Brought to you by FILMART
Sinister Beings, TVBI Company Limited
FILMART countdown Five months to go until Asia’s annual FILMART content expo, and organisers are ready to showcase the best Hong Kong has to offer, and say they are expecting demand from streamers to continue to drive business on the market floor.
Once a year, Hong Kong plays host to a programming celebration, un-
seen
der the FILMART banner, which draws the content industry from around
sumption
the world to the home of iconic Chinese series ranging from Chow Yun
with
Fat’s 1980 class The Bund and Journey to the West with Dicky Cheung as
board rise in demand
monkey king Shuen Ng-hung to last year’s top-rating dramas, Forensic, Air-
for rights. At the same
port Strikers and Death by Zero.
time,
Always at the centre of the activities, along with increasingly confident mainland Chinese producers and an ever expanding roster of players
nomic
in-home an
soar
conalong
across-the-
unstable
eco-
realities
have
depressed budgets.
from Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia, the Special Administrative Re-
This is consistent with
gion’s broadcast crown jewel – Television Broadcasts Ltd (TVB) – lays on
FILMART Online’s report
its characteristic feast of drama, variety and documentary programming
for the 2021 four-day
during the four-day event.
virtual event held in
For all that has changed as a result of the pandemic, support for
March. FILMART Online,
FILMART remains strong, says TVB, a long-term exhibitor that successfully
organised by the Hong
migrated its participation to FILMART Online.
Kong Trade Develop-
At the top of the agenda are drama, variety and the quest for co-
ment Council (HKTDC),
production partnerships. “As usual, TVB will focus on promoting drama
reported an increase
and variety production and seek opportunities for co-production deals
in the number of buy-
with all overseas investors and new media platforms,” says Sherman
ers from OTT/streaming
Lee, controller, international business for TVB’s international division,
platforms, including As-
TVBI Company Limited (TVBI).
tro from Malaysia, Dis-
With operations in more than 200 countries and regions, TVBI’s focus
ney, India’s MX Player
nevertheless continues to be expanding its business domain, which cov-
and South Korea’s Wat-
ers streaming service, TVB Anywhere; linear TV channels and programme
cha along with regional and global streamers such as mainland Chinese
licensing; mainland China business; pay-TV operations; and international
global streamer iQiyi, Netflix, Viu and Taiwan’s Catchplay+.
advertising and promotion.
FILMART Online 2021 closed with about 8,000 participants from 81 coun-
TVBI, which also participates as a buyer at FILMART, will be shopping for
tries and regions. Close to 2,600 business matching meetings were held, pro-
western movies, documentaries, drama from mainland China and Thai-
viding a platform for release and promotion of 2,100+ film and television
land, and game show formats for its global/local streaming services, MyTV
productions to potential buyers from around the world. 677 exhibitors from
Super and TVB Anywhere. Essentially, “any content with high production
46 countries and regions participated.
value and suitable for a family audience,” Lee says. In common with the rest of the industry, TVBI has in the past 18 months
• The 26th FILMART will be held on 14 to 17 March 2022.
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