ContentAsia September 2022

SEPTEMBER AUGUST 2022 2021

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Independents’ Day: Indie production deep dive in Southeast Asia

Formats Outlook: Up, Up & ....

Rise of the billionaires The origin stories of the tech titans who shaped the modern world All3Media International 72 Films

@all3media_int all3mediainternational.com

Ellana Lee on 25 years with CNN

The History Channel Limited Documentary Series The American Presidency with Bill Clinton The toughest presidential decisions that shaped America New series Fridays, 2 September 9pm (SIN.HK) History

contents...

what’s inside... interview

CNN’s Ellana Lee celebrates her 25th anniversary at the global news network this year. Vanita Kohli-Khandekar spoke to her about the milestone, a career journey that started in 1997 with hand-scrolling the teleprompter

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for news anchors, and using her position for the greater good.

Independents’ day For some of Southeast Asia’s independent producers, life has never seemed better. Others, not so much. We contacted 100 indies in six countries to talk about hopes, challenges, talent, budgets...

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Value driven: Countdown to Korea’s ACE

We can talk to adults about how bad slavery is, but kids are the ones who will go into C-Suites...

I believe we can have that conversation at a younger age and make a difference.”

Digital transformation and the expansion of content value takes centre stage at this year’s Asia Content & Entertainment (ACE) Fair and content developer conference in Gwangju in September.

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Brought to you by ACE Abhay, Zee

Ellana Lee, SVP CNN International, Managing Editor Asia Pacific, & Global Head of Features Content

page 6

Downstairs Season 3, Robot Playground Media

Duda and Dada, Eyexcream Studio

This Land is Mine, Weiyu Films

Formats Outlook 2022 The beginning of a recovery is creeping across Asia’s format business, with a rise of about 30% in the number of formats on air or commissioned in the first six months of 2022, ContentAsia’s latest Formats Outlook shows.

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contentasia september 2022

The Spend Total video content investment in India, Korea and Southeast Asia is forecast to rise 15% in 2022 to US$12 billion, Media Partners Asia (MPA) says.

Take Me Out Thailand S17, BEC World / Ch3

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editor’snote

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Editorial Director Janine Stein janine@contentasia.tv Assistant Editor Malena Amzah malena@contentasia.tv Events Manager CJ Yong cj@contentasia.tv ContentAsia Marketing & Awards Heather Berger heather@contentasia.tv Design Rae Yong Research Rhealyn Rigodon iyah@contentasia.tv Social Media Emma Tziporah

What a Drama Think back... when last did your heart sink? I mean really sink. Anticipation dashed. Expectation lying on the ground, melting into the sand. Or the asphalt. Your eyes see something sad. Your heart feels the pain, it takes a minute to sink in, and then your brain acknowledges that today is not your day for the ice-cream experience you thought you were going to have.

When we were looking for one image that characterised the state of the video industry, it wasn’t shattered glass. Or an open-mouthed scream. Or the rain-splattered rear view mirror at dusk that stuck. It was the trauma of a fallen, melting ice-cream.

And with that choice, we launched into prep for this year’s ContentAsia Summit. What we eventually did with our melting-ice-cream video is at www.contentasiasummit.com, so you’ll see there is a happy ending. But it doesn’t take away from the heartwrenching disappointing moment of the drop, what follows and then what could/should/needs to happen to make it all right again.

Do you try to scoop up what you can? Lick the cone for the drips that didn’t drop? Beg your mother/father/ caregiver for another one? Stand there in tears wishing the clock would turn back? Look ahead, acknowledge the things you can do nothing about, commit to what you can achieve and being better at it than you were before, and just get on with it? Your choice entirely. Whichever way you look at it though, there’s drama.

This year’s ContentAsia Summit theme – What a Drama! – is built upon what has happened in Asia’s premium video industry, with a focus on what’s happening

Associate Publisher (Americas, Europe) and VP, International Business Development Leah Gordon leah@contentasia.tv Sales and Marketing (Asia) Masliana Masron mas@contentasia.tv

now and what happens next, and an even bigger focus on the creation, production, distribution and presentation of content generating major excitement along with a look at the elements involved in wrapping all this video entertainment into the best customer experiences ever. We’re looking at heroes and villains, obstacles and ways around them, conflicts and resolutions...

There’s a strong focus on that segment of the industry with hands on the product, with choosing what gets shot where and why they might choose, for instance, one location over another; with people who fall in love with a script and move heaven and earth to bring it to life; with creators who are moving the needle and are willing to talk about it to a community of their peers.

There’s also the third annual ContentAsia Awards on Friday, 26 Aug – the first time we’re hosting anything on-ground alongside the live

What is ContentAsia?

ContentAsia is an Asia-based information resource that refines today’s info-deluge into usable, digestible, and reliable intelligence about entertainment content creation, funding, financing, licensing, distribution, design and branding and technology across the Asia-Pacific region.

ContentAsia’s range of products include electronic, print and online publications.

streamed event. As this magazine went to press, the last of the votes were being counted from a record number of entries and a stellar group of judges. There were some outright winners, some breathtakingly close, some surprises, and an overwhelming sense that the quality of premium content out of Asia has come a long way.

And that is the best way we know to unmelt this ice-cream.

To receive your regular free copy of ContentAsia, please email contentasia@contentasia.tv Copyright 2022 Pencil Media Pte Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

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contentasia september 2022

TV5 Monde The best of French content Anytime. Anywhere. Subtitled in seven languages.

Contact us at

Beyond the headlines CNN’s Ellana Lee celebrates her 25th anniversary at the global news network this year. Vanita Kohli-Khandekar spoke to her about the milestone, a career journey that started in 1997 with hand-scrolling the teleprompter for news anchors, and using her position for the greater good.

It’s a Wednesday in August 2022. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has become the most senior U.S. official to visit Taiwan in 25 years. China is livid, and launches military drills around the island. Taiwan scrambles fighter jets in response. CNN is running with headlines like “Pelosi lands in Taiwan amid high tensions with China”. Elsewhere in the region, ASEAN leaders warn generals in Myanmar not to hang any more political prisoners... or else; Japan, Australia, the U.S. and others join annual military combat exercises in Indonesia to support a free-and-open Indo-Pacific; and Covid has largely dropped into the background as a headline grabber, except perhaps, in Hong Kong, which is clinging to an unpopular hotel quarantine.

Against this regular day-in-the-life-of-a-newsroom scenario, “25 is just a number,” says Ellana Lee, CNN’s Asia Pacific managing editor, SVP CNN International and global head of features content, as she celebrates a milestone anniversary at the news network.

Over the past quarter century, Lee has become the face of CNN in Asia, leading regional and global initiatives out of the news network’s Hong Kong HQ, where she has been based since 2001.

ContentAsia’s Woman of the Year in 2018, Lee is a founding member of CNN’s International Diversity Council, sits on the board of the Young Global Leaders Foundation, and backs environmental, human rights and other causes via initiatives such as CNN Earth Day and the CNN Freedom Project.

Lee says her evolution as a journalist over all these years ran alongside a personal journey. “Up to a point, I did what I was taught,” she says. In time, “thanks to my bosses and colleagues, I found myself in a position where I could create an identity and influence”.

Her involvement in the CNN Freedom Project, a movement developed by her one-time boss Tony Maddox to fight modern slavery, is part of that journey. The project produces original reports, articles and documentaries on human trafficking in all its forms – from debt bondage in India to sex trafficking rings in Southern California and African slaves in the Sinai desert.

Since its launch in 2011, the project, has generated more than 1,000 investigative stories of modern-day slavery across five continents and is among CNN International’s most successful programming initiatives.

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Ellana Lee, SVP CNN International, Managing Editor Asia Pacific, & Global Head of Features Content

contentasia september 2022

The Voice Generations Love island Rat in the Kitchen Celebrity Catchpoint ITV Studios

itvstudios.com

“If we really want to make a difference we must go from awareness to action,” Lee says, adding that the most effective action involves the next generation. “We can talk to adults about how bad slavery is, but these kids are ones that will go into C-Suites and will decide to pay X money for factory A or B. Factory B may be more expensive but it is going to have proper procedures, make sure they don’t use young girls in the factories. And I believe we can have that conversation with them at a younger age and make a difference.”

How would you describe the past 25 years? “Twenty five is just a number. It seems like we were kids when we had just started, I can’t believe how far and how fast we have come. When I started from New York and came to Hong Kong, I had no intention of staying here for this long. But as a journalist you want to be where the news is. Every time there was an opportunity to go back to the Western world, something was happening here.”

What’s your view of the current state of journalism... “As an intern I started off by photocopying and then scrolling the teleprompter by hand for anchors. It was the most nerve-wracking job on the planet because you had to keep pace with the speed at which the anchor was talking [or] you got yelled at or the producer would give you the eye. That is the world I came from. Everything from there onwards has

We can talk to adults about how bad slavery is, but kids are the ones who will go into C-Suites and will decide to pay X money for factory A or B. Factory B may be more expensive but it is going to have proper procedures, make sure they don’t use young girls. And I believe we can have that conversation at a younger age and make a difference.”

Ellana Lee, SVP CNN International, Managing Editor Asia Pacific, & Global Head of Features Content

been an improvement. Whether I look at journalism or the technology.

There are ups and downs, we have faced the Googles and algorithms of the world. But you are not a journalist because you have a phone and can type. It is a craft that needs you to give context to the events

decided to hand in my resignation. My boss convinced me to move to

of the world. And we have been under attack. The business side

Hong Kong for two years and then come to New York. That is what I did.

of journalism is exceptionally pressured. You need to be able to be

Thankfully there were angels who didn’t quit on me, even though I had.”

profitable to spend the kind of money we do. When there is a natural

“The second one was the (2017) special report on North Korea. The

disaster, a war, we have to be there. It is not a cheap business and we

amount of work, emotional energy it involved... We had an amazing

are able to be profitable because of the quality of journalism. It is not

team, which went inside and met North Koreans. If you are outside of

the other way around. Those who embrace change and move forward

North Korea, you only see it in the context of the political rhetoric. When

will survive and those who don’t, won’t. I am part of an organisation

you are inside, you can step away from the rhetoric and see the citizens.

that is constantly pushing forward. We may not always make the right

The most important thing for them is the protection of the family, children.

decisions, but we are always moving forward, that is what CNN is.”

As an Asian, female, journalist, working for a western company my main

Journalism is under threat in various parts of the world... and one of the things that allays that threat is good owners... what role do you think CNN plays in a world like this? “CNN has a history of over 40 years.

It all goes back to purpose. (Ted) Turner created this company for a purpose. Why should you wait till 6pm for news, why not have it for 24

job is to contextualise the outside world. You realise the country is on sanctions, not the people.

“The third is not a pivotal moment, but a big role I play is supporting reporters and producers who cover the region. I enjoy building this team.”

What changes do you think journalism has seen because of digital and

hours. He found there was an audience for that. Then it went global

how has that changed you? “I don’t think of myself as TV Ellana and

because he realised that news can criss-cross borders. That came

the digital Ellana. There was a major story that did change that for me

from a trip he made to Cuba and found they were pirating the signal

and that was the Sichuan earthquake (2008). We all found out about

and watching news from the U.S. It is ingrained that media plays an

the Sichuan earthquake not from the newspapers, TV or government an-

important role in countries that have that foundation and respect for

nouncement. We found it on a small platform we had never heard of,

journalism... but it is not always not smooth sailing. Colleagues in the U.S.

called Twitter. That is when I felt the digital world. We were the first web-

felt the difference physically in the Trump years. They were not welcome

site on earth, no one has our reach. At a moment in time we saw digital

in some regions.”

as competition and then realised this isn’t either/or. For us as a cable

Your three big professional epiphanies... “The first was when I was

organisation this is another step in our evolution. I took on the global fea-

burnt out four years into CNN. I was young, dedicated and singularly

tures unit three years ago and we did some huge restructuring. It is now

focused in the United States. At some point my father went through a

one organisation that is truly multiplatform. We had to go through years

health scare and I was 16 hours away from my family in South Korea.

of training. You realise that the specialities that make you a top-notch

CNN offered me a three-month sabbatical. It helped me unplug

journalist don’t change, but the platform helps you connect to different

from the intensity of work and I was able to see the landscape. And I

types of audiences and engage with them.”

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contentasia september 2022

2 Good 2 be true Light Romance Approx 70 eps x 45 mins Love in 40 Days Fantasy, Romance Approx 40 eps x 45 mins ABS-CBN

Screenings C

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The Mole, Bomanbridge Media

Twist of Fate, Kanal D International

New Gold Mountain, All3Media International

Undercover, JTBC Studios

ABC News 7.30, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)

www.contentasia.tv/screenings

Voice In The Rain, Viu

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The Last Wildlife – Anan, Wangpeng & Me, HONG PICTURES

Wife on Duty, JKN Global Media

Be included, contact: Leah at leah@contentasia.tv (Americas and Europe) Masliana at mas@contentasia.tv (Asia, Australia and Middle East) CJ Yong at cj@contentasia.tv (Taiwan and China) www.contentasia.tv

contentasia

Kalel, 15, Cignal Entertainment

Brought to you by Gwangju ACE Fair

Value driven: Countdown to Korea’s ACE Digital transformation and the expansion of content value takes centre stage at this year’s Asia Content & Entertainment (ACE) Fair and content developer conference in Gwangju in September, highlighting vital topof-mind issues driving sweeping change across all industry sectors.

The fair, which takes place from 22-25 September, is the largest scale physical event for the content industry in Korea this year. The second Content Developer Conference (CDC) runs for two days – 22 and 23 September – alongside the fair.

More than 120 overseas buyers are participating in the four-day event, including 50 who will be participating in-person, courtesy of the Korean government’s decision to lower restrictions on foreign visitors.

This will be the most largest scale physical fair on the content industry, in Korea this year.

Among the event highlights is a networking party involving Korean government officials along with key Korean and international companies across a range of verticals, including entertainment, education, animation and games.

See following pages for details of companies attending.

Contact os@acefair.or.kr for more inquiries.

The 2nd CDC (Content Developer Conference) Running alongside activities on the first two days of the fair is the second Content Developer Conference (CDC), which features a series of discussions ranging from OTT and Metaverse to NFTs and Monetization.

The conference theme this year is “The evolution of digital platforms and the future of content”.

The keynote speech and OTT session will be held on 22 September, followed by a delegates’ networking party.

Metaverse, NFT and Monetization sessions will be held on 23 September.

Companies involve in the CDC conference include Microsoft and Unity Technologies for the Metaverse session; streaming platform Wavve, about global expansion strategy of K-content for the OTT session; investment management Beeblock, on Web 3.0 for the NFT session; and marketing/communications agency The SMC Group, for the Monetization session.

The first CDC, held online+on-ground in September last year, featured a keynote by Meta (Facebook), with strong involvement from Korean government bodies and leading brands, such as Samsung, Kia and Nexon.

Find out more about this conference on www.acefair.or.kr.

Contact acecdc@acefair.or.kr for more inquiries.

contentasia september 2022

11

Presenting the companies you ABHAY

Daekyo (Broadcasting)

Zee (Broadcasting)

TAICCA (Content Agency)

Founded in 1975, Daekyo is an all-round

Zee Content Sales is the licensing and syn-

Taiwan

Creative

Content

Agency

educational company that has grown

dication arm of Zee Entertainment Enter-

(TAICCA), established in June 2019

into the nation’s best educational and

prises Limited (ZEEL) and currently houses

and supervised by the Ministry of Cul-

cultural

has

one of the largest libraries of creative and

ture, is a professional intermediary or-

emerged as a frontrunner in the field of

broadcasting entertainment content in

ganisation that promotes the devel-

education.

the world. Top titles include:

opment of Taiwan’s content industries.

service

enterprise

and

TAICCA supports various cultural con-

Daekyo cherishes the value “Love of Noonnoppi”, which is Korean for “eye

ABHAY

tent industries in Taiwan, including film

level”, representing learner-oriented ed-

Episodes/length: 8 x 40 mins

and television, pop music, publishing,

ucational methods.

Seasons available: 3

ACG, and fashion, artworks and cul-

Genre: Thriller

tural technologies.

Daekyo has been steadily growing its media business as part of its vision for the

Inspired by true crime stories, this series

future.

revolves around Abhay Pratap Singh, a

munication

gutsy cop who can outwit any criminal.

and emerging technologies in Taiwan,

Operating channels for children such

With advanced information and comtechnology

infrastructure

TAICCA manages National Develop-

as Daekyo Kids TV, Daekyo Nori Q and Pocket TV, Daekyo sources and cre-

Never kiss your best Friend

ment Fund to develop intellectual prop-

ates educational but entertaining pro-

Episodes/length: 8 x 40 mins

erty (IP), incubate culture technologies,

grammes.

Seasons available: 2

and facilitate startups.

Believing in growth through play, Dae-

Genre: Drama

Among the delegates led by Taic-

kyo’s originals are designed to help chil-

Tanie, a best-selling writer, frequently finds

ca, is animation production company

dren develop awareness, social skills,

herself caught between friendship & love.

Shaogao. Shaogao creates a series of animated shorts featuring the life ad-

body and emotion, all of which are essential for growth.

Karenjit Kaur

ventures of the hilariously funny Shao

Episodes/length: 10 x 23 mins

Gao and his ever lovable but some-

media commerce, theatrical distribution

Genre: Drama/biopic

times too high maintenance girlfriend

as well as licensing and toy business with

The sensational journey of India’s most

Babe. The Shaogao team loves to tell

excellent internal/external intellectual

googled star, Karenjit Kaur aka Sunny

stories and what better way to tell them

properties.

Leone.

then through animations!

In addition, the company is involved in

12

contentasia september 2022

Brought to you by Gwangju ACE Fair

can meet at ACE Fair 2022!

Duda and Dada, Eyexcream Studio

Real Fishing Battle

Maro Studio (Animation)

Eyescream Studio (Animation)

JcurvEnt (Game)

Entering the animation business in 2008,

JcurvEnt is a specialised mobile game

Eyescream Studio was established as a

Maro Studio won the Presidential Award

developer that prides itself on fast ex-

TV CF and Exhibition film CGI service pro-

(animation category) at the Korea Con-

ecution and a team of developers with

vider in 2006. Since 2010, the studio has

tent Awards in 2010. Based on 15 years

long experience.

been developing its own animation.

of technology development and anima-

A major project in the works is “Real

The first animated property, Detective

tion production know-how, Maro Studio

Fishing Battle”, a real-tiime 1:1 battle

Arki, won Best Technology Award in 2011

secured its own AI-utilised patented

fishing game, based on realistic high-

SPP Competition.

technology and carried out AI projects

quality graphics, intended for the glob-

produced

using virtual characters with leading

al market.

Duda and Dada, an animated TV series

companies in Korea, including the de-

with EBS, the top Korean broadcasting

velopment and production of Espa Vir-

station for children. Duda and Dada pre-

tual Character.

The

studio

subsequently

miered on EBS in December 2013 and achieved top ratings/audience share.

In the global market, Duda and Dada

Maro Studio is now expanding its business through VR/AR/XR production suitable for the metaverse era.

has been distributed to China, France

Among its animation projects over

and Russia as well as Latin America. In

the years, the studio produced the first

China, indoor theme park experiences

safety education animation and co-

were developed around the property

planned/produced the world’s first K-

along with specialised cinemas for Duda

Pop animation series, Shining Star, with

and Dada 4D-ride action series.

SM Entertainment.

Eyescream Studio is also putting the

Currently, Maro is continuously producing

finishing touches on its first feature film,

a number of works such as Espa’s Meta-

Duda and Dada The secret of HUHU

verse Worldview Character Series and K-

Island (working title) for distribution

pop Girl Animation by SM Entertainment

within this year. Additional animation

using Mai Al Solution, a patented tech-

projects for new-media platforms are

nology specialising in developing virtual

in pre-production.

contents developed by Maro Studio.

contentasia september 2022

And there’s more!

For enquiries, please contact: acefair.or.kr • ACE Fair 2022 Tel: +82 62-611-2244 Email: os@acefair.or.kr • The 2nd CDC Tel: +82 62-611-2247 Email: acecdc@acefair.or.kr Address 30 Sangmunuriro Seo-gu, Gwangju, 61958 Republic of Korea

13

deepdiveindieproduction

Independents’ day

For some of Southeast Asia’s independent producers, life has never seemed better. Others, not so much. We contacted 100 indies in six countries to talk about hopes, challenges, talent, budgets...

The good news is that more than half of indie producers in Southeast

A bit of context. Average drama production budgets in South-

Asia are looking at Covid through their rear-view mirrors, juggling just as

east Asia are now between US$180,000 to US$300,000 per episode.

many projects as they were in 2019 and early 2020, setting their sights

At the very lowest end, drama is still being produced for US$20,000

on a larger share of global commissions, and celebrating gains (how-

per episode. At the higher end, Indonesia has taken the lead, pri-

ever small) in pushing story-telling boundaries in the region. The rest?

marily because of competition among streaming/OTT platforms.

Not so much.

That said, the same independent producers we spoke to ahead of

Variety/entertainment shows are being produced in Southeast Asia for up to US$80,000-US$100,000 per episode.

this year’s ContentAsia Summit have one common and overwhelm-

Money being spent on TV series in Southeast Asia remains well behind

ing concern – budgets – and a shared basket of hopes: to be more

Korea, where US$900,000 per episode is considered low budget. As has

involved in developing shows with international producers and stream-

been widely reported, Squid Game is said to have cost US$21 million

ing platforms; for regulation mandating a local production quota on

to make – about US$2.4 million per episode – a fraction of the reported

streaming services; and to stop being treated like “body shops”.

US$12-million spent on each episode of Stranger Things.

ContentAsia’s survey* of independent producers shows that 48% of

There is no expectation that budgets in Southeast Asia will match

producers feel budgets are still too low for the premium content cre-

anything being signed off in Korea. On the contrary, fears about even

ation task at hand.

smaller budgets and fewer commissions are rife, fuelled by changes

At the same time, asked about what they were most hoping for, only

in the streaming environment and the impact of the economic down-

10% put more time and money for TV series development at the top of

turn on advertising with knock-on pressure on production and acquisi-

their lists, behind greater involvement in the creation and development

tion budgets.

with international streamers and regulations that mandate a percentage of local production on streaming services in their countries.

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33% of respondents say their greatest fear for the rest 2022 is having budget cuts by global streaming platforms and the likelihood of fewer

contentasia september 2022

Other 10%

A shortage of stories in your market 5% Downstairs season 3, Robot Playground Media

Less government support and incentives that are currently available 24%

What do you fear most doing into the second half of 2022 and into 2023?

Budget cuts by global streaming platforms (and possibly fewer commissions) 33%

commissions. 29% say they most fear cuts by local broadcasters impacted by an economic downturn.

At the same time, asked what they are most optimistic about, 38% say they expect the ongoing competition between global streamers will keep demand for local content high, and that will flow down to producers on the ground in Southeast Asia.

TALENT POOLS Talent costs in the region have soared along with demand. 29% of respondents in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines say their biggest challenge is a shortage of production/creative skills in their markets.

Budget cuts by local broadcasters impacted by an economic downturn 29% Source: ContentAsia’s Independent Production 2022 Survey in Southeast Asia

The lack of available skills combined with rising fears about inflation will impact the cost of productions, says Mee Fung Lee, managing director of Kuala Lumpur-based PIK Film, which produces docu series, HER Women in Asia, for Germany’s DW. Against this backdrop, smaller indies and startups are putting their hands up for a chance to show what they’re made of – and sometimes, but not always, getting the attention they would like.

Many indies say their top challenge is persuading platforms and

* Production houses in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand & Vietnam were contacted individually in July 2022 for this survey. Only production houses with no known ownership links to platforms and/or channels

broadcasters to give smaller indies, with fewer years in the game and

were included

and that the environment is more open and flexible than it used to be.

contentasia september 2022

less of a track record, a chance. Others say attitudes have shifted a lot,

15

deepdiveindieproduction

Ervin Han Co-founder, Robot Playground Media

Animation house Robot Playground Media joined the 108 Media (U.K.) stable in July this year, adding a Singapore angle to efforts to build a “fully stocked super indie” focusing on content and IP in emerging markets. Robot’s biggest project this year is season three of adult animated comedy Downstairs, about a bunch of coffeeshop stall owners and their zany adventures.

16

Tan Si En Co-founder, Momo Film Co

Momo Film’s biggest 2022 series is Haunted Lost and Found (w/t, 6x60) for Blue Ant’s T+E network. A co-pro with Beach House Pictures and De Vries Production in Vancouver, the series features first-hand accounts from people who discover items they own are haunted.

2022’s biggest feature is Duong Dieu Linh’s Don’t Cry, Butterfly, about a woman who voodoos her cheating husband back into love.

Sorayuth Sagrikananda Foreign Relations & Format Development Manager, Zense Entertainment, Thailand

Michelle Chang Managing Director, Mocha Chai Laboratories, Singapore

Among Thailand’s most active formats producers, the 12-year-old Zense Entertainment creates its own IP and adapts international titles, including Block Out Thailand, The Money Drop Thailand and singing competition Lookthung Idol S1S5 for BBTV Channel 7.

Original format, Lookthung Idol S1-S5 (80x120 mins) hunts for the best country folk singer. The show is Zense’s biggest production in 2022.

Mocha Chai Laboratories’ (MCL) 2022 highlight is Mandarin-language romcom Venus On Mars (6x60 mins), commissioned by CJ ENM HK, about a female undergrad accidentally transported to a parallel universe, M-Earth, inhabited only by men. The show marks something of a turning point for MCL, best known as a post house. The pivot into content development continues...

Mee Fung Lee Managing Director, PIK Film

PIK Film’s biggest production this year is the 6x15 mins HER series, which portrays the lives of women from all spheres of Asian societies, featuring women from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand and Taiwan. The new season, also for Germany’s international DW channel, covers topics ranging from politics, science, environment to poverty, migrants and sports.

contentasia september 2022

Bigger/better studio/filming facilities 5%

Other…

10%

Greater openness to co-production opportunities with international parties 5%

Retain some IP rights 19%

As an independent producer, what would you most like to see happen?

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT, REBATES & INCENTIVES A small group of indies – 14% – say that one of the challenges is insufficient support

More time/budget for development 10%

and understanding from government agencies in their markets.

This may not be a bad thing, says

Regulation mandating a % local production on domestic streaming services 24%

Lookthung Idol, Zense Entertainment

Regulations enforcing industry standards and transparency 5%

cialist knowledge is being diluted.

“By no fault of theirs, pro-

Greater involvement in content creation and development with international producers/streamers, not just treated as production body-shops 24%

veteran producer, Juan Foo. In Singapore, he says, “government stakeholders are very well-intentioned, providing public service broadcasting grants to support the national broadcaster and new platforms”. This, he adds, trickles down to independent producers, but may, over time,

ducers may be so adept at tightening belts that they seem lost if funding is increased. Productions cannot seem to evolve,” Foo adds.

At the same time, Jerry Koedding, Singapore-based producer and founder of

Wave Films, says he is hoping for “more incentive schemes or grants that help not only arthouse films but also commercially viable feature films get made”.

In Malaysia, optimism and realism see-saw over various film-in-Malay-

“have created an over-reliance on government hand-outs... There is a

sia incentives, with sentiment on the rise for now over the current 35%

strange comfort zone set up and independent production companies

rebate. Insiders say this makes Malaysia the most competitive market in

are caught in a mouse wheel”.

the region from a % rebate perspective.

Another impact – and not necessarily a positive one – is that in adapt-

Government-driven support schemes and incentives have been a

ing to smaller budgets and thin margins and constantly being forced

lifeline for some indies, especially during Covid. Talking about what

to make a little go a very long way, the ability to develop skills and spe-

they most fear, 24% of respondents say a smaller slice of government-

contentasia september 2022

17

deepdiveindieproduction

This Land is Mine, Weiyu Films

Jeevan Nathan Director, Monochromatic Pictures

Singapore-based Monochromatic Pictures’ production credits include period, docu-drama Brothers-in-Arms and Korban, a SingaporeNew Zealand drama about a determined sous-chef, Aisyah, who is at a crossroads after her mother’s death.

Will her signature dish earn her a place at a New Zealand restaurant to be closer to her fiance? Or will she remain in Singapore to reconnect with her estranged father?

18

Lina Tan Founder, Red Communications/Red Films

Malaysian production house Red Communications has been going since 1999, creating a variety of original content and adapting international formats such as Project Runway and Club Mickey Mouse. Red has also produced 12 Malaysian feature films, including Kami, Pisau Cukur and Songlap.

This year’s productions slate includes a show for Malaysian platform, Astro. Details are still under wraps.

Kitikorn Penrote CEO, Heliconia H Group, Thailand

Margie Cabanayan Natividad President and CEO, Red Crane Studios

Heliconia’s latest and biggest-ever project is the 18x80 mins local adaptation of MasterChef Thailand season five. Heliconia, which opened in 2008, was also behind the local remakes of Iron Chef. Both cooking formats aired on Thailand’s largest free-TV broadcast network, BBTV Channel 7. Heliconia also manages programming blocks, acquires international format licenses and sells locally-produced formats and originals to foreign buyers.

Philippines’ Red Crane Studios’ production credits this year include cooking show (for non-cooks), Millenium Cooking (6x20 mins) produced with regional channels operator, KC Global Media for AXN; and Lakwatsika, a coined Tagalog word which means travel and talk, for local platform Cignal TV’s free TV channel.

Lee Thean-jeen Managing Director, Weiyu Films

Singapore-based Weiyu Films’ production credits include historical drama series, This Land is Mine, for domestic broadcast network, Mediacorp.

Set in post-WWII Singapore, the 15-episode 2021 series is based on the book The Devil’s Circle, the third in a series of novels by Singapore’s former Attorney General, Walter Woon.

The stories unfold in the tumultuous “new normal” that is postwar Singapore, against a backdrop of family turmoil, betrayal, courtroom intrigue and struggle for power.

contentasia september 2022

In The Shadows Secrets that scar the soul America/Asia: Phone. +1(305)960 2018 Europe/Africa/Mid East: Phone. +34 910 691291 We Do Better Together Caracol Television

Other 5%

The ongoing competition between global streamers that will keep demand for local content high 38%

Content regulations and censorship that make it difficult to compete regionally/internationally 5%

Increased support from government agencies to enhance local content creation 10%

What are you most optimistic about for the rest of 2022 and 2023?

Not optimistic about local broadcasters or government agencies 5%

Local broadcasters and platforms pushing the boundaries of storytelling in your market and taking more risks 43%

Shortage of production/ creative skills 29%

What is your biggest challenge?

Insufficient production/ content budgets 48%

Not enough government support 14% None of the above 5%

Source: ContentAsia’s Independent Production 2022 Survey in Southeast Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines)

contentasia september 2022

19

deepdiveindieproduction

Pedring Lopez Founder/Director, BlackOps Studios Asia

BlackOps Studios Asia’s biggest production this year is prison action series SellBlock, jointly produced with ABS-CBN International Production and CoProduction, in partnership with Psyops8, Story Arch Pictures U.S. and Hong Kong’s Agog Film Productions. SellBlock, slated to release in 2023, chronicles one of Asia’s biggest drug empires, operating from inside the Philippines’ largest maximum-security prison.

Gayatri Su-Lin Pillai Executive Producer, Infinitus Films

Zainir Aminullah Founder & CEO, Revolution Media

Khim Loh President, AIPRO/MD, The Moving Visuals Co

Headquartered in Hong Kong, Infinitus Films in Malaysia 2022 highlight is 100 mins theatrical feature Don Dukun with Astro Shaw. The comedy film is slated to release in cinemas next year, followed by PPV, pay TV and free TV. Directed

by Waan Hafiz and scripted by Junad M. Noor with Amin Shakib, Don Arif (played by Zul Ariffin) is not your average shaman. As a social media influencer, he is always thinking of new ways to gain popularity.

108 Media’s Malaysiabased Revolution Media is producing an eight-part international action crime series I am Vash, scheduled for delivery next year.

Revolution’s past productions include TV series Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency and The Ghost Bride, as well as theatrical features Tombirou and May The Devil Take You.

Est. in 1998, factual entertainment specialist The Moving Visuals Co has produced over 200 projects and 1,500 episodes of factual and entertainment programming for clients such as History channel, Discovery, Mediacorp, BBC and CCTV. This year’s credits include reality baking competition series show Kek Champion for Mediacorp’s Malay-language channel Suria, and Thriller, for Mediacorp flagship Channel 5.

funded schemes.

In ranking the things they are most optimistic about, 10% say increased support from government agencies that will enhance local content creation.

Iskander Azizuddin Founder/Producer/Director, Feisk Productions

This year, Malaysia’s Feisk Productions is scheduled to release their fifth feature film Ceroboh, about a group of youngsters who get caught in a dystopian world where one of them gets possessed. Est. in 2010, Feisk started from shooting wedding videos and shot its first TV programme Kampung Quest, a reality survival show aired on Unifi TV in 2014. The company started producing short films in 2017 with Temenggor, about a lost tribe.

Which is, in Singapore at least, where local association of independent producers, Aipro, says it is stepping in.

The timing is more critical than ever. “With local audiences now accustomed to content from all over the world, independent producers

What Foo would like to see official bodies do is create more viable so-

in Singapore face the task of matching global standards,” says Aipro

lutions for freelancers. “While freelancing is promoted via the ‘gig econ-

president Khim Loh, who is also the managing director of 24-year old

omy’, systemic problems of project pitching, transparency, copyrights,

Singapore-based production house, The Moving Visuals Co.

and safety processes seem to be prevalent. These need some attention,” he says.

Pointing out the handful of companies producing out of Singapore for global platforms, Loh says a crucial question facing the industry is: “Can (more) Singaporean producers create content and consistently to inter-

REGULATIONS Only 5% of respondents say their challenges include content regulations and censorship that make it difficult to compete regionally/internationally.

With full acknowledgement that censorship is a tough-to-say-theleast battle to fight, hopes centre around regulation that will establish local content quotas so that domestic industries can participate in the streaming boom.

What indies may care about, but are not necessarily prioritising right now, is allocating resources to push for regulations that will enforce in-

national acclaim?”

Some say no, citing multiple reasons. Aipro doesn’t agree, listing all the ways it is promoting co-production opportunities with international parties, and says it is in constant dialogue with all stakeholders to upsize skills development and to promote industry growth.

“With realistic timelines and realistic budgets, local companies can then increase the standard of productions and help Singapore gain a stronger foothold in the international marketplace,” Loh says.

Always a thorny issue, rights ownership and regulations that mandate a

dustry standards and practises. They’re not saying they don’t want stan-

stake be given to local creators, may also be a battle indies are leaving

dards, just that on the list of things that need to be done, this particular

for another day. Only 19% of respondents put the ability to retain some or

fight is not something they want to take on alone.

all of their rights at the top of their wish lists.

20

contentasia september 2022

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deepdiveindieproduction

LOCAL VS REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL Regional and international platforms, led by streamers, are scooping up a sizeable share of Asia’s production output, but only a few respondents say more than 80% of their 2022 projects are solely for regional and/or international platforms. 33% say that 100% of their 2022 content is produced for regional Asia and/ or international platforms. Another 33% say more than 80% of their projects produced this year is for their domestic markets. 19% say their 2022 output will be split evenly between local markets and regional Asia/ Gozde Zehnder Executive Producer/Director, Freestate Productions

Gil Kahn Founder/Executive Producer, Aasia Productions

international platforms.

CO-PRODUCTION The co-production environment in Southeast Asia is

Singapore-based Freestate Productions has been producing content, mostly factual, since 2000. The latest projects include When We Age, a four-parter for Channel NewsAsia. The series examines the issues and attitudes surrounding ageing in Asia.

Good Game Asia, an esports reality show, was released in June 2022 on Warner TV. The 10-parter features 15 gaming stars competing in a series of challenges for a cash and other prize, and the right to be crowned Asia’s top gaming content superstar.

also split almost evenly. 52% of respondents are co-producing with partners in Asia/other parts of the world. The rest have no production partnerships on their calendars, and, amid other things on their agenda, don’t seem that concerned about it.

POST-COVID: THE RECOVERY & BEYOND 57% of the indie producers say, with more than a little relief, that their production businesses have returned to pre-Covid levels and that they are back on set, where they belong, in person. Others are still adjusting to the disruption. Regardless, all are counting their learnings and integrating the best remote-working practices

UPSIZED INVOLVEMENT WITH INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS 24% of respondents topped their list of hopes/dreams/wishes with higher involvement in the creation and development of premium TV with international content producers/streamers “and

No 43%

not just as body-shops in productions”.

“Small production houses should be given a chance to participate in producing bigger shows,” says Margie Cabanayan Natividad,

Yes 57%

Is your production business back to where it was before Covid?

president and CEO of Philippines’ Red Crane Studios.

“Credentials of the producers should also be taken into con-

MasterChef Thailand, Heliconia H Group

sideration and not the number of years the producers have been in the company/market,” she adds.

Mocha Chai Laboratories’ (MCL) MD, Michelle Chang, is already riding what she describes as the industry’s burgeoning interest in new ideas and says

into their everyday habits.

“We had a lot of realisations during the pandemic,” says Red Crane Studios’ Natividad, who produced two shows at

MCL’s serious pivot to content production just before Covid is already

the height of pandemic – URL (Usapang Real Life), shot entirely via

bearing fruit.

Zoom, and My Hometown is G.O.A.T, shot during lockdown for AXN

With Venus On Mars almost done, another show greenlit and a few

in partnership with the Philippines’ Department of Tourism. The experi-

more in discussion, Chang talks about forging new partnerships in a

ence, she says, not only kept the team afloat, but stretched skills into

more open creative environment, and says MCL is taking advantage

uncharted territory.

of an environment where “there are no more formulas and templates... especially now as things are a lot more unpredictable”.

22

“The ability to be tech savvy and work remotely during the pandemic has set a new mindset for meetings,” says Revolution Media’s Kuala

contentasia september 2022

Ceroboh, Feisk Productions

More than 80% regional Asia and/or international 14%

More than 80% domestic 33%

100% regional Asia and/or international 33%

How many of your 2022 shows are for your domestic market and how much for regional or international platforms?

50% domestic and 50% regional Asia and/or international 19%

Yes 52%

Are you involved in co-productions in Asia or elsewhere at the moment?

No 48%

Source: ContentAsia’s Independent Production 2022 Survey in Southeast Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines)

laysian animation studio, Inspidea. At the same time, he adds, new people and fresh talent still need proper on-premises training and experience.

Infinitus Films’ executive producer, Gayatri Su-Lin Pillai, agrees.

“The remote working skills we needed during Covid were useful in the area of development, when previously we had to have physical writer’s rooms and discussions, we had to learn to do this online,” she says, adding that VFX discussions are still predominantly online. “Again, though, the preference is still in doing it in person,” she says.

Lumpur-based CEO, Zainir Aminullah, adding that the efficiency of online is now a permanent feature of the company’s routine.

“However it doesn’t take way the dynamics of face to face, especially for long sessions and creative meetings, for example writers room and brainstorms,” he adds.

“Remote working has made my role as a producer a lot more productive,” Mocha Chai Laboratories’ Chang says.

While celebrating the return of in-person interactions, the majority of

Gozde Zehnder, Freestate Productions’ executive producer/director, says Covid-enforced conditions and experience have built high levels of confidence in being able to manage production line disruptions.

“Prior to Covid-19, we had zero skills on how to successfully produce remotely but now I can say we are pretty confident and can do magics as long as we have the right and committed partners,” she says.

Like many others, Heliconia H Group’s CEO, Kitikorn Penrote, loves being back in a physical office. “At the end of the day, he says, “in devel-

respondents say remote processes are here to stay for certain parts of

oping content or creative work, where we need a lot of brainstorming,

the business.

working remotely doesn’t help much”.

“This [remote working] provides an avenue to seek remote workers to fulfill resource shortages,” says Andrew Ooi, managing director of Ma-

contentasia september 2022

23

formatsoutlook

Take Me Out Thailand S17, Channel 3/BEC World

Formats Outlook: 2022 The beginning of a recovery is creeping across Asia’s format business, with a rise of about 30% in the number of formats on air or commissioned in the first six months of 2022 compared to the first half of 2021. But there’s a long way to go to a return to 2017’s high of 285, ContentAsia’s latest Formats Outlook shows.

Asia’s formats industry is way up this year, registering an increase of

Of the 18 countries tracked in the report, Thailand was a distant sec-

more than 30% in the first half of 2022 compared to the same six months

ond, with 18 titles, followed by the Philippines with 17 and Mongolia

last year, according to ContentAsia’s latest Formats Outlook.

with 12. Bangladesh, Myanmar and Taiwan didn’t acquire rights to any

The final report shows 169 adaptations commissioned/under way or on air from January to the end of June 2022. These are overwhelmingly local

formats in the first half of this year.

By genre, game shows continue to top our 1H 2022 formats charts,

adaptations. Less than a handful, including Netflix’s A Time Called You,

with 41 titles across the 18 markets + regional. Game shows have led

a Korean adaptation of a Taiwanese series and Rana Naidu, an Indian

rankings since 2017 (94 in 1H 2017, 73 in 1H 2018, 70 in 1H 2019, 67 in 1H

adaptation of American crime drama Ray Donovan, are intended for a

2020 and 41 in 1H 2021).

wider footprint.

This year’s 169 is up 41 titles (+32%) from the 128 we counted in the

Game shows acquired this year include two seasons of First and Last Thailand by Banijay Rights; Family Feud Philippines and Family Feud Thai-

first six months of 2021, when Covid containment measures were in full

land from Fremantle; and two seasons of 5 Gold Rings Mongolia from

force, putting the brakes on production and stifling decision making.

ITV Studios.

At the same time, the return to the highs of years gone by still a way off. ContentAsia’s Formats Outlook for the first half of 2017 counted 285 formats on air or in production, led by Vietnam with 67, followed by Thailand with 42, China with 39 and India with 26.

The first half of 2022 was led by India and Vietnam with 31 titles each – or about 37% of the total.

24

Drama formats were second by volume with 37 titles, followed by singing-related formats with 32 titles.

Missing from the formats landscape this year were dance-themed formats, which have been slipping from highs of eight in the first six months of 2017. This dropped to four in 1H 2018, and maintained that level in 1H 2019, dipping to three in 1H 2020, and one in 1H 2021.

contentasia september 2022

Mithya, Zee

Liar Malaysia, Astro

Vietnam 18%

Cambodia China 2% 6% Hong Kong 1%

India 18%

Formats by country 1H 2022

IN INDIA...

The heady days of premium drama continue in India producers race to service demand from

Thailand 11%

streaming platforms. Of the 31 titles that showed up for the first six months of this year, 13 were drama, with a marked preference for thrillers and crime stories.

Indonesia 5%

Regional 1%

South Asian global streamer, Zee5, has emerged as a major player in this space. Among the 13 scripted formats out of India, five – Bloody Brothers, based

Japan 4%

Philippines 10%

on British mystery thriller Guilt (BBC Studios); Mithya, the remake of psychological thriller Cheat (All3Media); The Broken News, an adaptation of British series Press (BBC Studios); Duranga – Two Shades of a Lie (adapted from Korea’s Flower of Evil); and Gaalivaana, an Indian adaptation of modern thriller,

Nepal 5%

Malaysia Mongolia 5% Singapore 7% 1%

Sri Lanka 1% Korea 6%

25

formatsoutlook

1H 2022: Asia’s Formats by Genre Gaalivaana, Zee

One Of Us (BBC Studios) – have a regional/international presence on Zee5.

Two drama formats returned for the third time in India - Banijay Rights’ crime thriller Aarya S3 and BBC Studios’ thriller Criminal Justice India S3, which is slated to premiere towards the end of this year. Both titles were commissioned by Disney+ Hotstar.

Reality was also a winner in India in the first half of this year, driven by eight versions of Bigg Boss, the Indian adaptation of Banijay Rights’ Big Brother.

The multiple versions of Bigg Boss on the India list included two seasons of Bigg Boss Hindi (S15/S16 on Viacom18’s Colors), two seasons of Bigg Boss Tamil (S5/S6 on Asianet Star’s Star Vijay) and Bigg Boss Kannada OTT S1, which kicked off on 6 August this year on Viacom18’s GEC Colors Kannada.

The rest of the list for India was made up of movies, game shows, talent and cooking-related formats.

Banijay Rights once again held the lion’s share of India’s formats market with 12 titles.

Last year, Banijay was the biggest formats distributor by volume in India in ContentAsia’s Formats Outlook for FY 2021.

Ranked by distributor, Banijay Rights is followed by Philippines’ ABSCBN and BBC Studios with five titles each.

Aside from ABS-CBN, the India list also included two remakes originated from Asia - Good Doctor India, an adaptation of Korea’s KBS Media

26

Game show

41

24%

Drama

37

22%

Singing

32

19%

Cooking

16

9%

Reality

10

6%

Dating

7

4%

Fashion/beauty

7

4%

Movie

7

4%

Variety show

5

3%

Talent

4

2%

Talkshow

2

1%

Factual

1

1%

169

100%

Total

contentasia september 2022

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Junior MasterChef Indonesia season 3, RCTI/MNC

formatsoutlook

Talent 3%

2013 medical drama, about an autistic man who overcomes bias and

Cooking 10%

Reality 26%

discrimination by utilising his exceptional abilities; and Duranga – Two Shades of a Lie, based on CJ ENM/Studio Dragon Korea’s scripted thriller Flowers of Evil, starring Gulshan Devaiah as Sammit Patel, who changes his identity to hide his scandalous past and then marries a police detective, Ira, played by Drashti Dhami.

Formats by genre in India, 1H 2022 Drama 42%

IN VIETNAM...

Vietnam, which logged about 50 titles a year for the past four years (60 in FY2018, 58 in FY2019, 51 in FY2020, 30 in FY2021, ranking first/second among 18 countries), had 31 titles by June this year.

As has always been the case, Vietnam’s formats environment is

Movie 16%

all about game shows, which made up about half of the titles in the market for the first six months of 2022. These included two seasons of NBCUniversal’s Crush Vietnam (S2/S3), commisioned by VTV3; Workpoint Group’s The Wall Duet Vietnam S2, and Fremantle’s Thank God You’re

Game Show 3%

Here, commisioned/produced by Dong Tay Promotions for VTV3.

Variety show and singing-related formats accounted for 16% each, followed by fashion/beauty with 10%, dating 6%, and drama, movie and singing formats with 1 title each.

Of the 31 titles, at least 15 were aired/commissioned by state-controlled broadcaster Vietnam Television (VTV) and six by Ho Chi Minh

28

City Television (HTV).

Banijay Rights led Vietnam’s formats market by volume with seven titles, followed by NBCUniversal with six and All3Media International and KBS Media with five titles each.

contentasia september 2022

X-Factor Indonesia S3, RCTI/MNC

Singing 6%

Game Show 33%

Talent 6%

Cooking 17%

Formats by genre in Thailand, 1H 2022

Dating 6%

Drama 22% Fashion/ beauty 11%

IN THAILAND...

Similar to Vietnam, game show formats are thriving in Thailand. Out of the 18 titles, the country recorded six game shows in the first half, including TV Asahi’s 31 Legged Race Thailand.

Drama and cooking formats accounted for a total of 39% – or seven titles of the total format counts for Thailand – by the end of June.

Three of the drama formats originated from Korea. They were Switch On (Game Rak Salub Miti), a Thai drama remake of MBC’s W – Two Worlds Apart; School 2013, a youth/coming-of-age format from KBS Media; and Good Doctor, a medical drama also from KBS. In addition to Korea, Thailand also adapted formats from Japan. The list for 1H 2022 included Fuji TV’s cooking competition Iron Chef S11, and TV Asahi’s sports game show 31 Legged Race Thailand, where 30 elementary school children run literally together in a row for 50 meters with their legs tied together.

NBCUniversal and Fremantle had the most formats in Thailand in 1H

1H 2022: Asia’s Formats by Country India

31

18%

Vietnam

31

18%

Thailand

18

11%

Philippines

17

10%

Mongolia

12

7%

China

10

6%

Korea

10

6%

Indonesia

8

5%

Malaysia

8

5%

Nepal

8

5%

Japan

7

4%

Cambodia

3

2%

Sri Lanka

2

1%

Hong Kong

1

1%

Singapore

1

1%

Bangladesh

0

0%

Myanmar

0

0%

Taiwan

0

0%

Regional

2

1%

169

100%

2022, with four titles each.

On average, Thailand commissioned/aired about 45 titles a year for the past four years: 70 in 2018, 51 in 2019, at least 37 in 2020 and 21 in 2021.

Total

Source: Distributors/rights holders, titles/seasons either on air or commissioned by broadcasters or platforms in 18 countries and regional, ContentAsia’s Formats Outlook 1H 2022.

29

formatsoutlook

Piolo Pascual and Lovi Poe in Flower of Evil Philippines, ABS-CBN

Variety Cooking 6% 6% Singing 18%

Reality 6%

Drama 18%

Formats by genre in Philippines, 1H 2022

Fashion/ beauty 6%

PHILIPPINES...

The Philippines ranked fourth of the 18 markets covered for the first half of the year, with 17 titles on air/commissioned.

On average, Philippines commissioned/aired 13 titles a year for the past four years: 14 in 2018, 16 in 2019, at least nine in 2020 and 14 in 2021.

ContentAsia’s latest Formats Outlook 1H 2022 report shows that eight of the 17 formats counted for the first six months of the year were from Banijay Rights (4) and Fremantle (4), giving the two companies a combined market share of

30

MasterChef Indonesia S9, RCTI/MNC

Game Show 41%

47%. MBC Korea, CJ ENM Korea and BBC Studios ac-

counted for two titles each. ITV Studios, Passion Distribution and SBS Korea had one title each.

Besides Vietnam and Thailand, the Philippines’ formats market was also dominated by game show formats.

Game shows accounted for seven titles, followed by singing contests and drama with three titles each, and cooking, fashion/beauty, reality (social experiment) and variety show

contentasia september 2022

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formatsoutlook

Project Runway Thailand, JKN18

Others 11% TV Asahi 2%

Banijay Rig 24%

CJ ENM 3% MBC 5%

Formats by distributor 1H 2022

KBS Media 5%

BBC Studios 7% with one title each.

The list included Drag Race Philippines, the Philippines’ adaptation

NBCUniversal 7%

of Ru Paul’s Drag Race, which premiered on Discovery+ in the Philippines on 17 August this year, with an additional window on premium streamer HBO Go. This is the second adaptation in

The Wall Duet Vietnam, VTV3

Asia after the 2018’s Drag Race Thai-

All3Media International Warner Bros Fremantle 7% Discovery 8% 2% Banijay Rights; and two seasons

land, commissioned/produced by the Thai

of thriller drama The Broken Marriage Vow

Kantana Group.

Philippines S1/2, the local adaptations of BBC Studios’ Doctor Foster.

At least eight of the 17 formats were commissioned by ABS-CBN. These

GMA Network accounted for at least four of the 17 formats – The Wall

included Idol Philippines S2 from Fremantle; Deal or No Deal Philippines

Philippines S2 from Banijay Rights; Family Feud and Battle of the Judges

S7, Minute To Win It Philippines S5, and Big Brother Philippines S10 from

from Fremantle; and Running Man Philippines from SBS Korea.

32

contentasia september 2022

Fuji TV 2%

Cooking 13%

Singing 38%

Cooking 38%

Formats by genre in Indonesia, 1H 2022

Fashion/beauty 13%

Singing 50%

Formats by genre in Malaysia, 1H 2022

Drama 13%

Drama 25%

Game show 13%

Singing 14%

Cooking 14%

ights

V

Factual 14%

Formats by genre in Nepal, 1H 2022

ABS-CBN 3%

Formats by genre in Japan, 1H 2022

Dating 57%

Singing 100%

Source: Distributors/rights holders, titles/seasons either on air or commissioned by broadcasters or platforms in 18 countries and regional, ContentAsia’s Formats Outlook 1H 2022.

ITV Studios 13%

Note: Formats with competition element have been streamlined, for eg. singing competition/cooking competition is now categoried as singing/cooking. Fashion/beauty includes modelling-related formats.

Social experiment titles such as the Big Brother format is now categorised as reality.

1H2022 FORMATS BY DISTRIBUTOR...

The Voice.

Fremantle had 14 (8%) including four each in the Philippines and Thai-

Banijay Rights’ titles dominated our formats count for the first half of 2022. Out of the 169 total, 41 (24%) were from Banijay.

India was Banijay’s strongest formats market, with 12 titles commissioned/ on air, including multiple versions of the Big Brother format in 1H 2022.

Of the 41 Banijay’s formats, 12 were game shows. These included two seasons of Puzzle Masters China and Minute to Win It Philippines S5.

Formats from ITV Studios filled 22 (13%) of the total 169 formats counts.

Most it were singing-related formats, including 13 versions/seasons of

land. These included two seasons of Project Runway Thailand. Season two of the modelling format was greenlit by Thai free-TV broadcaster JKN18 in June this year and production on the new 13-episode season begins in February 2023.

All3Media International accounted for 12 (7%) titles, including five commissioned in Vietnam, three in Mongolia and one in Malaysia – the adaptation of Liar, commissioned by Astro from Malaysian indie, Double Vision, and slated to premiere in November this year.

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datavideo

The Spend

Video content investment in India, Korea & Southeast Asia could be up 15% in 2022 to US$12 billion, a drop from 21% growth in 2021, Media Partners Asia (MPA) says.

Video Content Investment, Measured Markets

Note: Reflects seven markets, including India, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Source: Media Partners Asia

Video content investment across India, Korea and Southeast Asia grew

Korea and India generated particularly strong OTT investment growth,

an estimated 21% in 2021 and is forecast to increase by 15% in 2022 to

while Thailand and Indonesia contributed significantly. Free-to-air

US$12 billion, the latest report from Media Partners Asia (MPA) shows.

ranked third with 25% of the total.

Total industry investment in the seven markets covered surged to US$10.4 billion in 2021, the 2022 edition of Asia Video Content Dynamics, released in August, says.

The report tracks video content consumption, content investment, and production costs across free-to-air (FTA), pay-TV and online video,

India and Korea are expected to drive the bulk of the 15% increase in 2022, “but all markets and all verticals are expected to grow”, MPA says.

Online video will grow the most – by nearly US$700 million – while film will grow the fastest – up nearly 140% as theatres screen fresh movies.

MPA VP, Stephen Laslocky, says profit margins in the independent

all of which generated strong gains, as well as theatrical/film, which

production sector have stabilised at 10% or more across much of the

didn’t fare as well.

region and that the expanding online video sector has been a boon to

The report attributed last year’s surge to operators replenishing their content pipelines after the initial waves of covid depleted programming inventories in 2020.

Korea and India were the largest content investment markets with a combined US$7.4 billion; other markets reached between US$400 million and US$900 million each.

Pay-TV was the largest vertical with 46% of total industry content investment, which “reflects well-developed pay-TV markets in India and Korea”, the report says.

OTT content was the fastest growing vertical, up 83% year on year to become the second largest vertical with 26% of industry investment.

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independent producers.

On his list of improvements the industry needs to make is additional compensation for original concepts, rewards for breakout successes and expanded use of pipeline deals.

“In exchange, producers need to be transparent with production costs. Commissioners need to be willing and able to audit costs,” he says.

Approximately 90% of consumption of premium online video is series, primarily drama, while movies generate about 10% of viewership.

Dramas account for nearly all top titles.

Ex-India, variety consumption is largely driven by acquired Korean programming.

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