ContentAsia December 2023 by ContentAsia

DECEMBER 2023

NTENT

Taiwan: Asia’s content darling

Asian content: Demand on the rise, distributors say

Plus Meileen Choo on Coolie, top-of-mind topics across Asia & more

@all3media_int all3mediainternational.com

Entertainment formats sure to stand out in any schedule

A TRUE GLOBAL FORMAT PHENOMENON

THE DEFINITIVE W O R D - P L AY G A M E

editor’snote

For real. <yn=true>

NTENT

Exactly seven days after regional streamer Viu and Philippines’ programmer ABS-CBN announced a Philippines’ version of Korean romcom What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim, Viu welcomed Malaysia’s great and good into its real life W: Two Worlds’ universe in Kuala Lumpur. Guests at the Viu Upfront entered through a tunnel that felt like it was moving, but really wasn’t. They met a writer who looked like he was in the room, but wasn’t. They were transported for a moment into a world of a series, based on a Korean webtoon, about a woman who is a surgeon in real life pulled into a fictional world in search of her father, who is a webtoon writer. She spends the series sucked between alternate realities, saving lives, facing mysteries, dodging traps, solving problems, searching for answers. The series blends real and other-real. Very little is certain for long and everything can be redrawn. There’s love, hate, destruction and redemption. Will she end up lost in an alternate place or return to real life? And what’s real anyway? It’s not such a stretch to lay plot points over the real life creative industry in parts of Asia at the moment and come up with a pretty good fit. Take Taiwan, said to be home to maybe 50 finished premium series looking for love, or at least a platform to call home. You should look at Korea as well, I was told when I said I was surprised that so many producers would invest so much in making shows supported by nothing more than the hope of a sale to a global streamer. For all that’s being said about the global appetite for Korean drama, the domestic industry is walking around at the moment pretty much with their chins on the ground and tears in their eyes. What’s real indeed. What do you think happened?, I ask. Some of the answer is a long, complicated story, involving ballooning budgets, shrinking revenues, some delusion, a little greed maybe, and a lot of confidence that streaming’s bottomless pot of gold would never run dry. Reality mixed with dreams that had come true briefly. Logic subverted as reality told a story that turned out not to be that real after all. Or not for long. The short version: costs soared and financing models collapsed. And any guardrails in place turned out to be wobbly at best. Malaysia for sure has woes of its own. But none of them were given airtime on this particular Tuesday afternoon, where the reality focused on Viu’s flagship titles for 2024, including five Malay-language originals. 600 people gathered at the KLCC for the event. Last year, Viu’s Malaysia head, Kingsley Warner, pointed out, we had 300. “That’s 100% ROI,” Warner said, crossing over into the corporate world for a minute, mentioning too a 10% increase in ad revenue year on year and a 13% increase in subscription. “We’re all measured by something,” Warner said. And then he and the Viu Malaysia team returned to the list of 24 local productions for 2024, including a second season of Lina Tan’s From Saga with Love, Viu’s most-watched romcom ever. “Viu Malaysia will continue to invest in local production,” Warner said to sighs of relief from producers in the room. As the tagline for From Saga with Love goes: “Who can you trust if you don’t know who you are?” Asked and answered.

Editorial Director Janine Stein janine@contentasia.tv Assistant Editor Malena Amzah malena@contentasia.tv Events Manager CJ Yong cj@contentasia.tv ContentAsia Awards Heather Berger heather@contentasia.tv Design Rae Yong Research Rhealyn Rigodon iyah@contentasia.tv Associate Publisher (Americas, Europe) and VP, International Business Development Leah Gordon leah@contentasia.tv Sales and Marketing (Asia) Masliana Masron mas@contentasia.tv

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ContentAsia is an Asia-based multi-platform information resource that refines today’s info-deluge into usable, digestible and reliable intelligence about video content creation, funding, financing, licensing, & distribution across the Asia-Pacific region. To receive your regular free copy of ContentAsia, please email contentasia@contentasia.tv Copyright 2023 Pencil Media Pte Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

contentasia december 2023

contents...

what’s inside... 2023 wrap: Asia’s stories upgrade

2023 wrap: programmers & platforms

Shin Hyun-been in Tell Me That You Love Me

Asian continued to ﬂex its story telling muscle in 2023. 2024 could be tougher, but the storytelling skills

2023 was a year of high drama, with relationships all over the map, some wins & turnarounds, and a few decisions that mean the universe is changed forever. The question for 2024 is what this world mightlook like.

gained as the premium space expands? Those can’t be rebottled.

2023 wrap: Formats

Eye on 2024: Korea

Asia’s formats biz is nowhere near its heyday in 2017/8. As 2023 closes, it looks like the drop in volume from last year could be around 20%. But that’s not the whole story.

Korean authorities are doing everything they can to protect and promote K-content. Our New Year watch list includes the new US$776-million fund, which kicks off in 2024 along with beneﬁts of the peace accord signed between SK Telecom and Netﬂix.

After the Snowmelt

Bounce back! Asian buyers are always very clear on what they want: what works and why. I’d like for us all to get back to business as usual.” Augustus Dulgaro, Executive Vice President – Distribution, Asia Paciﬁc, ITV Studios

page 30 4

Pitch perfect When 50+ projects took to the stage in Taipei in November for Taiwan’s largest and most international pitch of its kind, the country cemented its position as a gathering place of fresh projects and unique stories, as well as a source of production partners and funding.

ITE. U Q T NO

Loud & Proud

#Onehope 2024

Taiwan has taken to the international stage with its money where its mouth is and a plan that gives the creative industry national strategic importance.

Media execs with Asian businesses share their biggest business hope for 2024.

More production and casting collaboration between Asian countries.” Jesslyn Wong, Head, Content Distribution, Mediacorp, Singapore

page 30

contentasia december 2023

Meet us at ATF stand no.

G22

zdf-studios.com

contents...

what’s inside... (con’t) Selling stakes

Indie life

Whatever else separates them, distributors are united in their experience that the demand for Asian content across platforms and genres is rising. On the eve of this year’s ATF market in Singapore, Malena Amzah spoke to companies around the world about what they’re seeing across Asia’s licensing & syndication market.

Independent producers in Asia have never had this much opportunity to tell their stories. But there’s still a lot standing between the current situation and celebration for indies in Malaysia and Singapore.

36 Louise Wong

Lego Masters Japan, TBS Japan/Banijay Rights

Slave trade

Ride high

When Asian movie veteran Meileen Choo

Fast & Furious star Sung Kang talks

revisited an idea that had been hovering

about life lessons, 100-year plans,

on her wish list for three decades, her

and the meaning of cars ahead

retirement project became the multi-

of the release of his new series,

million dollar global drama series, Coolie.

The Ride Life with Sung Kang, in

Janine Stein spoke to her on the eve of production, which kicks off

Plus size Indonesia’s feature films have made much more of an impact in the premium space than its TV series, which for years have been dominated by long-running lowbudget mass-market soap operas. Two high-end drama series are changing all that.

in early December.

Summer 2024.

We’re refining more than changing... When you’re in a storytelling culture, you’re not really changing the game as much as elevating the next story from what came before... Part of that is us listening to the audience.”

Gangnam style Veteran kids entertainment creator and showrunner, Sarah Haasz, talks about Gangnam Project, a deeply personal tween series she describes as “K-drama lite”, which releases in Spring 2024.

Tanya Yuson, Co-founder & Chief Creative Development Officer, Base Entertainment

page 58

All that glitters

Programme picks

Streaming

Anne Jakrajutatip, the high-profile

In the run up to this year’s ATF,

leader in Taiwan, new research

Thai owner of JKN Global Group/

here’s what’s at the top of our

Miss Universe Organisation, faces

watch lists.

Netflix is the runaway SVOD from Media Partners Asia (MPA) shows.

the fight of her life to keep her crown.

62 6

74 contentasia december 2023

Land of desire

GLOBO BEST TITLES NOW IN ASIA PACIFIC

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watchlist2023: what happened This time last year, we listed nine things on our

Here’s what happened...

watch list for 2023. Among these were Southeast Asia’s upsized story-telling initiatives, the

Upgraded story-telling deﬁnitely hap-

evolving alliances between programmers

pened and continues, and not only in Korea,

and platforms, and the distribution manoeu-

where the release of Korean blockbusters

vering as the difﬁculty of a direct-to-con-

like Doona! makes competitors tremble.

sumer model sunk in. 12 months ago, hopes

Poster titles in the up-sized storytelling space

were high that the pandemic recovery was

in Southeast Asia include Cattleya Killer from

underway, and travel was coming back. We

ABS-CBN International Productions, which

were watching the rise of LGBTQ+ program-

premiered on Prime Video globally in June,

ming; Korea’s obsession with the international

with Bagman on its way.

(read U.S.) market; the effort by producers

In early November, Kamila Andini and Ifa

everywhere to hang onto some of their rights/

Isfansyah’s Cigarette Girl (Gadis Kretek) by

IP instead of giving everything away in return

Base Entertainment premiered on Netﬂix

for full production funding; formats fortunes in Asia; consolidation, led by the Zee/Sony

Shin Hyun-been in Tell Me That You Love Me

Arjo Atayde in Bagman

merger in India; and, of course and as always, production budgets.

worldwide, capturing audiences in its home

Ruby Lin & Kelly Lin in Taiwan’s At the Moment

market immediately and rising to the global non-English top 10 by its second week.

tell better more universal tales continues.

This was followed about a week later

Meanwhile, scripted adaptations are enjoying unprec-

by 10-episode Taiwanese original, At The

edented attention, led by Korea and Japan. As this magazine

Moment, an anthology about love/inti-

went to print, Hong Kong-based Asian streaming platform, Viu,

macy during the pandemic. The Netﬂix

deepened its production relationship with the Philippines’ ABS-

original series, executive produced by

CBN, announcing a local adaptation of 2018 K-drama, What’s

Nick Tai with ﬁve directors and stars

Wrong with Secretary Kim. The romcom, scheduled to release

plucked from a who’s who of Taiwanese

in 2024, is the fourth adaptation between ABS-CBN and Viu

blockbusters, became Taiwan’s #2 for

after The Broken Marriage Vow (Doctor Foster), the Philippines’

the week of 6-12 Nov, rising to #1 for

version of Studio Dragon’s Flower of Evil; and an adaptation of

13-19 Nov.

Unbreak my Heart (2023) with ABS-CBN and GMA Network.

There’s also India’s The Railway

In Japan, Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) was counting

Men: The Untold Story of Bhopal

down to the 27 November premiere of the Korean adapta-

1984, which premiered to a place on

tion of 1995 Japanese drama, Tell Me That You Love Me,

Netﬂix’s top 10 global non-English a hot

a 16-episode Studio Genie original for streaming platform,

minute after its release.

Genie TV (formerly Olleh TV) and cable service Ena, as well as

The pursuit of global streaming sales is not without its risks (witness the 50+

on Disney+ worldwide (ex-China). What happens to Asian storytelling in 2024? As we enter the

Taiwan TV ‘orphans’, completed without

new year, funding is tougher, streaming pick ups are less cer-

platform commitment and still not picked

tain, and domestic broadcasters have advertising/revenue is-

up). But even so, creators’ determination to

sues. But the storytelling skills gained? Those can’t be rebottled.

8 Dian Sastrowardoyo in Cigarette Girl

contentasia december 2023

watchlist2023: how did we do? print from its long-held movie roots into the streaming space for the ﬁrst time. The strategy leverages CTE’s

.. . E T I T QU

strong partnerships in the region as well as its strengths in curation, honed over the past 20 years in delivering Chinese movies to audiences in Asia. The app will carry movies from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan with some Singapore titles. Among these are edgier titles that canAt the end of 2022, we put the channel/ platform balance of power on our watchlist for

not be streamed on linear channels. There’s also Shitiz Jain’s Eazie TV, which has gathered about

two NDTV Indian channels. At the same time,

2023. In an inexplicable moment of restraint,

75 linear channels with some on-demand access for a single

Singtel picked up Rock Entertainment’s Rock

we described the relationships as “evolving”.

price. The aim is to create a simple, easy-to-use, go-to space

Action, showing that its pull back from video

10/10 for understatement on this one.

for consumers, as well as an entertainment platform that

entertainment is not as complete as some fear.

2023 turned out to be a year of high

telcos can bundle with mobile/broadband services. Eazie

There were other shifts here and there as

drama, with linear relationships all over the

TV launched in Singapore in August 2023, and rollouts are in

distribution agreements were renewed (or

map, some wins and turnarounds, and a few

discussion across the region.

not) and platforms adjusted their strategies

decisions that mean this world is never going to be even remotely the same, ever.

But that came later. For linear channels and platforms, the year didn’t begin so well. Exactly six weeks in, on Valen-

and offerings. These showed ongoing conﬁdence in the traditional pay-TV space.

The question for 2024 is the shape of the

tine’s Day 2023, Hong Kong’s i-Cable – one of pioneers in the

In Malaysia, WBD dismantled years of HBO

new world. Starting with the good stuff: the

business – said it was killing its 30-year-old pay-TV platform.

exclusivity in a September deal with Telekom

launch in 2024 of Hong Kong-based Chinese

The decision pulled the rug out from under approx 180 linear

Malaysia’s Uniﬁ TV, which is now carrying nine

programmer, Celestial Tiger Entertainment’s

channels that had called i-Cable home for like ever.

channels + on-demand platform HBO Go.

(CTE) standalone app. The app expands CTE’s Chinese entertainment foot-

i-Cable cited Hong Kong’s “rapidly changing media

As Disney continued to disappear the old

landscape” along with “ﬁerce competition among global

Fox/Star channels in Asia, Philippines’ pay-TV

pay-TV content providers and pay-TV operators” as reasons

platform Cignal ﬁlled the gap from October

for the decision. Detractors said i-Cable had long taken its

2023 with, among others, Rewind Networks’

eye off the cable-TV ball. By 1 June, the service went dark.

Hits Now, which launched in February 2023.

i-Cable’s decision was described by regional channel pro-

Also in Singapore, StarHub welcomed two

grammers as “the end of an era” and a “big set-back” for

Warner Bros Discovery channels – Discov-

Asia’s pay-TV ecosystem.

ery and HGTV – back onto the platform in

2023 was also the year Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), KC

October, ﬁve years after the 2018 high-proﬁle

Global Media and sports network beIN ﬁnally got fed up

bustup that saw seven Discovery channels

enough with not being paid in Indonesia to make a call.

and three of the old Scripps channels go dark.

In May 2023, WBD pulled its bouquet of 14 channels off In-

The love started much earlier in the year. In

donesia’s largest platform, MNC, ending decades-long afﬁli-

May, WBD said HBO channels were returning

ate arrangements. The dramatic decision involved channels

to Singtel-afﬁliated Thai telco, AIS, for the ﬁrst

from HBO and Cartoon Network to Discovery and TLC, all of

time in three years, joining other WBD chan-

which went dark on 12 May. WBD’s move followed a decision

nels in an expanded carriage deal. The new

in November 2022 by Qatari sports network beIN to exit MNC.

agreement followed years of musical chairs

Regional channels operator, KC Global Media, followed

for HBO, which jumped from True to AIS to

mid-2023, pulling its services off Indonesian pay-TV platform, Transvision, citing ongoing payment failures. The channels – in-

Triple T/3BB and now back to AIS. By many accounts, pay-TV afﬁliate fees con-

cluding AXN, which is among Asia’s most popular brands, and

tinue to be squeezed as traditional platforms

anime channel Animax – went dark at midnight on 12 July.

struggle to hold onto subscribers. Meanwhile,

The darkness continued. In August, a total of 16 channels

“transformation” is the holy grail. This is playing

from multiple suppliers exited Singapore platform Singtel TV

out in a rush to aggregate video streaming

from 1 October – 12 as a result of “low viewership” and an-

apps. Commercial terms of these deals aren’t

other four due to Disney’s decision to shutter its linear services.

being disclosed. From the outside though,

The mass exodus included a few Discovery channels, some

what they’re doing pretty much looks like pay-

from Warner, and a few Love Nature channels as well as

TV 2.0, rather than a radical new world.

Hell’s Kitchen on Rewind Networks’ Hits Now

contentasia december 2023

watchlist2023: how did we do? formats will continue to fast track output.

Kim Chiu in What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim

If India leads, scripted adaptations are happening across the region, some breaking new ground. In early November, for example, NBCUniversal Formats’ ﬁrst ever scripted/telenovela deal for Thailand premiered on One 31 HD free-TV broadcast channel. Telemundo’s original 140+ episode Latin drama, El Cuerpo del Deseo, Asia's formats biz today is nowhere

was reformatted to the 24-episode prime

near the volume of its heyday in 2017/8.

time show, Second Chance, for Thailand.

As 2023 closes, it looks like the drop

This is the ﬁrst time the series is being re-

from last year will be about 20%. But

made in Asia.

that’s not the whole story.

There were other ﬁrsts as the year drew to a close, including the ﬁrst version of

Last year this time we said format adapta-

NBCUniversal’s Suits in Mongolia and the ﬁrst

tions in Asia in 2023 would not return to

versions of Nippon TV’s Mother and Woman

highs of ﬁrst half 2017, when the region had

– My Life for My Children, both greenlit by

285 formats on air/commissioned. And we

Saudi media group, MBC. The deal gives

were right. As we head to the end of the

Nippon its ﬁrst Arabic adaptations.

year, we’re at 150. December, may end at

Meanwhile, production alliances are bur-

160, 165 tops. At 160, that’s 21.5% down on

geoning. In November, regional streamer

the 204 recorded for full year 2022.

Viu and Philippines’ programmer ABS-CBN

But the numbers game is only one part

announced a Philippines’ version of 2018

of Asia’s format story. The genre mix has

Korean romcom, What’s Wrong with

changed as well, and along with it invest-

Secretary Kim. The series

ment and overall value. While Asia builds its premium story-telling muscle, scripted

releases in 2024. A Thai version of What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim is also on

Breeze by the Sea, (from left.) EP Poul Yang, actor Charles Lin, director Peter Ho, EP Lee Lau

the way at Thai-Korean JV, True CJ Creations. The series is one of three that kicked off production in Nov 2023. The others are versions of thrillers Happiness and Mouse. The new titles are part of a growing stream of adaptations from the seven-year-old joint venture. Black Dog: Being A Teacher premiered as Thank You Teacher in June this year, and will be followed in 2024 by romcoms Familiar Wife, Start Up and Emergency Couple and legal thriller, Lawless Lawyer. CJ ENM-linked ventures elsewhere in the region are spreading their wings. Out of Hong Kong, CJ ENM Hong Kong has started ﬁlming its ﬁrst Mandarin remake, the US$3-million Breeze by the Sea, off the coast of Taiwan. The 12-episode drama, adapted from 2018 Korean series Top Star U Back, is slated for release in Q4 2024. What do we think is most likely to happen in 2024? India will continue to be Asia’s top formats market. Vietnam may catch up or even overtake India in volume terms. Thailand, consistently among the top three markets in Asia, will hold its spot. Will volume be up? We’re not very hopeful. Will value be up? Maybe. 12

Second Chance, starring Cris Horwang and Jirayu Tantrakul

contentasia december 2023

watchlist2024 outsize popularity of Korean hits, and increased attention being paid to rights arrangements between streamers and domestic producers. “Global online video services monopolise excess Korean authorities are doing every-

profits by transfer-

thing they can to protect and promote

ring intellectual

K-content. Things we’re watching in

property when

2024 include a new US$776m fund and

investing in do-

the benefits of the peace accord signed

mestic content

between SK Telecom and Netflix.

production, and there

oped in consultation with local produc-

are many phenomena

ers and platforms, and included

Exactly two months after Korean telecom-

in which domestic pro-

measures to boost the domestic

munications giant SK Telecom and global

duction companies are

movie/theatrical industry.

streamer Netflix ended years of bitter

unable to generate

“Unlike the rapid progress

wrangling over broadband network us-

profits through sec-

of global online video ser-

age fees, the Korean government made

ondary works,” the

vices (OTT), as domestic

it very clear that it wasn’t taking its eye off

ministry said, add-

online video services

this particular ball.

ing: “In addition,

and broadcasting com-

The September 2023 peace accord was

problems are being

panies are facing wors-

followed in November, when the newly in-

raised that creators

ening management

stalled Minister of Culture, Sports and Tour-

such as directors

difficulties, production

ism, Yu In-chon, unveiled a plan to ex-

do not receive fair

companies are also ex-

pand the country’s already powerful con-

compensation after

tent industry to KRW 40 trillion/US$31 billion

transferring all rights”.

by 2027 – a 42.8% increase from KRW 28

And just in case

periencing difficulties,” the ministry said. From January to September

trillion/US$21.7 million in 2022 – as part

they weren’t being clear

of a new “Video Industry Leap Forward

enough, the ministry said the

Strategy”. The measures are grounded in

plan was “in response to the

the same period in 2017 to 2019. The top film by far this

a determination to protect and promote

current situation where the

year is The Round Up: No Way Out, with Don Lee as a

the domestic industry.

dominance of global online video servic-

detective who joins a violent crime investigation unit in

es (OTT) is growing and the importance of

Seoul. The film grossed US$80.3 million, according to the

intellectual property (IP) is increasing”.

Korean Film Council. Smugglers, about a peaceful vil-

The strategy includes a five-year KRW 1 trillion/US$776 million fund, raised from

2023, movie theatre sales (KRW 956.5 billion/US$741 million) was only 70% of the average for

multiple government agencies and pri-

Minister Yu, who has held the position

lage disrupted by smugglers, is second, with US$38 million

vate investment, to boost premium video

since September, said the plan aimed

gross. Describing Korea’s film industry as in a “serious re-

content. The K-Content Strategy Fund,

to support the industry and respond to

cession,” the ministry said about 50 films were still waiting

which kicks off in 2024 with KRW 600 bil-

change. The ministry used phrases like

for release as of November 2023.

lion/US$465 million, will run to 2028.

“create favorable conditions” to describe

And then there are the promised benefits of the hard-

Hopes are that the “killer content” initia-

its goals, along with “further strengthen

fought/won peace accord between SK Telecom and

tives will boost exports to US$1.8 billion by

the competitiveness of K-video content”.

Netflix, which involved a a multi-layered bundling and

2027 and produce at least a handful of

Data presented during the announce-

tech partnership the companies said was designed “to

ment showed the global online video

enhance customers’ entertainment experience”. The first

service market had grown at an average

products from the new alliance, which may eventually

of tax credits for content production costs,

annual rate of 25% between 2018 and

include SK Telecom/Broadband’s AI technologies, are

and the possibility of tax deductions for

2022. Export volume of Korean content

expected to be released from first half 2024. If those work,

streaming subscription payments, which

had increased from US$550 million in 2017

there may be more. The new treaty, the companied said

will be considered “cultural expenses”.

to US$920 million in 2021.

in September 2023, puts SK and Netflix on a path to “col-

global awards. On the agenda too are the expansion

The government’s move follows the

The minister said the plan was devel-

laborate as partners for the future”.

contentasia december 2023

Delivering 11,000+ hours across 600+ formats, series and films in 2023

fremantlescreenings.com

productiondrama

Pitch perfect

After the Snowmelt

When 50+ projects took to the stage in Taipei in November for Taiwan’s largest and most international pitch of its kind, the country cemented its position as a gathering place of fresh projects and unique stories, as well as a source of production partners and funding.

Years after her best friend Chun died on a mountain in Nepal during a trekking trip with boyfriend Yueh, Taiwanese director Lo Yi-shan returns to the scene to honour the promise Chun and Yueh made while trapped on a ledge. Chun died three days before rescue teams reached them. The promise that whoever survived would tell the story of the 47-day ordeal became After the Snowmelt, a US$160,000 Taiwanese-Japanese docu-feature that was one of two grand prize winners at this year’s Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF) in November. Presented as a “coming-of-age tale that delves into how teenagers grapple with their first experience of profound loss”, After the Snowmelt is Taiwanese filmmaker Lo’s first documentary feature. But the pitch process is far from a new experience. Before she even took to the stage in Taipei, Lo had 75% of funding in place, with support from Korea’s DMZ Docs Development Fund, Indonesia’s Asiadoc Workshop and Japan’s Dojo Residency.

Through this ﬁlm I want to create a journey from trauma to reconciliation. It resonates not only with themes of gender, education and nature, but also services as a testament to the resilience of life, the potential for growth, and the realisation that life is not just about surviving, but about truly living and loving.” Lo Yi-shan, director, After the Snowmelt

“Chun and I met at a Catholic girls high school, where his transgender identity drew criticism,” Lo says in her production statement. “Wit-

ciliation. It resonates not only with themes of gender, education and

nessing his silent tears, I admired his courage and resilience. Alongside

nature, but also services as a testament to the resilience of life, the

his beloved Yueh, they inspired me to explore the world beyond the

potential for growth, and the realisation that life is not just about surviv-

classroom, and we made a promise to travel abroad together some-

ing, but about truly living and loving,” she says.

day... The desire to honour our high-school promise drove me to as-

Along with Filipino fantasy feature ﬁlm, Mother Maybe, After the

sume the role of the survivor and embrace the responsibility of sharing

Snowmelt, currently in post-production, won US$30,000 in Taipei as

this story,” Lo says.

part of a funding collaboration between TCCF organiser, the Taiwan

“Through this ﬁlm I want to create a journey from trauma to recon-

Creative Content Agency (Taicca), and French agency CNC (Centre

contentasia december 2023

New Entertainment Format

redarrowstudiosinternational.com

productiondrama

Maid of Vengeance

National du cinéma et de l’image animée). The two prizes are part of

their land.

a total US$200,000/NT$6 million funding awarded in this year’s TCCF

This year was the first time the TCCF pitching was open to interna-

pitches, which involved 53 pitches in five categories plus six for a spe-

tional projects. The decision to expand participation comes as Taiwan

cial workshop section.

focuses on building its global footprint.

The second grand prize winner, Filipino feature film Mother Maybe,

“Our goal is to provide creators with more funding while seeking ad-

is a comedy/fantasy drama that mixes Filipino folklore with a universal

ditional international collaboration opportunities,” says Taicca chair-

message of finding your own family and your place in the world. The

person, Homme Tsai.

film is produced by E&W Films/Southern Lantern Studios.

In other awards made during this year’s TCCF pitch, Taiwanese

Mother Maybe, budgeted at US$550,000, is about a son reunited

revenge thriller Maid of Vengeance, from Universe Of Ladies, re-

with his mother in Tokyo, only to find she becomes a mythical ‘manan-

ceived the Chunghwa Telecom Award, together with a cash prize

anggal’ creature at night. He then joins an absurd Japanese TV game

NT$600,000/US$18,600. Directed by 2022 Golden Bell Best Director win-

show to earn money to pay for her treatment. The game immerses him

ner, David Chuang (Danger Zone), the US$3.1-million series is about a

into a different world, further separating him from his mother.

TV anchor-turned-vigilante after her sex tape is leaked online.

Producer Arden Rod Condez describes the multi-language Tagalog/

Taiwan-Hong Kong supernatural drama, Appetite for Desire, co-pro-

Japanese/English feature film project as “quite personal but, also, a

duced by Taiwan’s Flash Forward Entertainment with Circle Luna and

little crazy” Directed by Sonny Calvento (The Decaying), the film’s

Content Digital Film, received the MIFFEST Award, the Choice of Deep

‘monster’ is a metaphor for the identity developed by people who

Waters Award and Taipei International Film Award.

leave their family to work abroad.

Before We Were Monsters (Outland Film Production), I Wish You

“It is inevitable that time and distance can reshape our being, and

Happiness (Storyable) and It’s Showtime! (Calendar Studios) also won

eventually, it reveals another persona that our family back home or

NT$300,000/US$9,500 each in the “project to screen” TV series pitches,

even ourselves will hate,” Mother Maybe producers say.

while Favorable Wind Ears (Xanthus Animation Studio) and Fresh Truck

The two productions were up against stiff competition in their cate-

(Muteam Workshop) won NT$300,000 each in the animation category.

gories, which includes film projects from Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan,

Second Woman (Sun Color Culture / The Grayhawk Agency) was

Hong Kong, India, France, Norway, Japan and the Philippines. Themes

given NT$300,000 for winning the friDay Video Original Story Award.

ranged from teen fantasy/magic realism, love and LGBTQ+ to come-

Other titles, including Indonesia’s A Ballad of Long Hair (Sinema5/

dy, mystery, suspense and thrillers, played out against backdrops that

Akanga Film Asia), were picked to participate in film festivals around

span military oppression in Indonesia in the 1990s to a small village in

the world in 2024. A Ballad of Long Hair, a youth fantasy film about an

the mountains of western Japan.

Indonesian-Chinese teen living under military oppression in the 1990s,

The documentary category competition was equally tough, with 12 finalists involving filmmakers in Taiwan, Pakistan, Philippines, Japan,

heads to Udine’s Far East Film Festival (FEFF) in 2024 and Maid of Vengeance, will be presented at Lille in March 2024 for Series Mania.

Korea, Hong Kong and Malaysia. International finalists came from Ar-

Nine NT$100,000 awards were given for a range of story to screen

menia, Germany, France, Iran and the U.S. Topics were wide ranging,

development. These included Naver Webtoon’s Peenky Promise and

from tales of survival after climate disaster in Pakistan, and the journey

Kadokawa Taiwan’s The Subordinate Leasing Program.

of a farmer with a cow to sell during the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, to the fight by a group of leprosy patients in Taiwan for

A total of 539 submissions were received for the pitch sessions, which included feature films, series, animation and documentary.

Mauricio Henao

contentasia december 2023

countrytaiwan

Loud & Proud Taiwan has taken to the international stage with its money where its mouth is and a plan that gives the creative industry national strategic importance. If a lot rides on the outcome of the January 2024 election, it’s not stopping today’s parade of regional & international partnerships.

Taiwan has set in place its most determined plan ever to cement the

(Taicca), the six-day TCCF crowned an international calendar that has

country’s creative industry place on the global stage. If there is one

taken Taicca to screens, festivals and red carpets all over the world.

uncertainty, it’s the election in January 2024, which could, if things

Final figures from the fourth TCCF edition – the largest and most

don’t go according to the current plan, change everything. But for

international so far – came in at just over 24,600. A record 241 interna-

now, the so called “black tide” initiative is a powerful force, leaving

tional industry execs from 29 countries were among the thousands of

no doubt about the current administration’s well-funded commitment

people who attended the event, organisers say. The b2b marketplace

and support.

hosted more than 100 booths, including the first booth for Japanese

In his opening address for this year’s Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF) in Taipei in November, Minister of Culture, Shih Che, talked

trade organisation, Jetro. Taicca made sure the six days were packed. Most visible were the

about designating Taiwan’s creative sector as a national strategic in-

stream of MoUs and the line-up of local and international media

dustry, along with a combination of government funding and private

brands willing to shake hands on broad partnerships and pose for

sector investment. “This is just the beginning,” he told a packed audi-

pictures. If the details were vague, the message was clear: there is

ence gathered at the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park.

no shortage of partners to fuel outsize creative ambitions. At the very

The Minister highlighted the NT$10 billion/US$318 million budgeted over four years from 2024 – dubbed the 1+4 T-content plan (aka

least, whether the MoUs work out of not, this was a major show of support.

“Black Tide” in the direct translation from Chinese). Starting next year,

The fourth TCCF event ran shortly after Taiwan’s three leading telcos

the Taiwan Cultural Content Fund will provide comprehensive support

– Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Mobile and Far Eastone – signalled their

for the development of Taiwan’s cultural content industry in six

commitment to creative investments in separate MoUs with

major aspects of culture and the arts. He also placed Taiwan squarely at the meeting point between Asia and the rest of the world, with an emphasis on ‘world’. “We hope that through this platform the world will see we are confident of our culture and we hope to speak a common language with the world and we hope that the world will see Asian culture through Taiwan”. “In the digital realm, Taiwan is by no means a small nation. When we strengthen Taiwan’s cultural content, we are defending the territory of Taiwan’s culture,” he continued. Creative initiatives include the Creative Industry Promotion Act, which has already passed its third reading in the Executive Yuan and the Legisla-

We’ve had significant achievements... [but] there is a lot of space to grow.” Homme Tsai, Chairperson, Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca)

tive Yuan. This means that investments in the creative industry receive tax incentives. In addition, the creative industry will be officially included in the ‘national strategic industry’ category. Led by the Ministry of Culture and the government-backed Taiwan Creative Content Agency

contentasia december 2023

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countrytaiwan

Fired Up, DaMou

Taicca. Each of the three telcos operates its own streaming platform.

This is just the beginning.”

In October, Chunghwa Telecom said it would invest NT$3 billion/ US$95.4 million in film and television projects. Taiwan Mobile’s initiative

Shih Che, Minister of Culture, Taiwan

with Warner Bros Discovery is also said to involve a NT$3-billion purse to fund development, production and distribution of premium video content. Far Eastone Telecommunications joined the other two a week ago with its own fund. Although other countries sent delegations to TCCF, France led the political messaging.

comments were part of a broad message he delivered throughout the event: “We’ve had significant achievements... [but] there is a lot of space to grow.”

“CNC will always stand by your side,” Dominique Boutonnat, presi-

Although usually beloved by governments as a signaling exercise,

dent of the French national film centre, said during a MoU signing be-

the MoUs unveiled in Taipei during the TCCF week also involved a slew

tween CNC and Taicca. The positioning was backed up by the direc-

of privately owned local, regional and international entities with their

tor of the Bureau Francais de Taipei, Franck Paris. “We have to think

own signaling objectives.

big now,” Paris said at the same ceremony.

These included the MoU between Taiwanese programmer TVBS and

Boutonnat spoke about connections and common ground, includ-

local telco/streamer Far EasTone, which tied up with the Hong Kong

ing creative freedom enjoyed in France and Taiwan, as well as about

division of Korea’s CJ ENM to create a content fund that taps Taicca’s

common approaches to artistic, editorial and political choices. Bou-

determination to drive an international agenda for Taiwanese con-

tonnat said the first steps had been taken as part of a broader shared

tent.

endeavour that would promote the “sustainability and strengthening

Hopes are that the MoU will result in a firm structure for a multi-year

of our professional ecosystems”. Taiwan, he added, “is our key partner

fund to co-produce and jointly distribute content within 12 months. CJ

in the region and has the potential to become the reference point in

ENM HK managing director, Michael Jung, said during the signing cer-

the world”.

emony that a final agreement would be sealed in the next year. “We

Taicca chairman, Homme Tsai, said the expanded collaboration

have a long way to go, but this is a very big first step,” Jung said. The

with CNC would focus on series, animation and talent incubation. His

MoU was signed by Taicca’s Homme Tsai; COO of Far EasTone, Digital

contentasia december 2023

countrytaiwan

Kuan-Ting Liu and Sonia Sui in Not A Murder Story

Entertainment, Gary Tsai; and general manager of TVBS, Sheena Liu. Culture minister, Shih Che, attended the signing ceremony. Taicca’s hand continues to be felt up, down and across media sectors as the creative ecosystem is built out. Among Taicca’s many investments are Koko Entertainment, a NT$200-million public/private partnership between Taicca and Brilliant Creative, launched in October 2021 as a content incubator. Brilliant Creative is a joint venture between local production giant DaMou Entertainment, Kbro Media and

CNC will always stand by your side.” Dominique Boutonnat, President of French national film centre, Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée

HIM International Music. It was DaMou Entertainment that led the high-profile reveal of 2024

line platform mewatch in January. Suspense drama Kill Sera Sera stars

production highlights, including a remake of Korean drama Itaewon

James Wen, Jessica Hsuan and Christopher Lee in the story of a moth-

Class and the return of The World Between Us for a second season.

er trying to solve the mystery of her daughter’s murder. Other dramas

Production on both series begins in December 2023.

heading for the platform are Shero, starring Joanne Pei as a photog-

The Itaewon Class adaptation (working title Fired Up!) is the first inter-

rapher who joins a band of female bodyguards; and culinary-themed

national collaboration between the 10-year-old DaMou Entertainment

series, Love at First Bite. Variety programmes include Dishing with Chris

and South Korean entertainment company Kakao Webtoon. Fired Up!

Lee, King of Culinary and Fashion Refabbed.

will run as an HBO Asia original.

Taiwanese production house, Screenworks Asia – another Taicca-

In another biggest-of-its-kind agreement announced at TCCF, Tai-

linked venture – unveiled two original series as TCCF 2023 kicked off.

wanese streamer KKTV acquired 2,000 hours of Chinese drama and

Both of the new series, part of Taiwan’s growing creative footprint, will

variety shows. Although commercial terms of the agreement have not

stream on homegrown platform Catchplay+ as well on mainland Chi-

been disclosed, by volume this is the biggest deal Singapore broad-

na’s iQiyi in the first quarter of 2024. The first series, crime suspense dra-

caster Mediacorp has ever signed in Taiwan, and its first with KKTV. The

ma Not A Murder Story, directed by up-and-coming filmmaker Chen-

platform will stream the Singapore titles in a new Mediacorp-branded

Nien Ko, is scheduled for January, with a slot on Taiwan’s GTV Channel

programming belt scheduled to launch in January 2024.

as well as on Catchplay Movies Channel. The series tells the story of a

Drama titles headed for the new belt include the upcoming Kill Sera Sera, which will stream simultaneously on KKTV and Mediacorp’s on-

wannabe actor determined to let nothing, much less a dead woman, stand in the way of his success.

contentasia december 2023

#Onehope 2024

Media execs with Asian businesses share their biggest business hope for 2024.

“To broaden the distribution of Thai dramas to additional countries, thereby strengthening Thailand’s soft power on a global scale.” Ziraviss Vindhanapisuth, Vice President – International Business, BEC World, Thailand

“I hope there is increased recognition and appreciation of Cambodian productions, artists, and entertainment throughout Asia and beyond.” Touch Bopha (Thyda), Head of TV Programming, and Head of Local Drama Production, Global PNN, Cambodia

For Taicca to be the dedicated platform that aligns talent, technology and capital for the Asian content industry market.” Homme Tsai, Chairperson, Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca)

“I’d like Asia to see that Myanmar also has tons of creative resources thus more co-productions between the neighbouring countries.” Khin Linn Maw, General Manager, Forever Group, Myanmar

“Rapid growth in local consumption and expansion on travelability of local content with the target of content evolution into regional.” Asian content thrives as soft power in global markets with all parties’ support while building creative and safe content environment.” Pattanapong Nuphan, Acting Managing Director, Bangkok Broadcasting & TV (BBTV Channel 7HD), Thailand

“Increasing popularity of Turkish content.” Ruba Karatepe, Senior Sales Executive, Kanal D International, Turkey

May Wah, Channels Editorial Manager, Canal+ Myanmar

Increased collaboration in Asia through co-productions, celebrating diversity and representation while preserving creative freedom from platform censorship.” Indra Suharjono, Director and Founder, i.e. entertainment

“The expansion of Malaysian films in international markets.” Muhammad Izzat, Distribution & Marketing, Primeworks Studios, Malaysia

contentasia december 2023

@ ATF 2023

“[that] Thailand’s soft power content is prominently featured on regional and global streaming services with robust digital infrastructure.”

I believe that there will come a time that Asia will be regarded as a very important content provider for the global market. We’ve seen the Chinese and the Koreans do it... My prayer is for Southeast Asian content to also have a big portion of the pie for their production and talents. Of course, I’m hoping for Filipino content to create a mark in this endeavour in the American and European markets as well. This has always been my prayer.” Jose Mari R. Abacan, First Vice President, Program Management Department, GMA Network, Philippines

Rungtip Jarusiripipat, Managing Director – Entertainment and Content Partnership, AIS, Thailand

“Renewal of traditional pay TV landscape by channels or services coming from nonlinear environment to take over exiting historical players’ empty spots.”

For marketers to take risks and finance projects that aren’t just key franchisee formats but also develop new IP. Asian content is travelling worldwide and we hope Asian audiences are equally open to European and international content breaking barriers.” Rashmi Bajpai, Executive Vice President – Asia, Banijay Rights

“To witness the rise of Brunei content in Asia in 2024; amplifying and embracing the creative creators and content from Brunei in the region.”

Teremoana Seguin, Managing Director, Harbour Rights, Hong Kong

“More production and casting collaboration between Asian countries.” Jesslyn Wong, Head, Content Distribution, Mediacorp, Singapore

Mariani Abdullah, Managing Director/Head of Acquisition & Distribution, DM Don Square Entertainment, Brunei

“I’d like to see more platforms be interested in Asian content especially Southeast Asian content both for acquisition and investment.” Redo Doron, Head of Sales Content & Licensing, MNC Content & Licensing, Indonesia

“Content, such as live sports and major events, continues to emphasise the importance of traditional linear TV, simultaneously underscoring the significance of the continued coexistence of both traditional TV and online.” Krissada Trishnananda, Executive Adviser - Content and Programming, Bangkok Media and Broadcasting Company (PPTV Thailand) 30

contentasia december 2023

A thriving Asian entertainment market in 2024, offering creators boundless opportunities and businesses meaningful collaborations, making Asia an industry epicenter.” Mayu Sunaga, Director, Global Business Department, TBS Japan

“I hope to see less pirated content, which is the most dangerous virus for the content business.” Komin Aoudomphan, Assistant Director, True Digital Group, Thailand

“A greater momentum in Asian content exports with heightened quality storytelling of Asian stories by Asian talents.”

“Let our content serve as a representative of our country, enabling everyone to grasp the essence of our culture and our true identity.” Noppharnach Chaiyahwimhon, Senior Content Production Director, GMMTV Thailand

Sarah Zarka, Head of International Sales, Federation Studios, France

Sirirat Kositanont, Vice President – Rights Management, Mono Streaming, Thailand

“More creative dealmaking and partnerships that will drive the reach of our content to new heights.” Haryaty Rahman, EVP Distribution Asia, International, Fremantle

Dell Hakim Zulbahari, Senior Assistant Vice President, Content, Astro Malaysia

“We hope to engage in co-production with companies in Asia.”

“Increased int’l collaboration boosting Thai productions, leading to global recognition and expanded opportunities for local talent and creativity.”

I hope to see the docs market continue to grow as great stories told from unique perspectives impact us all.” Anna Alvord, Director, Sales & Operations, PBS International, U.S.

“Deepening and broadening partnerships that give us the best access to audiences and best value for the producers we represent.” Cheryl Png, VP, Distribution - South East Asia, South Korea & Japan, BBC Studios

I hope to see more of Asian power making more global presence.” “The aspiration is to see increased receptiveness to content from abroad.”

Wirata Laksanasopin, Senior Licensing Manager, Workpoint Group, Thailand

Laura Sampedro, Sales Manager, Atresmedia TV, Spain 32

contentasia december 2023

PRE-SALE INQUIRIES Mr. Gary Marenzi Marenzi & Associates gary@marenziassociates.com

“Better co-production opportunities between the East and West, or collaborations between Asian countries.” Sherry Liu, Brand Lead, Portico Media / GagaOOLala, Taiwan

More dramas, love stories, family dramas” Jose Escalante, CEO, Latin Media Corp, U.S.

Movies, music, gaming, and sports come alive by offering an array of spectacular entertainment experiences.” Ashim Mathur, Vice President, APAC Marketing, Dolby Laboratories

“Embrace market challenges by accelerating growth through partnership/ bigger collaborations to persevere the path as Indonesia’s leading premium streaming platform.” Dhini W Prayogo, Country Manager, Catchplay+ Indonesia

Promote independent journalism, free from inﬂuence, by minimising censorship, ensuring journalist safety, and endorsing investigative reporting, to uphold media integrity.” Shenthil Ranie, Director, Inﬂight, Singapore

“My one hope is for increased access to quality education across Asia, empowering the next generation.” Soﬁa Zaﬁr, Lead Marketing & Distribution, Primeworks Studios, Malaysia

“An expansion in collaborative productions between Asia and Canada.” Melanie Ratte, Vice President, International Distribution and Business Development, Zone3 International, Canada

“After a tough few years, I anticipate and hope for continued growth and expansion of new opportunities in the region.” Robert Bassett, Senior Sales Manager, Passion Distribution, U.K.

I hope to see more co productions between Malaysia and Southeast Asia regions, especially with Singapore and Indonesia. It is time!” Shamin Yusof, Managing Director/ Producer, Skop Productions, Malaysia

Achieve more with less” Gunawan “Guns” Goony, Senior Manager, Acquisition & Distribution, ANTV, Indonesia

“Hope to see Indonesian content travels cross-border in Asia, then will be universally accepted by global audiences like Korean content.” Rieta Fuad, Business Head – Pay TV, PT. Tripar Multivision Plus Tbk (MVP), Indonesia

contentasia december 2023

distributionupdate

Love Destiny 2, BEC World/ Channel 3 Thailand

Selling stakes Whatever else separates them, distributors are united in their experience that the demand for Asian content across platforms and genres is rising. On the eve of this year’s ATF market in Singapore, Malena Amzah spoke to companies around the world about what they’re seeing across Asia’s licensing & syndication market.

Not sure 19.2%

No 0%

Did demand for Asian content increase in 2023?

Demand for Asian content is on the rise across the region as programmers, broadcasters and platforms close out the year and build their line-ups for 2024, distributors told ContentAsia ahead of the 2023 ATF

Yes 80.8%

market in Singapore. Even as budgets shrink and selection criteria tighten, more than 80% of local and international distributors we spoke to in October/November 2023 reported rising demand for Asian content across platforms in Asia. This includes free-TV broadcasters across multiple markets as well

Source: Local/international content distributors, conducted in October/November 2023

as domestic, regional and global streaming/online services. Higher demand for Asian content is also emerging at platforms outside of Asia, led by Latin America, and followed by the U.S., Canada and Europe, and then by the Middle East, Africa and the U.K. Drama tops demand, with light and easy romcoms in the lead, followed by horror, BL (Boys Love)/LGBTQ, fantasy and animation. Predictably, K-drama of any type remains hugely popular, as does factual content that addresses sustainability, climate and wildlife topics. There is mixed response to investment in Asian originals, including pre-sales. Twelve of the 26 distributors we spoke to said they had no plans to invest in original Asian content, but were not ruling out future

investment. Six were already investing in their own shows and the other eight were a hard no. Markets that gained proﬁle through 2023 include Cambodia, Indonesia, Mongolia, Thailand, Taiwan, Korea, Japan and Singapore. This is playing out in different ways, and has as much to do with marketing strategy, resource and focus as it does with the appeal of the stars and the stories for sale. Free-TV remains strong in many Asian markets, where subscription

contentasia december 2023

distributionupdate

Rising demand for Asian content this year are led by Asian broadcasters/platforms and global/regional streamers:

Asian platforms* Global/Regional SVOD streaming platforms* Latin American platforms European platforms U.S./Canada only platforms African platforms Middle East platforms U.K. platforms 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Note: * Global/Regional SVOD streaming platforms include Netﬂix, Amazon Prime Video, Viu etc. * Asian platforms include free-TV broadcasters, streaming, etc.

service take-up can be challenged and reach limited. This means a market-by-market distribution strategy can equal better returns than a single-sale to a platform for the region. Patience and the willingness to test titles have also turned out to be

Not sure 20%

virtues. Indonesian free-TV, for example, has experimented with Thai drama for a while, but it wasn’t until August 2023 that demand surged, says Indra Suharjono, director and founder of Singapore-based I.E. Entertainment. Indonesia pick ups include supernatural drama series Nakee by free-TV channel Antv. Free-TV network NetTV has also started acquiring Thai drama. In North Asia, new ground is being broken in Taiwan, where

No 20%

public broadcaster Public Television Service (PTS) and television network, Elta TV, picked up rights to Thai

Have buyers from Asian broadcasters and platforms (free/pay/ online/streaming) changed their acquisitions habits in 2023?

Yes 60%

Nakee, BEC World/ Channel 3 Thailand

blockbuster romance/timetravel series, Love Destiny, from BEC World/Channel 3. Source: Local/international content distributors, October/November 2023

contentasia december 2023

distributionupdate

Your Face Sounds Familiar Mongolia, Edu TV/Banijay Rights

Across the region, re-

Here’s what else distributors told us when we asked...

gardless of market de-

Kill Sera Sera star James Wen, KKTV/ Mediacorp Singapore

velopment and despite precarious advertising

Did Asian broadcasters and platforms change their acquisitions habits in 2023?

markets, platforms still appear willing to experiment

“The change in Asian acquisition habits mirrors changes at a global

with formats and genres.

level: local and global marketplace mergers have seen changes in

In Singapore, the country’s

the global supply chain and buying patterns. In this time of mar-

largest media platform, Media-

ketplace recalibration, we’re seeing a more cautious approach

corp, acquired 600 hours of Thai

to content acquisitions. With discretionary spends under pressure,

drama – including Love Destiny – in Au-

buyers are focusing on ‘must haves’ to sit alongside local produc-

gust 2023 for its domestic platforms, following up in November with its largest ever sale ever to Taiwan. The deal involves 2,000 hours of Mediacorp’s Chinese drama – in-

tions and commissions, with decision making becoming much more data-driven. We are hopeful 2024 will see a return to typical buying habits with more appetite for the new as well as those undisputable

cluding the upcoming suspense drama, Kill Sera Sera, Shero and Love

marquis brands.”

at First Bite – and variety to Taiwanese streamer, KKTV. Variety shows

Augustus Dulgaro, Executive Vice President – Distribution, Asia Pacific,

include Dishing with Chris Lee and Fashion Refabbed. The titles will

ITV Studios

stream in KKTV’s new Mediacorp-branded programming belt scheduled to launch in January 2024. The deal is Mediacorp’s first with KKTV. The need to try new things emerged across format adaptations in 2023 as well. An example of this is Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) Japan’s pick

More focused on their original productions, if they have the capability, if not, more localised content versus international.”

up of the Lego Masters format from Banijay Rights. Across the region,

Magdalene Cheung, Manager, Content Distribution & Business

Mongolia’s revival continues, with adaptations including Your Face

Development, Mattel East Asia

Sounds Familiar (Edu TV), Killer Karaoke (Central TV) and Spelling Star (Edu TV), says Rashmi Bajpai, Banijay Rights’ executive vice president

“There is greater emphasis on local content offering and a preference

– Asia.

for Asian content.”

At the same time, support for the tried-and-tested remains strong with,

Rashmi Bajpai, EVP – Asia, Banijay Rights

among many others, multi-season returns of MasterChef Cambodia.

contentasia december 2023

distributionupdate

Lego Masters Japan, TBS Japan/Banijay Rights

Buyers prefer smaller acquisition packages.” Redo Doron, Head of Sales Content & Licensing, MNC Content & Licensing “They are quite open to content from other countries.” Laura Sampedro, Sales Manager, Atresmedia TV Dishing with Chris Lee, KKTV/Mediacorp Singapore

“Global trends are been reinforced: with budget for international acquisition reduced, the focus is made on originals and local production.” Teremoana Seguin, Managing Director, Harbour Rights

The rise of streamers has increased the variety of titles and genres buyers are looking for.” Anna Alvord, Director, Sales & Operations, PBS International

Exclusive content and licensing as competition among broadcasters and platforms has driven a greater focus on securing exclusive rights to popular content. This has led to intense bidding wars and significant investments in original content production.” Sofia Zafir, Lead Marketing & Distribution, Primeworks Studios Malaysia “Buyers are spending more time researching titles, looking carefully at factors like production quality and plot before they choose.”

“lots for foreign/non-English content have started opening.”

Ziraviss Vindhanapisuth, Vice President International Business, BEC

Ruba Karatepe, Senior Sales Executive, Kanal D International

World Thailand

“In Malaysia and Korea, there seems to be more demand for longrunning lifestyle series. There has been a decrease in general on pan-

What has had the biggest impact on your business in Asia in 2023?

regional acquisitions, although with the right project they will invest.” Robert Bassett, Senior Sales Manager, Passion Distribution

“Digital platforms” Ruba Karatepe, Senior Sales Executive, Kanal D International

“They buy less foreign speaking content.” Sarah Zarka, Head of International Sales, Federation Studios

“Less kids content acquisition from South Korea.” Magdalene Cheung, Manager, Content Distribution & Business

“Buyers are more selective given the challenging market conditions.”

Development, Mattel East Asia

Haryaty Rahman, EVP Distribution Asia, International, Fremantle “Being able to penetrate into the free-to-air space in Indonesia and “Buyers are more selective as budgets shrink.”

two new markets (India and Taiwan).”

Wirata Laksanasopin, Licensing Manager, Workpoint Group Thailand

Indra Suharjono, Director and Founder, i.e. entertainment

contentasia december 2023

distributionupdate

MasterChef Khmer, CTN/Banijay Rights

“Global streamers and the need to window certain territories has

nue, merchandising revenue and off-air event partnerships. We actively

complicated the market, but it also has energised the market so it’s a

counsel our clients in maximising their social media revenues.”

fascinating time to be in this business!”

Rashmi Bajpai, Executive Vice President – Asia, Banijay Rights

Anna Alvord, Director, Sales & Operations, PBS International “The fact that South Korea isn’t buying as much as they used to.”

Challenging market conditions which affect buyers’ spending power.”

Sarah Zarka, Head of International Sales, Federation Studios

Haryaty Rahman, EVP Distribution Asia, International, Fremantle

“Evolution of the pay-TV landscape at pan-regional and national level

“The global economic slowdown makes everyone more risk-averse.

impacting acquisition processes and higher demand in local content vs

They are not willing to try new formats unless there are strong track

international content.”

records.”

Teremoana Seguin, Managing Director, Harbour Rights

Wirata Laksanasopin, Senior Licensing Manager, Workpoint Group Thailand

New OTT platforms come into the market has had a huge impact on our content distribution business.”

“The year 2023 was challenging for Asian content owners. We must

Redo Doron, Head of Sales Content & Licensing, MNC Content & Licensing

Love Destiny 2, for publication or broadcast in a wide variety of Asian

compete with local contents and other international contents in particular markets. Still, we have the ability to provide our flagship content, countries. In Thailand and the other countries where we’ve disseminat-

“Platform adaptation. To align with the new regulations, we have had

ed it, this show has become a phenomenon. The show has captivated

to invest in platform adjustments. This includes implementing content

Asian viewers and streaming services.”

rating systems, enhancing content monitoring tools, and developing

Ziraviss Vindhanapisuth, VP International Business, BEC World Thailand

robust reporting mechanisms to ensure that our platform remains in compliance with the evolving legal framework.”

“We’ve seen a concentration in the demand for finished tape as

Sofia Zafir, Lead Marketing & Distribution, Primeworks Studios Malaysia

buyers further distil what they want and where. This clarity helps us focus on solutions. Further, the rise of local productions coupled

“Covid”

with cost inflation, which hoovers up spend plus the consolidation/

Muhammad Izzat, Distribution & Marketing, Primeworks Studios, Malaysia

restructuring, means that distributors like us need to be smarter in how they pitch. We lead with IP that is sponsorship friendly as well

“We have to underscore profitability when we pitch formats. If a client

as audience-friendly, helping to find more cost effective ways to

is unable to find sponsors or ways of financing the project, the idea – no

launch bigger productions.”

matter how exciting – will not be greenlit. We work very closely with our

Augustus Dulgaro, Executive Vice President – Distribution, Asia Pacific,

partners in securing sponsors and also generating alternative revenue

ITV Studios

streams that can aid this decision. These includes live streaming reve-

contentasia december 2023

productionindies

Indie life

Imaginur, Skop Productions

Michelle Chang (left), Co-founder, Mocha Chai Laboratories; Min Lim, Group CEO, Vision New Media; Shamin Yusof (below), Managing Director/Producer, Skop Productions (Malaysia) at the ContentAsia Summit in August 2023

laysia and Singapore is pretty much developing outside the influence of global streamers. While these may be acquiring rights in volume in both

greed/power/betrayal story about an

markets, lo-focus on originals means

entertainment mogul and his three

production investment in these two

children. The series, created by Yusof

markets has not been impacted so

and directed by Kroll Azry, was the first

far as it has elsewhere.

TV drama series co-production between

As Netflix and Amazon/Prime Video

Astro Shaw and Skop Productions.

for now focus on Indonesia, Thailand and

In Singapore, Mocha Chai Laboratories (MCL) makes good use of local grants, says co-

the Philippines, domestic and regional streaming platforms have stepped up in Malaysia and Singa-

founder Michelle Chang. MCL’s film projects include

pore, albeit with lower production budgets.

the Wonderland, directed by MCL founder Chai Yee Wei, starring Singapore comedian Mark Lee as a single

Meanwhile, the film/theatrical environment is lively and on its way to post-Covid recovery, adding

father who sends his daughter to study overseas. MCL

to opportunities for local indie producers. At US$54.7

was also responsible for sound design/post-production on Vietnamese film-maker Pham Thien’s An Inside The Yellow

million as of 25 November, this year’s box office in Malaysia so far is 26% higher than 2022’s US$43.3 million for the same period and 893% higher than 2021’s US$5.5 million, even if

Cocoon Shell. Recent successes don’t mask the struggle indies face in moving out

still about 50% down on 2019’s US$112.5 million. In Singapore, this year’s

of the work-for-hire zone into creating lasting value for themselves. A

box office is US$35.8 million, about level with last year and way up on

key component here is ownership of rights. The frameworks in place

2020/2021, but still half of 2019.

elsewhere in the world are patchy across Southeast Asia. In Singapore,

“We’ve come a long way,” says Vision New Media Group CEO, Min

creators are able to retain underlying rights. In Malaysia, not yet. “We’re

Lim, who made the Malaysian version of All3Media’s Liar for local media

fighting for it,” Yusof said during the ContentAsia Summit in August 2023.

giant Astro in March 2023. “Budgets are getting better... and we’re able

“We definitely need our government’s help,” she added.

to push the boundaries on topics, especially with streaming, so that’s a good thing,” she adds.

“It’s a question of perspective,” Lim adds. “I’m not sure broadcasters see us as true partners right now. If you ask them, ‘why are you keep-

Film investment in Malaysia has made a difference to local pro-

ing all rights? What do you do with them?’ The answer is nothing. They

ducers, says Shamin Yusof, managing director and producer at Skop

don’t sell them, they don’t use the original IP. So why couldn’t there

Productions, whose movies include Polis Evo, Abang Long Fadil 2, KL

be a partnership? We could share that IP, but that option isn’t even on

Special Force and Misteri Dilaila.

the table.”

Skop is also benefiting from Astro’s commitment to original production. In April 2022, Astro premiered Kuasa, an eight-episode glamour/

While they hunt for a win-win, being adequately compensated for development remains among the challenges facing indies.

contentasia december 2023

Lim divides development into two parts – development of the concept/core idea and the script. The first, broadcasters tend not to want to attach a dollar value to. “I think that’s wrong and that’s not fair,” she says. Development funding tends to be focused on scripts. If Singapore is too expensive, low domestic budgets are contributing to a brain drain out of Malaysia to fill crew gaps in neighbouring markets. Plus, the creative industry is finding it difficult to attract new talent. “You’ve got to want to get people interested in the creative industry and to see the creative industry as a viable way of making a living,” Lim says. “In L.A., a writer on Criminal Minds earns between US$90,000 and US$110,000 an episode. Lawyers, doctors leave their jobs to become writers. In Malaysia it doesn’t happen. You would never have a lawyer leave their job to become a writer.” “It boils down to how much our industry appreciate our talent,” Yusof says. “As producers we can only offer as much as much as the budget is. We have certain limitations. It’s not that we do not appreciate talent... what’s happening now is we can see our talent pool from Malaysia leaving Malaysia for Thailand, to Singapore, Indonesia. Even our great actors...” Whatever their domestic issues, Malaysia’s indies are benefiting from global shifts, including audiences more open to foreign content. The advent of streaming and the globalisation of content is “definitely positive,” Lim says. “The world is open to content from different places and that can only be a good thing – streaming platforms did that, and the pandemic helped,” she adds. Chang says streaming platforms have paved the way “to work with some of the best writers from Thailand and also Indonesia... they have given me that opportunity to be able to do premium content”. Storytellers are still feeling their way through an uncertain space between broadcast, with all its restrictions, and streaming, which is more cutting edge. “I think everyone is trying to be on the safe side,” Yusof says. For her, that exploration is part of the creative process. “It’s our job to keep challenging our audience. It’s our job to keep introducing new content to the audience, it’s not the other way around, she says. “If we keep putting this restriction on ourselves then we’re never going to move forward. I think it has been proven in Malaysia this year especially. We have a film called Imaginur that we distributed and nobody thought that it would make it but it made RM6 million/US$1.3 million box office and it premiered at the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF). I think now everyone can see that we’re not, as producers, limited to a certain type of content that they expected the audience to receive,” Yusof says. “What we are trying to do collectively in terms of the content is trying to raise the bar and that’s never been done before,” Lim adds. “It’s trying to make the bigger market sit up and take notice and that’s difficult”. “We are looking at creating new things and sometimes these don’t work but we’re all kind of saying, ‘hey let’s take a chance together. It’s not just your head, it’s our head too’. It’s our reputation, our name, because, really, you’re only as good as your last project. So we care about it just as much as you do. So let’s take that chance together,” Lim says. But, she adds, “we seem to be in a very conservative environment [at the moment], a risk-averse environment, which is terrible for creativity.”

contentasia october 2023

productiondrama

Louise Wong

Slave trade When Asian movie veteran Meileen Choo three decades, her retirement project became Coolie. Janine Stein spoke to her on the eve of

In the heart of Havana, Cuba honours the Chinese men who fought in the independence struggle from Spanish colonial rule in the late 1800s. “There wasn’t one Cuban-Chinese deserter. There wasn’t one Cuban-Chinese traitor” – these words are etched in bronze beneath the black granite column. The origins of the Chinese presence in Cuba is longer, harder and harsher than the monument may suggest, rooted in the misery of a colonial slave trade that brought waves of indentured servants – “coolies” – from China to work on Spanish sugar and tobacco plantations. This is the backdrop to the US$20-million Coolie, an eight-episode limited drama series directed by Taiwanese-American filmmaker, Arvin Chen (Pachinko), which starts shooting in the Dominican Republic and Panama in the first week of December. The first project from film-industry veteran Meileen Choo’s three-year-old Cathay Film Company in Singapore, Coolie stars a multinational cast from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Cuba and Colombia in a story set in the 1860s about an illiterate young Chinese village girl, Chulin, played by Hong Kong actress/model Louise Wong (Anita). Chulin sets off from southern China to marry a rebel son, played by Taiwanese actor Joseph Chang, who is working on a sugarcane plantation in Cuba. Disguised as a man to evade the Qing militia, the canny Chulin lands in Havana clutching only her grandmother’s traditional Chinese medicine box. “That’s all she carried with her,” Choo says, adding: “All the coolies came with nothing more than the clothes on their backs.” Colombian star Mauricio Henao (Fake Profile) plays the sympathetic, 48

contentasia december 2023

revisited an idea hovering on her wish list for the multi-million dollar global drama series, production, which kicks off on 4 December.

non-slave owning plantation owner, Don Leonardo Ortega, plotting independence from Imperial Spain, aided by Chinese indentured servants and African slaves seeking freedom. The plantation owner’s spurned wife, Maria, is played by Cuban actress Camila Arteche (Sergio & Serguei), opposite her old lover, Sian Chiong (Fidel’s Daughter), who conspire to thwart their plans, igniting an escalating series of scheming and retaliation with the heart of Cuba hanging in the balance. Half a world away from Coolie’s setting, in Singapore, Coolie’s creator and showrunner Choo talks about the series as a passion project with “drama, action, love and intensity during a real time in history

The story of Chinese migration to Cuba is very fresh... my commercial background told me if I could have both Chinese- and Spanishspeaking audiences, that’s huge.” Meileen Choo Creator & Showrunner, Coolie

MAN

V S

M AC H I N E

BAS E D O N A N I N C R E D I BL E T R UE STO RY

6X52’

Camila Arteche

Sian Chiong

with overarching themes that are still very relevant today”.

“The history of Singapore/Malaya is not universally known. So, I thought

The story of Chinese slaves and migrants has gripped Choo for more

about the Hispanic world and discovered few people knew about the

than three decades, not least because her own family history involves

story of Chinese migration into Cuba. It is a very fresh story. My com-

migration to escape poor conditions and poverty, building new lives un-

mercial background told me if I could have both Chinese and Spanish

der colonial rulers and some going on to great fortune.

speaking audiences, that’s huge.”

Choo’s family on both sides originally came from Southern China to

As she continued researching, she dug deeper into the role of Chi-

the tin mines of Malaya. In 1935, her grandmother, Loke Yew, and her

nese labourers in Cuba’s ﬁght for independence from Spain. “I never

uncle, Loke Wan Tho, set up Associated Theatres, which became a

knew Chinese played such an important role,” she says.

household name in Southeast Asia, rebranding as the Cathay Organisa-

And here comes mention of the Havana monument to the Chinese

tion in 1959. Only when she retired from her role as CEO of the Cathay

who fought the Spanish. “So few people know about this. Not even my

Organisation Group in 2018 after 33 years, did Choo turn her attention

Cuban stars knew.”

to creating the story that would become Coolie.

If the decision to set the story in Cuba is relatively new, Choo’s interest in Cuba goes way back.

“Life got in the way,”

“I like history a lot... and I’ve always been interested in the Chinese Di-

Choo says. “I had the

aspora,” Choo says. When, in the early 1990s, she read an article about

story, the characters,

three Chinese men still using block printing in Havana to produce news-

I just didn’t have the

papers, she decided to try to ﬁnd them.

time”.

She arrived in Cuba to ﬁnd that the three were away visiting their fam-

When she ﬁnally re-

ilies. But she explored Chinatown, chatting to the few men who could

turned to the project, the

still speak Cantonese and absorbing sights, smells and background for

ﬁrst thing she did was look at international potential

what would eventually become her drama series. “I had already conceived the story by then but had not made up my

and commercial angles.

mind where the story would take place. When I heard about the impor-

Originally conceived as a

tant role the Chinese played in the Cuban War of Independence and

feature ﬁlm, Coolie migrated to

saw the monument honouring the Chinese, I decided to set the story in

a series to give the story and char-

Cuba,” she says.

acters space to develop, and to tap

Coolie’s time frame – around 1860, during the guerilla warfare stages

changing streaming video growth and

of the battle for independence – was set with a clear eye on budget.

consumption habits. Equally big decisions were the story location, which

While much bigger than the majority of TV series being made in Asia, the budget wouldn’t stretch to full-on battle scenes that would have been involved in realistically portraying an all-out war.

she wanted to be in

Inspired by generations of strong women in her family, Choo decided

the biggest market

to make Coolie a woman’s story crafted around the central theme of the

possible with the

social and other constraints that enslave us, and the journey to freedom.

broadest resonance.

By her own admission, ﬁlm, rather than TV, is her comfort zone. Her

Mauricio Henao

contentasia december 2023

ONE ROAD, COUNTLESS VICTIMS, 30 YEARS UNPUNISHED

Joseph Chang

long career in movie production, exhibition and distribution includes executive producer credits on director Ong Keng Sen’s Army Daze, which broke box office records in Singapore in 1996; Tsui Hark’s A Chinese Ghost Story; Pen-Ek Ratanaruang’s Last Life in the Universe, starring Tadanobu Asano; Atsuko Hirayanagi’s Oh Lucy, starring Josh Hartnett; and Arvin Chen’s Au Revoir Taipei; among others. Choo became showrunner unintentionally. “I know my story best,” she said, having weathered a few false starts and decisions that, in hindsight, she would not have made. Other than Cathay Organisation’s, there is no Singapore money – government or other – involved in Coolie and nothing will be shot in Singapore. Choo explains she has tapped the best of what Singapore has to offer: production financing and management, legal and insurance. “These are Singapore’s main strengths, which can be used for productions all over the world. Sadly, we are not putting enough emphasis on these strengths. It’s not important that the film be made in Singapore,” she says.

DIRECTED BY OSCAR-WINNING JEAN-XAVIER DE LESTRADE

What she has as the show goes into production is the best she could ﬁnd across talent, skillsets and geographies, including an ArgentinCrédit photo / getty Images - Holly Harris - 4x6 - arnon toussia-cohen - lilly3 - Steve Bramall

ean set designer, a casting director from Mexico living in the U.S., a Korean-German executive producer, a British DoP, and a Cuban star of mixed Chinese descent with the same family name as her husband. That’s the bit she calls kismet. “We are a United Nations unto ourselves,” she jokes. The series, scheduled to shoot until mid-April 2024, is produced by Ed Buhr (Unhung Hero) with In-Ah Lee (Land of Plenty) as executive producer. The distribution platform has not yet been announced. If there is a “best thing” about Coolie so far, it’s that “I learned a lot about the Chinese diaspora... about places that I didn’t know the Chinese had gone, and I thought wow, if my grandfather had not come here to Singapore, he might have landed up in the tin mines in Bolivia then I’d be speaking Spanish today. “To me, we should never stop learning. This production has taught me so much.”

6X52’ 51

Ride high Fast & Furious star Sung Kang talks about life lessons, 100-year plans, and the meaning of cars ahead of the release of his new series, The Ride Life with Sung Kang, in Summer 2024. One of the ﬁrst things Fast & Furious star Sung Kang says about his new

of an idea runs into someone else who knows someone looking for

TV show, marketed as a “multi-country car culture series”, is that it’s

ideas, with an intro here and a conversation there...

not about cars. The six-episode series, The Ride Life with Sung Kang,

“But it was, like, Singapore... and I thought ‘how’s this going to

promises access to “extraordinary car communities”, to get behind “the

work?’,” Kang says. “But then as soon as I met him [BHP co-founder,

coolest and rarest vehicles”, and deepen “our understanding about

Donovan Chan]... I didn’t have to explain or make excuses for my Asi-

the special relationship between man and machine”.

anness to them. They didn’t think my face was going to get in the way.

So it’s about cars? Still no, or not really. “I don’t even go into the cars,”

They didn’t go, ‘where are you from?’ And I didn’t have to say, ‘I’m

Kang says. “I love cars, but after you’ve seen your 100th car, and are fortu-

from Georgia’. And they didn’t go, ‘but where are you really from?’.

nate enough to have access to them in your personal life... really, they’re

And I didn’t have to go, ‘Do you mean where are my parents from?

just a bunch of metal and rubber, it actually has no meaning,” he says.

They’re from Korea’. And they didn’t go, ‘oh, so you’re Korean-Ameri-

That meaning, he explains, is in the people who own the cars, their

can’. I’m used to that in Hollywood; it’s a business. They have to have a

stories, and “the lessons they have taught me”. Like the Polish tech

product that can sell, an angle... Donovan just sees me as a human, an

billionaire who started planting trees to decarbonise the world as part

American. I don’t have to make excuses for myself. It’s like this bag of

of his 100-year-plan and at last count was at 17 million. Kang loves the

rocks is off my shoulders.”

idea of a 100-year plan, “things I do today that will last after I’m gone” and “help the world be a better place”. The Ride Life with Sung Kang, which Kang says he has been thinking about for 10 years, is part of his plan to share the life lessons he has gathered. “I’m stealing this idea of a 100-year-plan... all the people who were part of the show will no longer be here but the lessons will be, right?,” he says. Kang’s involvement with co-production partners, Beach House Pictures (BHP), in Singapore came about in the usual way: someone aware

Scheduled to air by mid-Summer 2024, The Ride Life with Sung Kang is a co-production between global programmer/channel operator, Insight TV; Singapore-based BHP, Korean-American Bros Studio and Kang’s production venture, Raison D’Etre Stories. Production kicked off in April this year, and so far covers car owners in Seoul, Tokyo, Los Angeles and Warsaw. The Polish capital was an eye-opener for Kang, he says, admitting to “all these preconceived notions, maybe even prejudices. It was just my lack of understanding about the country”.

contentasia december 2023

Pic credit Tomasz Stanco C

Sung Kang with the crew from the U.K. shoot

CMY

At home, Kang has 14 cars, including a minivan, which he calls his

“daily driver”, with 18 cup holders, water, snacks, tissues... He has a soft spot for cup holders. “I have so many cars that have no cupholders and I don’t like to drive them because it’s so inconvenient,” he says. “No one expects me to be showing up in a minivan. Sometimes it disappoints people because they’re expecting the guy from the Fast and Furious movie to be in some crazy car. Valet guys open the door and go, ‘Why, like why? Why do you do this to us?’.” Beyond everyday life, on the track, Kanag says super-fast racecars “put me to sleep”, in a good way. “Cars are a very safe place for me to get really comfortable, so they’re surprised, like they’re going 200 miles an hour and I just am so relaxed,” he says, listing race-car safety gear such as seatbelts and helmets. “Also, when you give complete trust to a driver... and they’re passionate about what they do. I know they’re not going to go and risk our lives, because they want to wake up tomorrow. It actually gives me this real calm”. Some of Kang’s favourite moments on The Ride Life so far are

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Marina Bay Sands, Singapore BOOTH L18 / 5-8 December

production downtimes with the in-country crews gathered from local production communities. “When the cameras are off, the local crew gives you a sense of the area and the geography and the spirit of the people,” he says. “If the crew is excited about you coming to their country and sharing the ethos and spirit of the country, then you’re doing something right.” A version of this article appeared in ContentAsia’s eNewsletter on 6 November 2023

@caracolTvIntl www.caracolinternacional.com sales@caracoltv.com.co

productioninterview

Set in Korea, the 10-epi-

to write a book about how difﬁcult it was to be what she calls “be-

sode half-hour tween drame-

tween generations”. Born in Korea and raised in Canada, she says she

dy is about Hannah Shin (played

“had it all mapped out... being pulled into different directions and not

by Julia Kim Caldwell) a spirited

being accepted”.

Canadian-Korean teen with dreams

The being-between theme repeated at various points in her life.

of becoming a K-pop star and connecting

One aha-moment she talks about came in her Twenties, on another

with her Korean heritage. When she accepts a sum-

trip to Korea. When her family in Korea asked about her partner and

mer job as an English tutor at an elite K-pop training school in Korea,

whether they were going to marry, she said: “I have a boyfriend but

she ﬁnds herself at odds with the K-pop universe she is thrust into.

he’s not Korean. They’re like, ‘Oh, okay’, as in, that’s ﬁne.”

Directed by Filipino Canadian ﬁlm and television director, Romeo

In contrast, her parents in Canada were concerned. “My parents

Candido (The Next Step), along with Justin Wu and Gloria Kim, Gang-

were afraid that my relatives would have a hard time accepting me

nam Project was co-commissioned by Canada’s CBC Kids and CBBC.

marrying someone who wasn’t Korean. [They] had the 1975 ideals

Haasz is the series’ showrunner along with Candido.

from when we moved to Korea... so that’s all they knew, they were stuck in a time warp,” she says. More than two decades later, these experiences form the basis of Haasz’s series, Gangnam Project, which releases in Spring 2024.

“For over 30 years I wanted to tell my story as a ﬁrst-generation immigrant from Korea living in Canada, who journeys to Korea to explore her roots and experiences an identity crisis both comically and dramatically,” Haasz says.

contentasia december 2023

The heart of the story is the idea of accepting and being accepted, and finding your identity when you are bi-racial.”

Raising Expectations and Justin Time. Since forming Pillango, which focuses on live action and animation production for family viewing, her credits include Circuit Breakers, a live action anthology series for Apple TV+, and Step by Step Let’s Dance, a live action docu-dance series for TVO Kids. “I’ve been in TV for a long time, and I know that there has to be a hook, and the hook was K-pop,” she says. With authenticity at the top of her priority list, she tapped the experience of one of her best friends’ husband, who belonged to an early

Sarah Haasz Creator/Showrunner, Gangnam Project

K-pop group managed by YG Entertainment. “I drew from his experience, drew from my experience and came up with the concept of a girl who’s biracial who goes to Korea to find her roots,” she says.

She adds that “the heart of the series is the idea of accepting and

Gangnam Project features an original soundtrack by recording artist,

being accepted, and finding out your identity when you’re bi-racial.

songwriter, producer and musician, August Rigo, who has written songs

Or even when you were born in one place and moved to another

for BTS, U Smile for Justin Bieber and Gotta Be You for One Direction.

place. You physically look like you belong there, but you go back and you feel like you’re having a difficult time being accepted”. Gangnam Project, which took six years to make, was produced in

Haasz describes the show as “K-drama lite”, with a lot of family elements, some drawn from her own life. For instance, “my parents weren’t very accepting of my husband ini-

Toronto and Korea by Haasz’s Pillango Productions, which she found-

tially, and it caused some tension in the family. I put that in the series,

ed in Toronto in 2019, and Aircraft Pictures, also based in Canada, with

where the father has a falling out with his mother – the main charac-

financial participation of Shaw Rocket Fund and the Canada Media

ter’s grandmother. There’s a scene where they forgive each other and

Fund. Federation Kids & Family distributes the show worldwide.

our whole cast and crew were just crying.

Gangnam Project follows Haasz’s long career in kids TV, includ-

“It’s about forgiveness. It’s not necessarily just about the father for-

ing roles with YTV, CBC Kids, Disney Jr Canada and Family Channel.

giving the mother and vice versa. Everybody has had these moments

Among the 2,000+ hours of kids programming that carry her credits,

in their life where they come to see past themselves and forgive in

she has been involved in TV series and movies such as The Next Step,

order for there to be peace in the family as a whole... all those mo-

productioninterview

Everybody has had these moments in their life where they come to see past themselves and forgive in order for there to be peace in the family as a whole... all those moments, like identity and forgiveness, accepting, acceptance. These are universal themes... still resonate internationally, no matter what culture you’re from.” Sarah Haasz

ments, like identity and forgiveness, accepting, acceptance. These are universal themes.. what we’re trying to convey still resonates internationally, no matter what culture you’re from.” Using the storytelling example of a deeply emotional Korean drama about a terminally ill mother who prepares her developmentally challenged son to cope after her death, Haasz says she tried to tap the best of Korean techniques for Gangnam Project. “I really wanted to mine the emotion, to make it resonate, relatable”. Because of the series Canadian financing, most of the filming was done in Canada, with about a week in Korea with four of the actors and a local Korean crew. The week in Korea was more than she thought would be possible on the initial budget. At the time, it seemed like “icing on the cake,” she says. In hindsight, she adds, it was absolutely necessary and she wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. If there is a season two (no announcement at press time), she plans to film in Korea.

contentasia december 2023

Life

WITHOUT YOU

In all, the show took six years to make. “I needed to ﬁnd the right

Some parts of the production felt like coming full circle for Haasz.

people.. and it took a long time,” Haasz says. Her dream team includ-

For instance, ﬁlming locations, by total coincidence, included the

ed a writer “who walked in the same shoes as I did”. She eventually

college in Canada where her mother learned English as second lan-

chose Romeo Candido, “who experienced what I experienced, even

guage and her father took machine shop courses after the family emi-

though we are from different cultures... he knew my voice.” Candido

grated to Canada.

also became the series co-showrunner. Although the series is anchored in her own experience, she’s keen to

Perhaps more than a TV production, the series is part of her arrival at a new place in her life. “The more I visit [Korea], the more I feel comfort-

point out that “it’s not about me... it’s trying to portray what I felt and

able in my skin. I think it’s a maturity thing,” she says, describing a trip to

keeping it relatable. People who watch this can relate not because

Korea with her parents as an adult as a “whole new experience”.

it’s about a Korean girl. It’s because of identity... bi-racial children wonder who they are, they want to ﬁnd their identity.”

“Going [to Korea] as an adult with my parents was a completely different experience,” she says. “This was the ﬁrst time they had stayed

Although it might feel like gratuitous promotion for the show, Haasz

in a hotel in Korea. It was like they were tourists in their home country.

says her choices have been validated by the response so far. “Cast

They absolutely loved it. They were so excited to show me the Korea

members came up to me and the ﬁrst thing they said was ‘thank you

they remembered as opposed to the Korea they were seeing right

for making a story about us’... ‘thank you for telling my story’. I felt

now. And it was really nice.”

happy. I felt content that, you know, that this is the right path that I took the story in”.

Her own journey with ﬁtting in has a happy ending. Still married to the same person, she is now a mother of three children aged 21, 18

If she would do anything differently, Haasz says she would have

and 11, and her parents’ concerns have long been left behind. “Now

made more episodes, with more stories. And then there are the stories

everything’s ﬁne,” she says. “We have three beautiful bi-racial children

that emerged in production. “Even though they are playing charac-

who identify as both Korean and Canadian. They love their Korean

ters, cast members have stories to tell as well,” she says. All of which

side, love the Canadian side.”

lays the groundwork for a possible second season.

contentasia december 2023

What about her lead character, Hannah? Answers in 2024.

productionindonesia

Plus size Indonesia’s feature ﬁlms have made much more of an impact in the premium space than its TV series, which for years have been dominated by long-running local low-budget mass-market soap operas. Global and domestic streaming attention changed the game. Janine Stein looks at a market celebrating two of its biggest, most expensive TV series ever and what’s being done to secure a production ecosystem to support the demand for bigger, better and more. By many estimates, Indonesia will have premiered its two most expen-

proved from as way back as the iﬂix days, that Indonesian audiences

sive TV series by Christmas this year – Cigarette Girl (Gadis Kretek) by

overwhelmingly prefer local content. Some ﬁgures put local TV video

Base Entertainment for Netﬂix, which debuted on 2 November, fol-

entertainment consumption at three to four times higher than western

lowed by Tira, by Screenplay Films’ for Disney+ on 16 December.

TV content.

For Netﬂix, the bet seems to have paid off (ed’s note: we’re going

Cigarette Girl joins a handful of Indonesian feature ﬁlms and one true-

by Netﬂix’s published top 10 rankings. We have no visibility on what the

crime documentary, made by the Singapore-based Beach House Pic-

platform’s internal criteria for success are). The period/romance drama,

tures, that made it onto Netﬂix’s global non-English top 10s in 2022/3.

with a guestimated budget of between US$250,000 and US$400,000 per

Titles include action movie The Raid 2 in January, and true-crime

episode – US$1.25 million-US$2 million for ﬁve episodes – is #1 at home

docu-series, Ice Cold: Murder, Coffee and Jessica Wongso in Septem-

and the ﬁrst Indonesian series ever with enough engagement to secure

ber/October 2023. The Raid 2 was viewed for a total of 8.62 million hours

a spot on the streamer’s global non-English TV top 10.

between 2-15 January 2023. Ice Cold: Murder, Coffee and Jessica

In its debut week (6-12 November 2023), the show placed 10th with

Wongso spent two weeks on the non-English global TV series top 10,

8.6 million hours viewed (1.6 million views), holding the spot the follow-

with 6.8 million hours viewed from 25 September to 8 October 2023. It’s

ing week (13-19 November), albeit with slightly fewer hours/views. In its

a long way from 2018, when Indonesia wasn’t mentioned at all in Netf-

second week on the global charts, Gadis Kretek was on the top 10 lists

lix’s ﬁrst showcase of 17 Asian original productions from Japan, Taiwan,

in eight countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela,

Thailand, India and Korea.

Chile, Costa Rica and Venezuela.

Long a thriving mass-market free-TV ‘sinetron’ market, Indonesia’s

At home, Gadis Kretek is holding fast against goliaths. Netﬂix doesn’t

ambitions for premium TV production are as old as streaming itself, even

disclose viewing/engagement data on a country level, but the story of

if Netﬂix didn’t seem to prioritise it at the time. The reasons may include

a woman who dreams of crafting the perfect cigarette is triumphing

the not-insigniﬁcant reality that Netﬂix was pretty much blocked in In-

against Korea’s Daily Dose of Sunshine, Strong Girl Nam-soon, Castaway

donesia from its launch in 2016 until the middle of 2020. The hard-won

Diva and Studio Dragon’s Doona!, starring A-lister Bae Suzy.

peace accord with the powerful state-owned Telkom Group included

Maybe this feat isn’t super-surprising. It has long been said, and

censorship concessions as well as commercial arrangements.

contentasia december 2023

From left: Anthony Buncio, SVP, Streaming, Screenplay Films (Indonesia) and Tanya Yuson, Co-founder & Chief Creative Development Officer, Base Entertainment, at the ContentAsia Summit in Bangkok in August 2023

Three and a half years on, Indonesia’s production ambitions enter 2024 with fewer broken hearts than the streaming platforms – including the iflix, which died, and GoTo’s GoPlay, which lives on as Everywhere under new owners – that tried to tap this mighty consumer market. Approaching a new year, the industry’s confidence in the ability to tell universal stories is growing, and the production infrastructure and processes are stronger than they were last year, or the year before. Many questions don’t have answers – yet. Will Disney+ restart local production in Indonesia? What are Warner Bros Discovery’s (WBD) plans for Max in Indonesia? What’s brewing at the Emtek/SCM-owned Vidio with the arrival of Mark Francis, WBD’s former group lead for original production in Southeast Asia/Hong Kong/Taiwan, who joined the Jakarta-based domestic streamer in November 2023? Francis is the platform’s first dedicated content head since chief content officer, Tina Arwin, decamped after three years to join Amazon Prime Video’s Southeast Asia team in August 2022. There is also the impact of French media giant Canal+’s mid-2023 investment in Viu, a regional streamer that made early and winning bets on shows like Pretty Little Liars Indonesia and Bad Boys vs Crazy Girls, among others. And the sale of domestic streamer GoPlay, which, in its heyday, greenlit a local version of Gossip Girl. The video platform was sold to Indonesian entrepreneur Edy Sulistyo in September 2023 after Indonesia’s GoTo Group ditched non-core assets in search of profitability. If there is any certainty going into 2024, it involves Netflix’s continued commitment to premium originals in Indonesia and optimism that Amazon/Prime Video’s newly installed Southeast Asia team will make magic in Indonesia the same way it did in India.

productionindonesia

Netflix’s upcoming projects include Timo Tjahjanto/Frontier Pictures’ feature, The Shadow Strays, which is already in production. Of the seven new Indonesian originals announced in September 2022, Joko Anwar’s sci-fi thriller, Nightmares and Daydreams, about ordinary people encountering strange phenomena, doesn’t have a release date yet. Netflix also had not at presstime announced a premiere date for Raditya Dika’s movie, Komedi Kacau (Comedy Chaos), about a down on his luck man who has to juggle managing his recently acquired comedy club and married life. So that’s at least three that we know about. Prime Video’s Indonesia content strategy hadn’t been made public by mid-November 2023, and there’s no clear indication on where unscripted originals rank – if at all – on the priority list for Indonesia. This leaves a question mark over the return of Comedy Island Indonesia, a six-episode reality show greenlit by the previous team at Amazon Studios/Prime Video. Comedy Island Indonesia, part of a trio of originals with separate adaptations for Thailand and the Philippines, premiered on 9 November 2023, with nine Indonesian actors and comedians, including Tora Sudiro and Nirina Zubir. As this plays out, deeper questions continue to be asked about Indonesia’s production industry’s ability to service demand for bigger, better and even more premium productions. The market’s shortage of writers/directors/crew in this space and the challenges this pose to scaling up is not a secret. For decades characterised by mass-market serials made for US$10,000 or US$20,000 an episode, demand for premium series creators and crews able to work

top 10 non-

at ﬁve times that budget (at least) way outstrips supply – even after

English ﬁlm list

the Disney+ and WBD about-face on streaming originals that shrunk

for three weeks

demand. On top of that, ﬁlm production is thriving and box ofﬁce rev-

in 2022/3 and on

enues are vibrant across both local and U.S. titles.

the top 10 in 65

Like elsewhere, the rise of premium TV production is grounded in the

countries.

ﬁlm industry, which in Indonesia started in the mid-1920s, and the two

Buncio says theatri-

continue to develop hand in hand. Film remains a pillar of domestic en-

cal and streaming are

tertainment, with blockbusters like MD Pictures’ 2022 horror drama, KKN

proving to be mutually ben-

di Desa Penari, which is the highest grossing local movie of all time; Fal-

eﬁcial. “As producers, we know that

con Pictures’ Warkop DKI Reborn: Jangkrik Boss! Part 1 (2016); and Rapi

we have a second life in OTT. So it emboldens us to take more

Films/Joko Anwars’ Satan’s Slaves 2: Communion (2022).

risk and explore”.

Rapid growth of cinemas in the key cities and provinces “allows local

Indonesia’s shift in storytelling involves much greater effort in “trying

ﬁlms to recoup production costs and improve the production quality

to meet audiences where they are, translating stories [like Gadis Kretek,

with bigger budgets,” says ﬁlm industry veteran Erlina Suharjono, who

adapted from a popular novel] that connect with audiences and giv-

co-founded i.e. entertainment in 2021 after more than two decades

ing them a premium platform to play that out,” Yuson says.

with Warner Bros and Cathay Organisation.

“We’re reﬁning more than changing,” she adds. “When you’re in a

Speaking during the ContentAsia Summit in Bangkok at the end of

storytelling culture, you’re not really changing the game as much as el-

August 2023, Base Entertainment’s Tanya Yuson, co-founder and chief

evating the next story from what came before... Part of that is us listen-

creative development ofﬁcer, said feature ﬁlms had given the produc-

ing to the audience, trying to see where they’re coming from, putting

tion industry experience with higher budgets and production values.

our ears to the ground”.

“We’ve always had higher budgets and higher production values for

The listening is showing a storytelling geography spreading beyond

feature ﬁlms,” she said. “Now there are platforms willing to bridge that

Jakarta or Central Indonesia, into areas with different dialects and per-

gap, that’s what we’re bringing over [to TV].” she said “It’s just going

spectives. Another trend indicates that light young adult stories, which

to be a bit of a learning curve, the market needs to see that you can

powered the ﬁrst wave of premium streaming, may have plateaued in

have that kind of quality in a TV series”.

2023 compared to 2022, and demand is rising for stories with more com-

Anthony Buncio, SVP, streaming of Screenplay Films Indonesia, which is behind the upcoming Tira, also underlines Indonesia’s theatrical

plex characters dealing with more serious issues. Horror as a comfortable fallback – what Yuson describes as “comfort

achievements, surfaced in the streaming world with titles like Timo Tjah-

food for theatrical, the old standard”, is also changing. Although the

janto/Frontier Pictures’ The Big 4 (2022), which was on Netﬂix’s global

genre remains a mainstay, audiences are demanding entertainment

contentasia december 2023

Clockwise from above: The Raid 2, Tira, Comedy Island Indonesia, Gadis Kretek

they haven’t seen before, particularly for theatrical release. “You can’t just make any horror and it does well,” she says. Developing an end-to-end production infrastructure for Indonesia is an ongoing conversation. Buncio says protocols and processes, including IP development/pitching, have been streamlined, with clear criteria and guidelines set in place. Screenplay also has a stringent “post-mortem” process, which enables the company to adapt quickly to market changes. “We’re always looking for better ways of working so that storytelling is relevant in today’s landscape,” he says. Some of the processes being rolled out have been adapted from Hollywood, where both Yuson and Buncio have worked. “But there’s no one system ﬁts all,” Buncio says, adding that the systems being developed for Indonesia are customised to ﬁt existing reality and local culture. An essential element is longer development time for ideas as well as for writing, Yuson says. “Traditionally, even in other territories in Asia, you want to get the script quickly, and then you want to go into production quickly. That’s traditionally how it’s been done. So I think one of the shifts is allotting time and really making the effort to make sure scripts are in their best form before you even go into pre-production,” she adds. Crafting the kind of emotion and realistic experiences that connect the series with an audience is a holy grail. “We want those emotions, those real life experiences in the script,” Buncio says. Easier said than done, although Buncio doesn’t see it as a choice. “In Asia, we tend to repress a lot of those feelings... but we have to or else we are on a surface level in scripting”. Younger writers and directors, like Sidharta Tata (Quarantine Tales,

CHECK OUT OUR CATALOGUE

Pertaruhan: The Series) and Jason Iskandar (Quarantine Tales, Akhirat: A Love Story), are being welcomed into this developing ecosystem. “We try to ﬁnd ways that make sense to build and bring in new writers, directors,” Yuson says. “Obviously we’ve worked with a lot of the veterans... but we love working with new talent... Series are always great proving grounds.”

www.international-sales-atresmedia.com 61

businessupdate

All that glitters Anne Jakrajutatip, the high-proﬁle Thai owner of JKN Global Group/Miss Universe Organisation, faces the ﬁght of her life to keep her crown. Hi-glamour and hi-drama have walked side by side for this year’s Miss

At the time, response to the MUCoin launch was swift and unequivo-

Universe pageant and its owner, the Bangkok-based JKN Global Group.

cal. The Miss Universe Organisation/JKN Global Group denied any asso-

As pretty women from everywhere did whatever beauty queens do to

ciation with MUCoin. “There is currently no Miss Universe crypto currency

be crowned, a life-and-death business battle played out in Thailand.

or blockchain offering,” the company said, warning fans to use caution

At stake are the hopes, wishes and empire of the transgender woman

and not to join in the coin scam, and promising that it was doing “ev-

whose dreams came true when she bought the high-proﬁle global pag-

erything we can to shut this down publicly, so that our community is not

eant for US$20 million in October 2022,

victims of this fraud”. Jakrajutatip said in a personal Facebook post that

The ﬁrst signs of trouble broke into the open 10 months after the acquisition from IMG Worldwide was announced. At the end of August, a day

the company would “pursue all legal actions with regards to this infringement to protect our fans from any kind of fraud”.

before its debentures maturity date, the listed JKN Global Group said it

That’s not how TCG boss, Jakraphan Punyapapha, sees it. On 24

was negotiating with bond holders to reschedule repayments. The com-

November, with his 18 December preliminary court hearing looming,

pany offered about 26% of the amount immediately, with a re-payment

Punyapapha publicly accused JKN of giving the public false information.

schedule for the balance. The total amounted to a little under THB610

The MUCoin agreement, he said, was sealed on 30 June 2023. The suit

million/US$17.3 million.

also includes allegations of embezzlement related to the MNB JV, which

CEO/MD, Anne Jakrajutatip, made the announcement in a live broad-

JKN shuttered at the end of September, allegedly without informing

cast on digital terrestrial broadcast channel, JKN18, which the company

TCG, disposing of assets and laying off staff without notice. Punyapapha

acquired for US$34 million in 2021, and attempted to reassure investors.

showed the media images he said proved that JKN had removed assets

Some two months later, on 8 November, the company ﬁled for business rehabilitation. If the move gave JKN some breathing room, what fol-

from MNB’s facility. Jakrajutatip denies TCG’s allegations, saying in a statement on the

lowed was far from calm. JKN Global was forced to ﬁle clariﬁcation after

same day that the public warning posted about MUCoin was “an honest

clariﬁcation to the Thai Stock Exchange, responding to everything from

action and for the public’s interests”.

not inviting board members to critical meetings to a THB 1 billion/US$28.3 million lawsuit over an alleged crypto deal.

The Thai Stock Exchange weighed in at the same time, advising investors to monitor company activities while it waits for clariﬁcation on JKN’s

Then came the resignation of long-time Miss Universe Organisation

Q3 ﬁnancial statements. The requests include MNB, which JKN said it was

president, Paula Shugart, after 23 years. Watched by millions around the

trying to sell for THB56 million/US$1.6 million – 27% lower than the acquisi-

world, Shugart announced her decision live on stage from El Salvador at

tion price. SET has given JKN Global until 8 December to submit its replies.

the end of the national costume show two days before the 18 November grand ﬁnale. Shugart said her decision was “not in response to recent events”. Among other things, she talked about the strong Miss Universe brand, how it would remain resilient, about the meaning of transformational

As events started to unfold, Jakrajutatip was philosophical. “Don’t be afraid to start all over again. This time, you are not starting from scratch but from high-level experience,” said text laid over an image of her and her two children posted on 12 November. She refers obliquely to the protection/rehabilita-

leadership and putting the needs of the team above all else, about the

tion ﬁling as events “in the recent global news”,

importance of empathy, not self-interest, about honesty and respect

and says this is “simply just another life chapter

integrity and living by your word. “One cannot just talk the talk. One must

of mine, in which I learned how to be extremely

walk the walk,” Shugart said. Many read thinly veiled criticism of Jakraju-

resilient and also how to turn pain into power.

tatip in her words. Shugart capped her shock announcement by alluding

I’m not afraid to face with it and address it to

to a book about her time at Miss Universe. “I have an unbelievable story

the world,” she said,

to tell and I look forward to telling it,” she said.

followers that she

Jakrajutatip didn’t get a minute’s rest once the pageant wrapped.

reminding her 6.7 million had “built everything

from scratch myself

and it’s time

Six days later, on 24 November, Thai company and joint-venture partner,

for me to trans-

form

crypto currency platform TCG, held a press conference in Bangkok with

everything back to

the top

a live stream for anyone who wanted to hear details of its argument.

again”. The comment

TCG’s suit involves the Miss Universe Coin (MUCoin), which it launched

has so far received

during Philippine Blockchain Week in the second half of September, and

15,000+ likes.

a co-investment in beverage company, MN Beverages (MNB).

contentasia december 2023

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9 Countries including t he US A !

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Watch trailers now on www.contentasia.tv/screenings

High Country When detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford is transferred to the Victorian High Country, she is thrust into a bafﬂing mystery of ﬁve missing persons who have vanished into the wilderness. Through an edge-of-the-seat, high-stakes investigation, Andie uncovers a complex web involving murder, deceit and revenge. Length: 8x60 mins Sony Pictures Entertainment Contact: Selene Khoo, Selene_Khoo@spe.sony. com, Sirinthip Phanajaras, Sirinthip_Phanajaras@spe.sony.com

A Father’s Promise

The Missing Husband

Set in 1980 amid political tension, Mustafa,

A man becomes a victim of a pyramid scam

a struggling factory worker, ﬁghts for his wife

and goes missing. His wife searches for him

Canan’s life. Rejected by his heartless boss,

and discovers that he vanished on purpose.

he ﬂees, leaving daughter Cemre in an

Length: 40x45 mins GMA Network Inc.

orphanage, from where she is adopted by

Contact: GWI@gmanetwork.com

the wealthy Ronas. Mustafa inﬁltrates their home with help from housekeeper Figen, and love blooms. When they uncover the Ronas’ sinister intentions towards Cemre,

Stranded on Honeymoon Island

Mustafa seeks vengeance, while Figen urges

Couples matched by experts are stranded on a

protection and love. A Father’s Promise nar-

deserted island. Isolated and pitted against the

rates their perilous journey, battling adver-

forces of nature, will true love blossom – and sur-

saries for family, love, justice, and a brighter

vive? A new adventure dating format from the

future. A gripping tale of love, sacriﬁce and

creators of the world’s No 1 relationship format,

resilience unfolds in this emotionally charged

Married at First Sight. Format. Red Arrow

series. Length: 45 mins Kanal D International

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Capitaine Marleau (Season 3) Capitaine Marleau is a French TV series that follows the captivating and unconventional detective, Capitaine Marleau, who is an atypical member of the national gendarmerie with a straightforward approach, a cheeky manner and a strong north accent. She unravels complex murder cases in the picturesque landscapes of rural France. Sarcastic, disconcerting and wearing a chapka, she takes her spindly ﬁgure and phlegm to crime scenes. Each episode presents a mystery, showcasing Capitaine

The Others Two neighbouring couples are shocked after their teenage children’s ﬁght, with

Marleau’s relentless pursuit of justice while challenging societal norms.Capitaine Marleau offers an intriguing blend of crime, character-driven storytelling, and the enigmatic personality of its titular detective. Length: 8x90 mins TV5MONDE Asie-Paciﬁque Contact: asie@tv5monde.org

absurd consequences. What could be a common misunderstanding grows and reveals the limits and inﬂuence of

Peppa Pig S10

parents in raising children. A modern

Peppa is a lovable, cheeky little piggy who lives with her

series about where lack of dialogue

little brother George, Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig. Peppa’s

can lead people. Length: 12x45 mins

favourite things include playing games, dressing up, days out

Globo Contact: Fabio Fernandes

and jumping in muddy puddles. Her adventures always end

Mauro, fabio.fmauro@g.globo

happily with loud snorts and laughter. Length: 52x5 mins Hasbro Entertainment Contact: Nuno.I@ap.hasbro.com

contentasia december 2023

atfprogrammingpicks

Baby Animals: The Top 10 Standing out from the crowd is tough, especially in the animal kingdom. With an estimated 8.7 million species vying for attention, the multitude of contenders must go above and beyond to make it onto top 10 lists. But there is one group that has an unfair advantage: baby animals. Baby Animals: The Top 10 celebrates the youngest wonders of the animal kingdom and is must-watch viewing for all who love nature. Length: Season 1: 6x50 HD PBS International Contact: Anna Alvord, agalvord@pbs.org

Into The Congo With Ben Fogle A documentary series that follows renowned

Beguinas – Beguines

adventurer Ben Fogle as he embarks on his most

1559. Lucía de Avellaneda celebrates

extreme journey to date – exploring the length

her engagement party with the Mar-

and breadth of the Republic of the Congo.

quis of Peñarrosa, a nobleman chosen

There he encounters elusive

by her brother. This marriage promises

wildlife, lives alongside

to strengthen the family’s financial and

indigenous tribes, and

social status, but during the festivities, the fiancée receives an unexpected

unravels the myths

letter from a woman who claims to

Entitled (Les petits rois)

and mysteries of a

be her mother and who claims her

Entitled is the story of two snotty, ar-

treacherous, yet

on her deathbed. Lucia goes to the

rogant best friends who rule their high

magnificent land.

Beguinage, where her mother has

school and think nothing of indulging

Length: 3x60 mins

summoned her. There, she lived up

their every vanity-driven impulses at

Passion Distribution

independently and outside the Church

others’ expense. That is, until the day a

with other women. The young woman

collateral victim of their egotism decides to

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play anonymous avenger. Length: 6x43 mins

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make her question everything she has

Zone3 Contact: Mélanie Ratté, mratte@zone3.ca

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known up to now. Length: 10x50 mins

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Sam and Julia – The Mouse Mansion

employed as cleaning staff at a city office building, an abrupt

The story is about Sam and Julia, two little mouse kids, who get to know each other in “The Mouse Mansion”. Together they experience a lot of adventures. Length: 78x7 mins ZDF Studios GmbH Contact: Jan-Frederik Maul, junior@zdf-studios.com

agency dismissal pushes

Cracké Family Scramble The excitement is hatching in this 3D animated slapstick non-dialogue series based on original shorts. Fun antics and over-the-top adventures with overprotective first-time daddy ostrich Ed as he scrambles to keep control over his household. New to parenting and on his own with eight kids,

them to take matters into their own hands. Working together, they offer their services at a low cost to their former workplace,

Ed tries to be the best dad he can and luckily, his

astonishingly landing

unlimited cartoon powers and ingenious creativity

the contract. Balancing

more than compensate for his lack of experience,

their personal ambitions, power

as he successfully manages to turn every family

struggles and quest for survival, they embark

activity into an unexpected adventure while con-

on a journey of self-discovery while seizing

tending with his annoying neighbours, the crows,

control of their destinies. Length: 10x30 mins

who are hell-bent on ruffling his feathers! Length:

Dori Media Contact: Haikal Jamari

52x7 mins CAKE Contact: Julien Farçat, jfarcat@

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contentasia december 2023

Watch trailers now on www.contentasia.tv/screenings

Samber Late 1980s in Northern France, women are being sexually assaulted along the same road by the Samber river – with attacks taking place early mornings and in a similar style. The police fail to get to grips with the extent of these assaults or make a connection between the cases. The justice system is overwhelmed by the accumulating cases. It will take 30 years

Vegesaurs An era dominated by the juiciest and crunchiest creatures ever to rule the planet: the mighty Vegesaurs. Each episode follows Ginger, the young Tricarrotops and the baby Pea-Rexes on adventures, that lean into relatable themes for upper pre-schoolers, like mealtimes, sharing or friendship. Length: 40x5 mins (new Season 2), 20x5 mins (Season 3 in production for summer 2024) Studio 100 Media

to catch a man, who never stops attacking women and is responsible for at least 54 cases of rape or sexual assault. Samber is a thriller

Alice & Jack Alice & Jack is a love story for the ages. When Alice (Andrea Riseborough) and Jack (Domhnall Gleeson) ﬁrst meet they’re bound by a connection so powerful it seems nothing can break it, but will their path lead them to a place of happiness and togetherness? Or will life and their own emotional complexities get in the way? Honest, intimate and surprisingly funny, the series shows love in all its unexpected, technicolour, kaleidoscopic beauty. Created and written

that recounts the progression of the in-

by award-winning writer

vestigation, and its repercussions

and ﬁlm director, Vic-

from the 80s through to 2018 and

tor Levin (Mad Men,

the beginning of the #metoo

Mad About You),

era. Length: 6x52 mins

starring Academy

Federation Studios

Award-nominated

Contact: Sarah Zarka,

actress and producer

sarah.zarka@fedent.com

Andrea Riseborough

Contact: distribution@studio100media.com

(To Leslie, Birdman) alongside actor, director and screenwriter, Domhnall Gleeson (Brooklyn, The Revenant) Length: 6x60 mins Fremantle Contact: Haryaty Rahman, haryaty.rahman@fremantle.com, Kit Yow, kit.yow@fremantle.com

Hidden Frontiers Arabia with Reza Pakravan On his new premium adventure series, Hidden Frontiers Arabia with Reza Pakravan, the awardwinning explorer and filmmaker ventures into unchartered and often dangerous territory to unlock the secrets of the mighty Arabian Peninsula. It’s an extreme trek to a world rarely seen by humans. Length: 6x60 mins Cineflix Rights Contact: Chris Bluett, cbluett@cineflix.com

The Traitors A global format phenomenon commissioned

Deceit As a former boxer turned seaman, Victor Lualhati knows how to overcome obstacles and persevere through tough times. But when he discovers a message to his wife Juliana from an unknown man, he’s faced with a challenge he never saw coming.The deeper he digs and the more he discovers about the wife he thought he knew, he is forced to confront his own demons and shortcomings, questioning his worth as a husband and a man. Length: approx 40x 45-60minutes, premium 20 x 45-60minutes ABS-CBN CORPORATION Contact: Maria Wincess Joy R. Lee, wincess_lee@abs-cbn.com

in 25 territories, where treachery and deceit are the name of the game. Contestants come together in an atmospheric location– to complete a series of challenges with the objective of earning a cash prize. The catch? A number of the contestants are chosen to be “The Traitors” and meet in secret to devise a plan to eliminate their fellow players called “The Faithful”. The Faithful must ﬁgure out who is a Traitor and vote them out so they can take the prize money for themselves. If a Traitor makes it to the end, they are in with a chance of taking home the cash prize. Length: 60 mins All3Media Contact: Sabrina Duguet sabrina.duguet@all3media.com

atfprogrammingpicks

Buddy Games Host Josh Duhamel invites six teams of best buddies to face off in a series of outrageously reimagined summer camp games based on his decades-long “Buddy Games” competition and tradition with his own childhood friends. Over the course of the series, these teams of forever friends will bunk together while strategically plotting against each other for a lifechanging prize of $200,000 and bragging rights as the ﬁrst ever Buddy Games Champions. Length: 8x60 mins Banijay Rights Contact: Rashmi Bajpai, rashmi.bajpai@banijayrights.com, Pertash Koul pertash.koul@banijayrights.com

Until I Kill You

digital

The story of Delia Balmer, who survived

The digital revolution has advanced into

horrifying violence at the hands of a man

many areas of our lives. In many ways, our

who should never have been free to com-

lives are enriched and made easier, either

mit his heinous crimes. When Delia meets

with more accessible information and re-

John Sweeney, she has no idea he is a killer,

sources or with tech taking on monotonous

but eventually his darker side is revealed,

or dangerous jobs. However, these technolo-

confessing to murdering his former girl-

gies also harbour risks. Many everyday inter-

friend. Sweeney is arrested, but released on bail after the court fails to recognise how dangerous he really is, subjecting Delia to a near-fatal attack. She survives, but Sweeney disappears. When Sweeney is ﬁnally arrested years later, she is forced to face him all over again in court. Length: 4x60 mins ITV Studios Contact: Francesca Froud, francesca.froud@Itv.com

Tuzak Tuzak tells the story of three siblings – Mahir, Umut and Umay – whose springs of life are taken from them. Who is bad, who is real, who is fake? In such a mixed-up world, the three ﬁnd out that they don’t have the bond they thought they had. On the other hand, siblings Ceren, Güven and Mete all believe that their father’s approval and their comfortable lives are more important

actions require us to divulge a huge amount of personal information, which is used by unknown entities to bombard us with news, marketing and political messages. The question remains: Who – or what – are the better decision-makers? Humans or machines? Length: 20x30 mins (includes 7 new episodes) DW Contact: MeeFung Lee, meefung.lee@pikﬁlm.com.my

than each other. As Umut takes revenge on the family he hates, he goes through his biggest conﬂict thanks to Ceren, the girl he believes to be the love of his life. Ceren doesn’t know the real identity and purpose of Umut, whom she knows as a dirty lawyer Çınar Yılmaz. She will entrust her family’s and her own future to this man with whom she falls in love. Length: 82x45 mins Inter Medya Contact: Pelin Koray, pelin.koray@intermedya.tv

Pip and Posy

BARBIE – A Touch of Magic

With 52 brand new episodes packed with

Barbie and Barbie discover a mysterious baby horse on the

warmth and comedy, Pip and Posy are

beach in Malibu and work to ﬁnd out where their new four-

best friends whose lives revolve around a

legged friend came from. The little horse begins fulﬁlling

wonderful world of play. The series is a joy-

the most amazing fantasies and they realise she is actually

ful celebration of their great friendship, its

a baby Pegasus! While they try to ﬁnd out how to get little

laughter and games, its ups and downs.

Peggy home, Barbie and Barbie, with the help of their friends

Length: 104x7 mins Magic Light Pictures

and Malibu’s sisters, have to protect her from Rocki the Glyph,

Contact: Muriel Thomas, muriel@magi-

a fantastical creature who followed Peggy in hopes that she will

clightpictures.com / distributionintern@

grant the biggest wish of all – giving Rocki her own wings. Length:

magiclightpictures.com

26x22mins Mattel Inc. Contact: Grace Chan, grace.chan@mattel.com

contentasia december 2023

Watch trailers now on www.contentasia.tv/screenings

TAICCA At ATF 2023, TAICCA’s Taiwan Pavilion will present 252 completed titles and projects from 100 Taiwanese film and TV companies to international buyers. Visit D12 & D18 at ATF from Dec 6-8. The full Lineup of titles at the Taiwan Pavilion is at https://bit.ly/3MEwgqP

The Bagman When convicted prisoner and former Governor, Benjo Malaya, learns the tragic news about his missing family, he is left with no choice but to return to the vicious world of crime, politics and corruption. He takes on a mission

The Great Wall with Ash Dykes

as a Bag-

As one of the Seven Wonders of the World,

man, for no

the Great Wall of China has been explored,

less than the

studied, and documented countless times.

sitting Presi-

But with its ever-changing terrain, rich

dent of the

culture and fascinating history, there’s so

Republic of the

much left to be discovered! Join us for an awe-inspiring six-part series as explorer and adventurer Ash Dykes embarks on his greatest journey yet – discovering the Great Wall of China by traversing six distinct landscapes and uncovering the wondrous secrets of this majestic wonder. Length: 6x60 mins Bomanbridge Media Contact: Gleyce Soares, gleyce@bomanbridge.tv

Philippines, to stop

Kissed by the Rain / ในวันที่ฝนพร่างพราย Plaifon works as a social worker for children and women. She meets Mavin and his mother who are on the run from an

impending civil unrest. Length: 8x60 mins ABS-CBN, Nathan Studios, Rein Entertainment, Dreamscape Entertainment Contact: gary@marenziassociates.com

abusive father and hope to find shelter at the foundation where Plaifon works. When his mother suddenly dies, Mavin’s world comes apart at the seams, and Plaifon is the only support in his life. Plaifon knows that love can give and take everything from a person, leaving a long trail of regret. She decides to leave Mavin to avoid the unwanted mistake. Will their paths cross again? Can they ever let go of their past? Length: 17x70 mins BEC World Public Company Limited Contact: inter-sales@becworld.com

BPM Ecstasy

Marriage Exposed Marriage in modern days may have many different looks. In

TaiwanPlus and ARTE have collaborated

Taipei, the lives of three couples searching for love intertwine

to present the four-part docu-series, BPM

in a journey with an unknown ending. Xiaoyue and Dong-

Ecstasy. This series explores the link between

kai, a seemingly perfect couple, lead a bland and tedious

Taipei and Beijing’s techno music scenes

life after years of marriage. In an attempt to salvage their

post-Covid lockdowns. Featuring two re-

relationship, they decide to try something that might be

markable female artists, SUNK and tamiX in

too adventurous for others. Xinqiao and Ziyan, a couple with

Beijing and the return of Elvis.T (HWA) to Tai-

contrasting lifestyles, rushes into marriage shortly after they start

pei after a 12-year stint in Beijing, where he

dating. Before they can find their way together, they are thrown

gained recognition as a top DJ. The series

off balance by an unexpected surprise. Yiting and Guanyu, a young

captures the rediscovery of shared crea-

couple struggling to make a living in the city, still hold on to the beautiful idea of marriage.

tive energy between the two cities. Length:

When they accept an opportunity that could support them financially, they are unaware of

4x20 mins Taiwan Plus Contact: David Kao,

the price that comes along with it. Length: 10x45 mins Screenworks Asia

david.kao@taiwanplus.com

Contact: Haylie Chung, hayliechung@screenworksasia.com

atfprogrammingpicks

Watch trailers now on www.contentasia.tv/screenings

Golden Girls JYP, a major player in the K-pop industry, is teaming up with KBS to bring forth a new K-pop group. Comprised of four Korean female vocalists who already have numerous hits, the group involves legends who excel both in skill and reputation. These divas are reborn under the production of JYP. Golden Girls ushers the group into a new musical genre, reﬂecting on the past 60 years of their lives as artists through challenges that surpass their own abilities. Length: 12x80 mins KBS Media Contact: steven@kbsmedia.co.kr

Wedding Fighters A large-scale couples survival programme

The Escape of the Seven

featuring engaged couples who ﬁght to win

Seven people miraculously survive an

their wedding budget! In an era where mar-

island disaster that claimed the lives of 25

riage rates are plummeting, 10 audacious

people. All winners of a “Jeju Island trip

couples gather to ﬁght for the chance to

with a top star” competition, they seem

walk away with the US$290K needed for their

to have no connection other than being

happily ever after! The soon-to-be newlyweds

fans of the top star. In fact,

live in a jail-like camp over 10 days, ﬁghting against other couples in missions that test

they are all deeply involved in one

them mentally, physically and emotionally.

Alumni Lovers

Which couple will successfully demonstrate

“Could a childhood friend become a

“Myeong-Ju

their trust and love for one another by push-

lover?” Memories of our school days, a

Girls’ High

ing through the extreme and ultimately win

time ﬁlled with youthful freshness that

School

the $290K? Length: 9x75 mins CJ ENM Co., Ltd.

everyone has. “Could we become lovers

Bang-Uri

Contact: sy.lee37@cj.net

if we meet again?” In an era where school

Incident”.

incident – the

reunions have faded away, eight men and

The seven

women who shared the same period of their

survivors of

STILL ALIVE

lives gather at an alumni gathering as singles!

STILL ALIVE is a reality game show where

A dating reality show with the concept of a

become the protag-

10 participants are invited to a mansion,

school reunion, which will reminisce about

onists of a terrifying scenario planned by a

and if they survive until the end, they win a

the ‘us’ from that time through the memo-

mysterious ﬁgure. What is the truth about

big prize. The only rule for survival is simple:

ries we all share and go beyond the past in

the past incident? Length: 17x70 mins

“Never do what the death rule says.” Each

search of a love that connects to the present.

SBS Contents Hub

round has a death rule; if someone doesn’t

Length: 12x100 mins MBC (Munhwa Broadcast-

Contact: nhkim@sbs.co.kr

know the death rule and follows it, he will die

ing Corp.) Contact: mini941115@mbc.co.kr

this catastrophe

(elimination) immediately. The twist is no one knows what the death rule is. Only those who ﬁgure it out can survive until the end. Who will

Doctor Cha

win in the end? Length: 2x60 mins

Having left her medical career after her son

Something Special Contact: Praise Chanmi

is involved in a car accident, 46-year old

Shin, praise.shin@sspecial.co.kr

Cha never once regrets her choice to be a housewife. Everything changes when she receives a devastating diagnosis of acute liver failure. With her family unwilling to step forward as liver donors, Cha miraculously receives a liver transplant from a brain-dead donor. After this life-changing experience, Cha resolves to live life on her own terms, so she passes the medical licensing exam and begins her journey as a ﬁrst-year resident at the hospital where her son, husband, and even her husband’s mistress are employed. Length: 16x70 mins SLL (SLL JoongAng Co., Ltd) Contact: Hyejin PARK, park.hyejin2@sll.co.kr

contentasia december 2023

datastreaming

Taiwan: growth & high hopes Netﬂix is the runaway SVOD leader in Taiwan, new research from Media Partners Asia (MPA) shows.

Share of SVOD Subscriptions (Q3 2023) Total: 5.8 mil. Share of SVOD Subscriptions (Q3 2023) Total: 5.8 mil.

Others 13%

Netflix 21%

iQIYI Taiwan 6% Hami Video 7% Disney+ 17%

FriDay 9% MyVideo 9%

November 1, 2023

Source: AMPD Research. Note: The Online Video in Taiwan report leverages MPA’s consumer insights platform, AMPD Research, to track online videoPREMIUM viewership trends TAIWAN’S VODacross CATEGORY T VOD services on mobile devices.

DISNEY LEAD GROWTH IN SUBS & ENG

Growth and engagement in Taiwan’s streaming environment is being

Source: AMPD Research

described as “robust” and expectations are high that 2024 will herald

Asian categories, led by Chinese and Korean dramas, commanded § Taiwan posted robust premium V

2023, adding 315,000 net new 85% of premium VOD viewership, the report shows.

a new production environment driven by government funding, interna-

subscriptions. This is consistent with Netﬂix’s published rankings, which show lively

tional alliances and the hunt to foster an Asian storytelling environment

engagement with acquired titles, many of which air on local platforms

that will, one day, grow up to be like Korea. At the moment though,

and/or broadcast/cable networks in Taiwan. the category with 38% of total su

About This Report & Methodology

there’s no denying the dominance of the domestic SVOD market by global streaming platforms.

The country, with a population of about 23.5 million, hit 5.8 million

Disney+ and Netflix account for o

TV titles that led Taiwan’s top 10 for the 13 weeks covered in Q3 this

§ season Premium VOD platforms mainta year were Celebrity (Korea); Jujutsu Kaisen two (Japan); Mirror

YouTube leads with 67% of viewe 4 points in share of total online v

Fiction’s Port of Lies (Taiwan); Mask Girl (Korea); and TVBS’ local drama,

Living (Taiwan), which airedproprietary across multiple platforms The This report, entitled Online Video in Taiwan leverages MPA’s AMPDin Taiwan. Research eight-episode Port of Lies, made originally§for Asian free-TV public broadcast categories, led by Chin Platform to evaluate consumer behavior and usage patterns across VOD media services in premium VOD viewership. network PTS, also aired on streaming platform Viu, which doesn’t have Asia (MPA). In second place, with a 17% share, was Disney+, giving the The80% report includes analysis of 14in unique OTT video platforms focusing a presence Taiwan. two aTaiwan. total 38% share. of the 315,000 net new SVOD subs and for theprofiles (SINGAPORE, November 1, 2023) Taiw Living’s popularity on Netflix carries over intodaily Taiwan’s Top 10spent, for Q4, quarter to the two streaming platforms, MPA’s Online Videousers, in onwent paying subscribers, monthly active streaming minutes, average time engagement growth in Q3 2023 to reach 5. where the 12-episode acquired drama topped the list for the first three Taiwan report says. Local platforms, led by FriDay, MyVideo and Hami, viewer profiles and demographics. The platforms are YouTube, Netflix, Disney+, iQIYI Taiwan, from Media Partners Asia (MPA). The O weeks of the current quarter, only toppled by Korean blockbuster Dootrailed with single digits, with a group of smaller niche platforms lumped consumer insights platform AMPD Resear FriDay, MyVideo, KKTV, LiTV, Line TV, Catchplay+, Hami Video, Gt TV, WeTV Yahoo TV. na!, which held onto the country’s #1 spot for twoand weeks. together as no-name “others” making up 13%. key VOD services on mobile devices. this issue went split, to print, and Netflix Taiwan original, Atby the Moment, TheTitle-level report found that premium VOD engagementcountry and subscriptions analysis, including of origin As and genre viewership age and which premiered on 10 Nov, was theThe country’s top title, and on the VOD enga were up 6% quarter-on-quarter in Q3 2023, with the premium VOD catreport found that premium gender demographics are provided for Disney+, Netflix and iQIYI. top 10 in two other markets – Hong Kong and Singapore (week of 13egory capturing 20% of total time spent on online video. SVOD subs at the end of September 2023, with Netflix’s 21% share putting it in the lead for the third quarter, according to Media Partners

While YouTube remained well ahead with 67% of total online video

2023, with the premium VOD category ca

19 Nov). There are also high hopes for the return of Copycat Killer for with 67% o YouTube maintains leadership

a second season in 2024. For Netﬂix’sdown Taiwan originals, which trail 3 TV points as TikTok The AMPD Vision® platform uses a permission-based panel of consumers who consent to(12% theof viewersh attention lavished on larger markets 18%, like Korea, India, it’s aLine TV, Ne 15% Japan and 9%and respectively, collection of their session-based activity. The positive data reported is anonymized and conforms to each growing 2-4 points in share Q/Q. sign. video streaming for the quarter. YouTube was down 3 points. data privacy legislation in Taiwan. streaming in Taiwan, TikTok added 4 points in share of total online video streaming in Q3, ending September with a 12% share of total online

Netflix and contentasia Disney, with a combined 38% december 2023 otherwise fragmented SVOD landscape w under 10% subscriber market share. Comm

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