen, Managing Partner, Aurora Global Media Capital; Anand Roy, Head of Acquisitions & Co-Productions, Talent and Music, The Walt Disney Company; Rajiv Chilaka, Founder & CEO, Green Gold Animation Pvt Ltd; Don Anderson, Head of Family & Learning Partnerships, YouTube APAC; Aram Yacoubian, International Kids Acquisitions & Co-Productions, Netflix
stood out was a remake of the familiar “Journey to the West”. Freshly tweaking an old story, “The Western Journey of Pigsy” (studio2 Animation Lab, Taiwan) was the only feature film among the finalists targeted at a slightly older 12 to 18-year-old audience. In a near-future world, Pigsy seeks answers about Heaven, while Sanzo and Wukong are rock musicians instead of monks. Veering away from the
Winter never comes for HBO No-one thought that HBO would ever get a hit on the same level of The Sopranos after its sixth and final season ended. But then came Game of Thrones, now in its seventh season and which will conclude with its eight season. David Levine, Co-Head, HBO Drama Series, Home Box Office, who oversees Game of Thrones and J.J. Abrams and Jonathan Nolan’s Westworld, delivered a keynote about their content. He shared that at the centre of all their greatest programming, there’s a family in crisis and there’s always something that everybody wants. The bigger the world gets, the more there is to come of it, so their next challenge is to find the next great big world. David’s strategy is to find what works best for them and to stick to their game plan. They develop deep relationships with talent and the next great shows are borne from those relationships. 12
The challenge, then, is that of the creative arms race – who can have the most content? For them, they can only promise to have the best content in their space. The biggest factor in determining the number of shows they can create every year is a practical one – the budget. When selecting new content, they firstly think whether they have done it before, and if not – what does it say and do? “The Sopranos” and “Game of Thrones” are examples of this, and David speculates that “Westworld” may become as big as both shows, if not bigger. With regards to the creative process, he said
humorous slants of the other pitches, this story of self-discovery explores more serious themes of heaven, mortality and morality. In this region, things are great right now. You have over 800 million kids, so there’s no better market to create content for. The time has come. It’s time for Asia now to step out, create more shows for the local market. It’s a matter of time that local will go global.” – Rajiv Chilaka, Founder & CEO, Green Gold Animation Pvt Ltd
Ultimately it was studio2 Animation Lab that walked away with prizes worth US$19,000—a cash component of US$2,500 and more importantly, a consultancy package valued at US$16,500 which will help develop the animation to a standard ready for pitching to broadcasters. that the two most interesting parts which determine if it is good are when idea is first created, and when the audience is introduced to it for the first time. As programmers, he said, they look at a schedule three years ahead to decide what they want on it. He states that business have to be organised and communicative in order to be successful at that.
HAZAL KAYA
BURAK DENİZ
From the producer of “FERİHA”
ÖZGE ÖZPİRİNÇCİ
CANER CİNDORUK
VISIT US AT ATF F23 www.calinosentertainment.com
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01 Dec 17 DAY 3
CONFERENCE Coming Soon: The Horror Of Asian HBO Originals HBO celebrates its 25th birthday by announcing an exciting line-up of Asian originals that will premiere here soon. Among the six projects announced, “Folklore” was discussed at the Directors’ Collective session—primarily because three of the six directors involved were sitting on the same panel alongside Jessica Kam, Senior Vice President (HBO Asia Original Productions), HBO Asia. While discussing the popularity of horror among their local audience, Ho Yu Hang (Malaysia) tells of a Malaysian penchant for horror. It’s the same in Indonesia, Joko Anwar (Indonesia) shares, explaining the incredible success of his own film “Satan’s Slave”. His movie has sold over 4.2 million tickets to over 40 countries, and will be playing in Singapore theatres soon. Looking further north, Lee Sang-woo (Korea) says that comedy and action films always work, while horror/thriller is less popular. Interestingly, dramas and melodramas are so popular on an everyday basis that no one wants to watch it in the cinemas.
From L-R: Jessica Kam, Senior Vice President (HBO Asia Original Productions), HBO Asia; Lee Sang-woo, Director, Korea; Joko Anwar, Director, Indonesia; Ho Yu Hang, Director, Malaysia; Daniel Yun (Moderator), Veteran Film Producer, Blue3Asia
For China, Jessica reports comedies and action films faring best with the highest production value. Due to the generally young audience there, coming-of-age stories and romantic comedies thrive where heavy dramas and sad stories fall short. But back to horror, and “Folklore”,
which features 6 folklores from 6 countries, filmed by 6 director. Jessica shares, “Eric Khoo was the one who came up with the idea and brought together such a stellar panel of directors. At HBO we want to push boundaries, and this is really pushing the boundaries.”
also on the lookout for international partnerships. e-Sports is shamefully under monetised, said Justin Deimen, Managing Partner, Aurora Global Media Capital, in response to the e-Sports boom. He observed the lack of content in e-Sports, which is usually localised and event-based, and raised the point of how to grow that in the short term. In response to audience questions, Alexander explained that he would shy away from pure cash investments, preferring instead to be partners in projects as his fund is not a bank. It would also depend on the individual project.
The moguls of finance shares tips on how to invest in content
Show Me The Money Three venture capitalists got together to share their perspectives on the media investments in a panel moderated by Leon Tan, CEO, Dragonslate Media. The adage “content is king” would return to prominence, believes Alexander Shulgin, Futurist & VC, Familia Group. He used the concept of the “Internet of Things” as a reference, believing that a similar new ecosystem, the “Internet of Content” would arise. It would have content that was both centralised and decentralised at the 14
same time, and available to everyone. In fact, it would probably have 24/7 streaming. Dr John Liu, President, HAN Capital Management LLC, gave his suggestions about how to benefit from the growth of Chinese digital media. With China having gradually opened its doors three to five years back, the big six Hollywood studios are very interested in China. Foreign companies should find a reliable Chinese partner amongst the many Chinese entities
It’s better to invest in a spread as an investor, and hope that you invest in five, a couple would break even, and the fifth would blow everyone out.” – Leon Tan, CEO, DragonSlate Media
Justin explained that his fund’s methodology to de-risk when investing in entertainment included an in-depth discussion, the production’s budget in relation to similar projects, whether the market was regional or local, and the genre. Ultimately, said Justin, there’s no recipe or secret sauce for a successful movie, and the onus at the end of the day would be on him and his group to make the investment decision.
VISIT US AT ATF, STAND #J08 Catalogue: www.keshetinternational.com Contact us: info@keshetinternational.com @KeshetIntl KeshetInternational @KeshetInternational 15
01 Dec 17 DAY 3
FEATURE
THE GLOBAL APPEAL OF INDIAN-NESS
Debkumar Dasgupta
It is a general impression that “Indian-ness” has always appealed magnificently across the globe. Indian content, with its compelling storytelling, mixing that perfect blend of emotion, drama and variety, has encapsulated social messages relevant to most cultures across the world. Looking at Viacom18|IndiaCast alone, their series continue to break all records across the APAC region. Balika Vadhu (The Young Bride) and Shakti (Divine Energy) have beaten records in Vietnam, while in Indonesia, Uttaran, Swaragini, Laagi Tujhse Lagan (Nakusha), Ashoka, and Nagin have been hugely successful, garnering tremendous response. “All our series continue to receive positive responses in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Pakistan, Cambodia and Afghanistan,” said Debkumar Dasgupta, SVP & Head of Syndication, Digital & South Asia (Linear) at Indiacast Media Distribution (Viacom18|IndiaCast). In fact, after successfully making inroads into the East European markets, CIS countries and Asian markets, Viacom18|IndiaCast is now also available in the Caribbean, Turkey and African market across both traditional and new media platforms. Of course, Asia still has the warmest arms for all things Indian and while there is success across the globe, Viacom18|IndiaCast is still excited to establish strategic alliances and looking at establishing business opportunities in the Philippines, Taiwan, Korea and Japan. “Asia Pacific region is very important to our overall business,” corroborated Sunita Uchil, Chief Business Officer of Zee Entertainment. “This has been on the growth path for us for a few years now. We expect to push this growth further with new content, genres, local productions and avenues of content sharing. To that end, we are creating, producing and 16
Sunita Uchil
aggregating relevant content appealing to the audiences here.” The Indian TV industry itself has been in existence for over four decades. However, like many of its Asian counterparts, the real action has only just begun. “TV business is rapidly expanding in terms of the sheer numbers of TV channels, platforms and the volume of quality content produced by broadcasters,” said Debkumar. “With over 800 plus TV channels (Pay & Free), this space is dominated by five major players including Viacom18|IndiaCast, where we produce over 15,000 hours of content every year.” “Anything labelled Indian comes naturally with an expected essence of culture, elegance, style and passion. The new India is progressive, aware and educated. All these elements will reflect in the new content being created in India. Add to this superior technology and knowledge that we have so quickly inculcated into the very process of content creation, I believe the world should expect some top class entertainment from India, rich and wholesome,” Sunita continued, stating that at ATF this year, Zee Entertainment will be pushing largely dramas, followed by American lifestyle content from Z Living. “Going forward, our focus would be more towards our home-grown formats from Zee Format Factory such as Lala’s Ladiez (Sitcom), Moksha (Game Show), Dance India Dance (Dance Reality), and Femme Foodies (Food Format) to name a few,” Sunita concluded. The company to date also has a significant movie slate of 4,200 films. Sticking to the basic of valuing of the familial system, respecting traditions, and having lives revolve around families/kids, all while exuding a strong sense of community pride and believe in celebrating festivals and occasions
together as a community, has not failed Viacom18|IndiaCast. This ATF, they come with added ammunition, with plans to introduce their new series, Dil Se Dil Tak , Swabhiman, Ishq Mein Marjawan and Tu Aashiqui. “These shows are a perfect blend of emotion, romance and family dramas, which will immediately resonate with the audiences in the territories, wherein Indian series are popular.” Indian Content @ ATF • Appu Series • Aum Animation Studios Pvt Ltd • B4u Television Network India Limited • Berserk Media Ltd • Children’s Playground Creative Inc • CIP Media LLP • Columbia Video Films (M) Sdn Bhd • Digibooster • Dragonfly Films • Eros International Media Ltd • Epic Television Networks • Fixed Stars Multi Media • Global Content Bazar • Goquest Media Ventures • Green Gold Animation • Helios Media Pvt Ltd • HQ Studios Pvt Ltd • Indiacast Media Distribution Pvt Ltd • Madhu Entertainment & Media Ltd. • Myra Motion Pictures • One Life Studios • Prithvi Media • Rajshri Entertainment Private Limited • RK Duggal Studios • Shashi Sumeet Productions Pvt Ltd • Sony Pictures Networks India • Spuul Digital Entertainment Pvt Ltd • Star India Pvt Ltd • Super Audio Madras Pvt Ltd • Toonz Animation India Pvt Ltd • Vas360 • Videogyan Studios Pvt Ltd • Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited
FEATURE
REINVENTING THE DINOSAUR In conversation with Krishnan Rajagopalan, Investor & CEO Whacked Out Media (& Co-Founder of HOOQ) Krishnan Rajagopalan
What is the current situation of telcos today? Are they getting it right? There are multiple pathways that telcos can follow in the OTT space. The low risk and default approach is to serve as storefronts for OTT brands and services. In this approach, telcos are able to bring critical assets (comarketing dollars, ability to monetize through hard bundles or soft bundles, a large user base, etc) to the table, and are able to extract value from the ecosystem in terms of billing fees. In a world where most OTT services are cash flow negative, telcos are able to benefit from increased data usage, additional revenue from billing fees and brand elevations and competitive differentiation that follows their association with content without taking on the risk associated with content costs. This is a short-term strategy however, as the OTT services who survive will have generated exponentially higher value for themselves and will at-some point no longer need telcos to help them monetize their offerings. That is, in the long term, telcos that follow this strategy exclusively will not be relevant anymore. A few of the more intrepid telcos have also started planning out their own OTT services and content strategies in parallel to the storefront approach. The jury is out on whether this will prove to be a half-step or an effective approach to the OTT space. At the other extreme, AT&T is acquiring Time Warner to create a vertically integrated ecosystem from production to consumer, to follow Comcast’s earlier acquisition of NBC Universal. If these integrated businesses are able to drive innovation and growth, they will provide blue-prints for telcos in Asia to follow in their respective markets.
Which pure player in Asia would be the current leader in this space? I don’t think there is a clear leader in the space in Asia today. The existing players have vastly different long term business objectives (exit vs. a sustainable operating business), content strategies (global, vs niche vs. local vs. mixes), and market footprints. There are also no independently verifiable reports of the numbers of active and paid subscribers, engagement levels (for example: average streaming mins per subscriber per month), or effective ARPUs, which would be key metrics that drive the determination. What they all have in common is the current lack of a sustainable business model or competitive edge, a cash flow negative business that constantly needs capital to survive, low to no brand loyalty at scale (customers in Asia follow content, not brands), consumers who are not yet ready to pay for premium content, and increasing competition as the traditional local/regional FTA and Pay TV operators enter the OTT fray, not to mention the looming OTT threat from global technology giants such as Facebook, Apple, Tencent, Alibaba etc, and large global studios and broadcasters who are yet to fire their first salvos in this space. In many ways, it is day 1 for OTT in Asia (and even across the globe). What are telcos’ major failings still? Ultimately, succeeding in OTT requires an obsession with customer experiences around content, content-led marketing, as well as the ability to optimise content licensing/ production decisions to maximise perceived value and quality. This is a DNA issue that only a few telcos have been successful at overcoming. Besides the customer focus issue, telcos have to find a way to innovate, co-operate and compete against pure play services that are (a) able to attract and retain better talent, (b) have higher risk appetites, (c) potentially have economies of scale as they operate across borders, and (d) are better structured, measured and operated for success in the OTT space. This is not easy. That said, telcos today are critical to driving adoption of OTT in Asia. It remains to be seen if they can, in the long term, also benefit proportionally from the value they are helping create in this space.
Peggy Shaw
Taiwan Mobile has made their way to ATF to stay on top of market trends, catch up with foreign partners, and meet with potential strategic partners or content providers, e.g., India, Korea SVOD/AVOD content providers. myVideo is a leading streaming OTT service owned by Taiwan Mobile, the second largest telecommunications company in Taiwan. “Our content strategy is to provide strong hit movies and enriching drama and family categories; not only for SVOD and TVOD, but we are also developing FVOD and AVOD content currently,” said Peggy Shaw of Taiwan Mobile. myVideo offers hard bundles selling SVOD with Taiwan Mobile, and co-working with the No. 1 cable service provider in Taiwan, Kbro. “The branding and positive reviews of myVideo have been steadily increasing because of all the bold moves we’ve been making, like the collaboration with STB, being rich in content and pushing for higher video resolution,” Peggy continued. myVideo is part of Fubon group, one of the biggest groups in Taiwan in terms of revenue., Currently, it carries the latest movies from major American film studios, drama, Japanese anime and family content from Taiwan distributors. “Under consideration In the near future, Taiwan Mobile will be looking at original content by working with affiliates and Hollywood agencies to invest in movie/ TV series production, eventually owning exclusive rights,” concluded Peggy. Some Telcos @ ATF 2017 • Taiwan Mobile • Indosat Oreedoo • Telkomsel • Singtel
• KT • SK • Telkom Indonesia • Globe Telecom 17
01 Dec 17 DAY 3
KNOWING ASIA
KIDS’ EXCLUSIVE
Q. What do you do in your spare time for fun?
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TOP KIDS’ FREE TIME ACTIVITIES ARE MEDIA While TV is still core media activity, 42% of kids say they watch TV shows on the internet (on Tablet, Smartphone or PC).
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YOUTUBE IS THE MOST POPULAR CHANNEL AMONG THOSE THAT KIDS LIKE TO WATCH
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TOM&JERRY, BEN 10 AND DORAEMON ARE KIDS’ FAVOURITE CARTOON CHARACTERS
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CONTENT PREFERENCES VARY SIGNIFICANTLY WITHIN THE AGE GROUPS Q. What would you like to have more on the channels you watch? Preference for cartoons drops when kids reach their teens, while movies and music videos gain popularity when kids get older.
Source: TotallyAwesome APAC Kids’ Digital Insights 2017—18: internet users aged 6—14; n= 2,700; markets: ID, MY, PH, SG, TH, VN, IN, AU, NZ Strictly Confidential I Copyright TotallyAwesome 2017
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For more information, please contact marcus.herrmann@superawesome.tv
01 Dec 17 DAY 3
FEATURE
MAKING IT MONGOLIA A range of opportunities for content
The nation’s rapid TV industry spurt denotes that viewers are hungry for more content. Such has prompted the more local players like Royal HD Channel to travel beyond its borders in search of international players. “Our goal is to promote more friendly cooperation with foreign organizations,” said Tamir Erdenebaatar, Director of Royal HD Channel. While the Royal HD Channel has traditionally focused on education, culture and the general development sectors, they are at ATF to expand their horizons. “I would like to participate more in the animation space,” Tamir offered, giving a peek into future developments. To date, the channel is in 21 provinces in Mongolia, including Ulaanbaatar city.
For those who know the ins and outs of the M&E industry in Mongolia, they’d tell you that it is one of the most competitive and fragmented of landscapes. There are over 150 networks and cable channels for a population of 3 million. Its video content segment is growing, albeit at a moderated speed, despite having a rather late start.
We believe that our news, which is the ‘Image of Mongolia’, can bring grater reality to the audience. Recently, TV shows like home shopping have become very popular in Mongolia. As well, family shows continue to be the perfect genre for the time-honoured TV, keeping people glued to the traditional medium more than anything else.”
BUYER
– Tamir Erdenebaatar, Director, Royal HD Channel
Mongol TV has become the market leader in content production and trend setting. Our team has gained vast amount of experience from producing large international formats, and this has increased our overall production quality and standard for our entire TV station.” – Nomin Chinbat, CEO, Mongol TV
Mongol TV, one of the top 3 most-viewed networks with almost 25% market share in Mongolia, has been busy trying to fix some of these issues, while also maintaining its market leader standing. “Mongol TV is fighting hard against copyright infringement by congregating industry players such as MIPPA (Mongolian Intellectual Property Protection Association) and MTF (Mongolian Television Forum) to create a platform for international content distributors and local stations to meet,” said Nomin Chinbat, CEO of Mongol TV. “Also, Mongol TV is developing its own SVOD video streaming platform, so we can pose greater value to content producers.”
While Doo Nee is currently #2 in terms of traction (web and app), our need to differentiate ourselves from the pan-regionals in Thailand will see new strategies emerging.” Joe Suteestarpon, Founder Mediaplex Group (Doo Nee)
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Fighting the Good Fight The landlocked unitary sovereign state in East Asia today continues to experience growing pains, the bigger two being copyright infringement and traditional standards that impede monetization from viewers. At the moment, over 90% of both Mongol TV and Royal HD Channel’s revenue are advertisingbased.
At ATF, Mongol TV is looking to increase its locally-produced content by acquiring international formats that can be localised. However, while it will be focusing both on scripted and non-scripted formats, they are also open to considering new markets where they have yet to work with. “We are also looking into co-production possibilities,” Nomin continued.
We’ve already been an active buyer of Japanese content, and we are also exploring more with partners from other countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. We’d love to see more possibilities here.” In fact, investment or co-development is something Bilibili is considering and even trying out step by step right now.” Shuyao Fang, Manager, International Acquisitions, Shanghai Hode Information Technology Co., Ltd. (Bilibili)
We make good films. Snacks & coffee at Stand L27 All Day.
www.nfi.no/eng Supported by
01 Dec 17 DAY 3
FEATURE
THE LATIN SPIRIT Non-Scripted (School for Husbands) formats, with Fox experiencing great success in both categories. Looking at the APAC region, Julius noted that the company has been steadily feeding the demand for LATAM dramas in the past 2 years. “We are certain the growth will continue at an even faster rate this year, as more audiences are exposed to these high-quality dramas, comparable and in some instances, even outshining Hollywood ones.” Julius Toh
“The telenovelas of the past are no longer the staple of the LATAM drama genre,” said Julius Toh, VP Asia (Content Distribution) at Fox Networks Group. More so than an evolution, there has been a revolution in terms of the types of high quality dramas the region has been producing – like its first-ever sci-fi drama, 2091, that was unveiled by Fox. The region is also renowned for creating highly engaging Scripted (Heartbeat) and
Contrary to popular believe, Julius noted that the Philippines is not the only market with a penchant for LATAM dramas.
I do not use the term ‘telenovela’ anymore, as that is no longer a fair reflection of where the industry is at today.” To date, many of FNG’s clients air these shows in either its original language with localised subtitles or dub them – both versions, says Julius, work just as well, as it’s really the strong
DOCS’ DOMINATION Classical genres like wildlife, science and history continue to be the focus of successful documentaries, said Saevar Lemke, Regional Director (Programme Sales) of Discovery Enterprises International, “in addition to factual series, including lifestyle content, which continues to be high in demand, especially among commercial networks.” For Saevar, growth continues to come from the industry’s diversifying media landscape. “We are seeing a growing demand for good formats in many genres and the local productions are becoming more relevant in each market.” Exceptional documentaries remain top sellers in APAC, seeing how Discovery’s clients in all countries pay premium prices for eventful releases, especially over FTA, but naturally, the range on viable uplifts varies significantly 24
between key territories like Japan, Australia and Korea, in addition to smaller markets. “Also, many clients are beginning to ask and pay for a broader grant of rights,” Saevar continued. In addition, Saevar is taking advantage of Docs somewhat neutral gifts to cut across manifestos by exploiting various forms of content on digital platforms, not only for promotional usage, but also for incremental monetization from different demographics and digital outlets. Perhaps Docs’ potentials have not been fully utilised in APAC, dwarfed by the glamour of dramas, but Saevar reminds that curiosity is within everyone’s DNA, and Discovery’s core mission remains to satisfy that curiosity across the globe. “The appetite for documentaries and factual will always be there and channels and outlets around the world continue to respond to that demand. Recently, we have witnessed a rapidly growing demand for factual crime shows and in some markets like Japan and Korea, general entertainment shows are based and merged on real world, real life and doc-kind of narratives and settings, diluting
essences of the Latin spirit that appeals. While Julius is unable to reveal specific numbers, he does boast that the growth in distribution of LATAM content has been doubling year-on-year, since its introduction into the region. In fact, for Julius, 2018 looks to be on track to be FNG’s most successful year to date! LATAM dramas have always had the added edge of not only presenting stunningly beautiful casts, but they have that unique inner Latino passion that sizzles across the screen, which make them so popular with audiences the world over and not just in Asia.
LATAM Content @ ATF • Campo Cerrado Producoes • Globo • Record TV • TV Azteca • Comarex
• Caracol • Fox Network Group • Latin Media Corporation • HBO LATAM
the boundary between documentary, factual and variety entertainment shows. “At the end of the day, it’s the Real World and Real Life that tell the best stories, resonating with a broad audience. This could be why this genre could be more adaptable to new technologies like VR or AR as well.” Some Documentaries @ ATF • A+E Networks • Australian Children’s Television Foundation • Beyond Distribution • Bomanbridge Media • Flame Distribution • Japan Cable And Telecommunications Association • Kyushu Asahi Broadcasting Co., Ltd • Mediacorp Pte Ltd • Mountain TV • NHC Media Co., Ltd. • Nihonkai Telecasting Co., Ltd • NPO Dutch Public Broadcasting • Off The Fence B.V. • Oita Asahi Broadcasting Co., Ltd. • Parade Media Group Pte Ltd • Production Reed Co., Ltd. • RKB Mainichi Broadcasting Corp. • Signal Media • The Sapporo Television Broadcasting Co., Ltd. • Ti Comnet Japan
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01 Dec 17 DAY 3
FEATURE
REGIONAL MEDIA VALUATIONS ON THE RISE, BUT BEWARE GAPING PITFALLS By Jeremy Sim, Group Managing Partner & Head, Special Projects, Aurora Media Holdings
Chinese flavour. The Chinese have seen their own media and content valuations explode, and they are turning their eyes now on ASEAN. At Aurora, we assess hundreds of deals and counter-parties every year, and the Chinese are amongst the most switched on. Some local industry insiders are concerned that this could mean domination by foreign players with local media companies being junior partners at best, or being eliminated at worst. Personally, I see media as a highly sensitive sector with high political stakes. I would be surprised if policy makers do not afford sufficient protection, at some point in time, to allow home grown champions the opportunity to compete on a viable basis.
There is increasing awareness that the media and content industries in Southeast Asia have been severely undervalued for far too long, especially when juxtaposed against the dynamics taking place in our giant Asian neighbours. Despite the political and cyclical risks, we at Aurora Media Holdings are confident of the key drivers underlining a sunny long term outlook. First and foremost, we have the talent. Beyond being a more cost-effective production base or varied location offerings, the filmmaking talent in Southeast Asia is undeniable. Although we stand at less than half the population of China or India, ASEAN filmmakers routinely and annually bring home more top awards at the global A-list festival. The limitations have always been about our fragmented markets and the savvy to parlay artistic talent into commercial success. Regional filmmakers do not put enough emphasis on commercial conditions and international markets. The focus is overwhelmingly on home territories, and myopically neglects the positioning and placement of films in different territories to build the value of the IP. This is true even when the synergies are unmissable, or when it involves ASEAN countries with common languages. However, it’s starting to change with regional filmmakers thinking beyond 26
their usual geographical confines, and I look to the Malay-speaking ASEAN countries to lead that change. Secondly, a global explosion in leisure time is happening. To paraphrase the technology visionaries of our time –Elon Musk and Ray Kurzweil – the future of work is no work. With medical and biotech advances prolonging healthy lifespans, and artificial intelligence and automation about to replace huge swathes of today’s economy; the logical corollary must be to commensurate growth across modes of leisure and entertainment. Content, storytelling, and interactive experiences will be at the core. Messrs Musk and Kurzweil are not referring to the distant future either – they see us as already having embarked on a sweeping lifestyle transformation that will be largely completed within the next 20—25 years. Thirdly, new capital has begun to move into our sector. And just like in most sectors in Southeast Asia, that capital has a distinct
Industry colleagues who know me might be surprised to read my rosy prognosis, given my reputation for pessimism. Don’t worry, I am neither ill nor have I found religion. The pitfalls are all still there. As the adage goes, “politics and banking are the industries that attract the best and the worst people”. Many of you may agree when I put media into the same category. From abusive labour practices to poor investor education to shambolic deal structures, the media industry has no shortage of consequential flaws. Ultimately, I think the biggest downside risks to sustainable and robust valuations in the ASEAN media and content sectors will come from our neglect in providing fair labour practices to rank and file industry workers, and our failure to protect investors from unfair business practices. The establishment and dissemination of a well-conceived labour and investment code will go a long way to nip that in the bud.
Catch Jeremy during the SAFF Conference on Dec 1 @ 11.35am—12.20pm Based in Berlin and Singapore, Jeremy’s producer credits include THE SONG OF SCORPIONS (starring Cesar nominee Golshifteh Farahani), THE ECO-WARRIORS (directed by Emmy nominee Cathy Henkel), STORM BOY (starring Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush), and STANO (directed by Sundance winner Raymond de Felitta); and he is developing a 2018 series about artificial intelligence and nanotechnology.
01 Dec 17 DAY 3
FEATURE
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP Southeast Asian media investment
mainstream audience. The risks involved in these financing can be managed through various strategies like co-productions and smartly planned productions. Part of ensuring this balance is why platforms like the Southeast Asian Film Financing Project Market was set up (29 Nov–1 Dec) in order to help independents find a way to bridge creative and commercial ambitions.
Justin Deimen
How far has SEA’s content industry come to date? As a unified market, it’s not hitting its potential yet and does not match up with other countries in Asia, but it’s constantly evolving and growing, which is the key takeaway, as other markets continue to stagnate. There’s so much upside to look forward to in the coming years. From establishing a sensible distribution infrastructure, the mix of content, the protection of intellectual property rights, and nurturing a sophisticated investment based, there’s still quite a ways to go. But therein lies the opportunity for creative entrepreneurs and filmmakers who understand the whole equation needed to amplify Southeast Asia’s content throughout the rest of the world. We’re seeing strong genre products being refined in our region that’s surpassing many other established
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ATF’s Official Show Daily editorial director, sits with Justin Deimen, co-founder of the Southeast Asian Film Financing (SAFF) Forum and Managing Partner at Aurora Global Media Capital, to talk about the current state of film and financing in Southeast Asia. territories, and that’s something I’m focusing on in the coming year. Are financing structures in the region affecting the type of films we see? Creating a balance between independent producing and the studio system is the key. Commerciality affects financing and support towards the industry in general so there’s always going to be a place for films and content that is catered to a mass market. This then allows cleaving towards formula-driven and familiar films and television projects, where franchises have to be milked. Having projects like this out there are important to the foundation of every filmmaker and film fan out there. But, it’s important that these projects do not suck the air out of the room. That said, there’s also a place for producers to tell unique stories from diverse voices within Southeast Asia, while still finding a
Why do so many high net-worth investors get involved in film? It’s a tricky question and to answer that, we’ll need to understand what filmmaking represents to different people. Yes, it’s a tangible commercial venture where real money can be made and lost, but it also has that unique wildcard element of having the intangible qualities of glamour, celebrity, branding, and influence tied into it. A lot of people outside the industry when they think film, they think of the red carpets and the fame, and it’s a very appealing notion to them. It’s called Show Business for a reason. So it’s all about expectations, but at the end of the day, it’s very important to get across that it’s a serious business with many serious people dedicating their lives to it. It’s also an industry that amplifies other core businesses that investors have in their portfolios and it very much comes down to understanding how the content business can be monetised in a strategic value chain. How do Producers and Financiers work together during production to ensure the project and investment is protected? Wearing both hats of a producer and financier has given me insight into how to wrangle both sides of the aisle. Constant communication is key, as well as accountability. When mistakes happen, it is human nature to try to hide it or fix it themselves. Sometimes it works, but most of the time problems tend to balloon. It’s always important to foster an open dialogue between the creatives and the financiers, each of these groups have their own burdens and responsibilities to carry to ensure great, worthwhile content is made and distributed. Producers should try to work with financiers who know production, and on the flipside, producers who see the parameters of the content business. That’s why mutual education and respect in our industry is something that needs to always happen so there’s understanding. Catch Justin Deimen @ 2:15pm—3pm on Dec 1 in, Sourcing for New Business Models in Media Financing.
9-12 April 2018 Cannes France
Meet us at Booth J05
Creativity Glamour Business All new content to screen this April. The stars align at MIPTV. 4 days / 10,500 participants / 1,632 exhibiting companies / 100 countries / 3,800 acquisition executives. www.miptv.com
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01 Dec 17 DAY 3
PRODUCTS HEROES OF ENVELL Sixth graders Art, Vic, Phil, and Kira find a laptop with an unusual adventure game, Heroes of Envell. The laptop unveils a secret portal to enter the game world. This alternate universe is overtaken by a villain, Morgarth, and his loyal witch assistant, Salamandra. The game sphere is not enough; the villains want to take over the real one too. Our heroes are the only ones who can stop Morgarth’s invasion plan, as they can go in and out of both worlds. EXHIBITOR: SIGNAL MEDIA
COUNTERPART An espionage thriller, Counterpart tells the story of Howard Silk, played by J.K. Simmons (Whiplash), a lowly cog in a bureaucratic UN agency who is turning the last corner of a life filled with regret, when he discovers the agency he works for is guarding a secret: a crossing to a parallel dimension. With this metaphysical twist, Counterpart will navigate themes of identity, idealism, what-ifs, and lost love. EXHIBITOR: SONY PICTURES TELEVISION
PINCODE PinCode sees the KikoRiki cast all grown-up and rocking the world with their scientific superpowers. In pursuit of knowledge, the team travels the universe in their unique exploration vehicle, the Umflier, which moves them in time, space, volume and dimension. From underwater troublesome fun to shrinking to the size of an atom, the crew follow Captain Pin as they learn about the world we share. Every episode contains an important and valuable science lesson. The crew explores the principles of physics, chemistry and biology. EXHIBITOR: FUN UNION
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MARIA BY CALLAS For the first time, 40 years after her death, the most famous opera singer ever, tells her own story in her own words. Featuring previously unknown footage for the first time in colour, it includes Callas, Onassis, Marilyn Monroe, Alain Delon, Yves Saint-Laurent, J.F. Kennedy, Luchino Visconti, Winston Churchill, Grace Kelly and Liz Taylor, among others. EXHIBITOR: MK2 FILMS
CATASTROPHE Written by and starring ROB DELANEY and SHARON HORGAN, Catastrophe is an original comedy following an Irish woman and an American man who make a bloody mess as they struggle to fall in love in London. A monstrous family (CARRIE FISHER, Star Wars) and crazy friends (ASHLEY JENSEN, Ugly Betty), also seem hell-bent on ensuring that whatever new lifejourney Rob and Sharon embark on, will be anything but simple. (Sold in over 120 territories) EXHIBITOR: AVALON DISTRIBUTION
TOUR AVATAR The cutting-edge virtual trip with celebrities! Where to go? What to do? What to eat? No need to worry anymore. The trip of your dreams comes true! Let Korea’s top celebrities become your travel avatars and join them on their trip in real time through social media. EXHIBITOR: ARIRANG TV (THE KOREA INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING FOUNDATION)
PRODUCTS INDIPEDIA Indipedia enthrals with fascinating titbits behind tales, figures, symbols and places you see every day, but probably don’t know much about. These will be unravelled by a Bollywoodloving, Hindi-speaking firang Edward Sonnenblick, who is awed by India and its various intriguing aspects. Right from traditions and rituals of auspicious beginnings to sattvik food to the art and science of Sringaar (Dressing Up), to the most outstanding vehicles on the highways of India – trucks – the series will take viewers on a rollercoaster ride. EXHIBITOR: EPIC TELEVISION NETWORKS PVT. LTD
ALBI & MELA A bat that lives a normal life in a world where everything is upside down. How much fun will be waiting for us if things are turned upside down? Handling these wild white bats and a culinary challenge ensues. EXHIBITOR: BAMHANEUL GEURIMJARI
MY SECRET ROMANCE
PORORO, DINOSAUR ISLAND ADVENTURE Pororo and his friends find a little dinosaur, Alo, who sleeps in an egg-shaped airship that crashed in the forest. When Pororo opened the lid of the airship, the little dinosaur awakes, but he cannot remember anything other than his own name. Pororo and his friends take care of Alo, who has lost his memory. Alo is impressed by the food of Rupee, and has a happy time with Pororo’s friends. When Eddie turns on the power to the airship on which Alo is on, the airship swallows Crong and Aloand disappear from the sky.
Cha Jin-Wook (played by Sung Hoon) is a son from a wealthy family who runs a large company. He usually only pursues short term love, but when he meets Lee Yoo-Mi (played by Song Ji Eun), he changes. In a dating world full of busy people who tend to flirt and chase “awesome” relationships rather than having meaningful connections that allow them to show their true feelings, this couple has a onenight stand. They meet again three years later, whereupon they kick off a shaky push-pull romance that’ll keep them on their toes as they fall in love.
EXHIBITOR: CINEFLIX RIGHTS
TOBOT ATHLON
MAX & MAESTRO
(Preschool series) An adaptation of the much-loved bestselling picture book, the series relates the adventures of the Nutbrown Hares and their friends with the same endearing simplicity and love that made the book a timeless classic.
While most of us consider them extreme, thousands of people around the world keep predator pets. From alligators and snakes, to wolves, bears, bison, chimpanzees, and more, the danger-factor is precisely the attraction. Predator Pets explores whether we’ve crossed the line by keeping these wild animals among us.
EXHIBITOR: OCON INC
EXHIBITOR: LIAN CONTENTS
GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU – THE ADVENTURES OF LITTLE NUTBROWN HARE
PREDATOR PETS
Max dreams of becoming a musician, ever since he became a pupil of Mr Barenboim, the world’s greatest conductor! The only problem is that in Max’s neighbourhood, nobody likes classical music. Not to lose his friends and family, Max carries out Mr Barenboim’s lessons in secret. Gradually, he gets closer to his goal.
Kyle is a robot race-obsessed elementary school student, who, along with his mechanical engineer mother, Dr Hughes, dreams of entering the races with their transforming robots in team ATHLON: ALPHA, BETA, and THETA. They are especially excited to meet robot race champion, Mavrik. However, upon entering, they realise that Mavrik’s gentle demeanour is all a front – he is in fact a villain that uses all kinds of immoral methods to stay the winner. Hale, who is nothing without integrity, decides that he will show Mavrik that winning is possible without cheating. EXHIBITOR: YOUNG TOYS
EXHIBITOR: KIDS FIRST DISTRIBUTION
EXHIBITOR: 9 STORY MEDIA GROUP
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01 Dec 17 DAY 3
PRODUCTS EUROMAXX— EUROPEAN LIFESTYLE Europe at its best, from culture news to entertainment and glamor, this program brings engaging insights into European culture and lifestyles to a global audience. EXHIBITOR: DW TRANSTEL
YEAR MILLION This new documentary-drama science series, narrated by Emmy award nominee, Laurence Fishburne, explores what it will be like to be human one million years from now. Today’s brightest futurists, scientists, scholars and science fiction writers guide viewers through the latest advances in technology, ideas and innovations that are likely to power the evolution of our species.
RESURRECTION: ERTUGRUL He carried the divine gospel to seas and lands far away. He believed that the earth was too small for two rulers. And he made it belong to one. Ertugrul, the son of Suleyman Shah, became the symbol of resurrection at an era when all the hope had died. This is the story of the man who determined the fate of the world. EXHIBITOR: MISTCO
ENVIADO ESPECIAL (PRIVILEGED OBSERVER) The journalist Jalis De La Serna will be a privileged observer of our style of life. He’ll help us become aware of a world in the process of change and challenge. In the desire to understand what is happening, he will travel around the world. A photograph of the present, which invites you to accept that “We are part of the solution; if we want the future in our hands”. EXHIBITOR: ATRESMEDIA TELEVISION
EXHIBITOR: FOX NETWORK GROUP CONTENT DISTRIBUTION
MONEY MONSTER How fast can you count? We offer you a limitless amount of cash! It’s totally up to you! After each correct answer, you have the chance to win as much money as you count. The money you count is permanently yours, BUT only if you know the exact amount! With each question, the value of the bills on the table increases. The one who manages to answer 10 questions correctly will get the chance to count the most valuable bills! A quiz show for cash lovers, it is a combination of speed, talent and intelligence. EXHIBITOR: INTER MEDYA LTD
ECO-ROBOT
BIG WORLD! BIG ADVENTURES! THE MOVIE A racing car called Ace inspires Thomas to become the first engine to travel the world. So Thomas sets off on an adventure, which takes him to 5 continents, across deserts, through jungles and over dangerous mountains. On his journey, Thomas meets Nia, an engine who teaches him that everyone needs a little help from their friends. EXHIBITOR: MATTEL CREATIONS
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Eco-friendly Ecoers run from an evil enemy to earth. They take refuge in Gun-mo’s house, by transforming into household appliances. Will Gun-mo and the Eco Robots be able to fight off the evil enemy who is trying to pollute the green earth? EXHIBITOR: 4TH CREATIVE PARTY CO LTD
HOLY MOUNTAIN Nepal, 1979: A group of young New Zealanders led by Peter Hillary decide to climb the 6,828 metres high mountain, Ama Ablam. Reinhold Messner, with his team, intends to do the same. They observe the dangerous ascent of the first group that very quickly descends into serious danger. In an unprecedented demonstration of comradeship, Reinhold’s crew decides to rescue the climbers. EXHIBITOR: DOC & FILM INTERNATIONAL
(Content offerings are subject to territory)
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