COVER STORY What’s next for content in 2021? By Monina Eugenio
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elevision Asia Plus interviewed six media executives on the content trends for 2021 and the strategies they’re implementing in terms of local production and acquisitions. While 2020 may have been a challenging year for the industry, these interviews show that not only has the industry been able to adapt to the current circumstances brought on by the pandemic, but there is something to look forward to from these companies in 2021.
International Studio BBC Studios Ryan Shiotani, Senior Vice President and General Manager, South and Southeast Asia, BBC Studios watch more of our talent-led travel and adventure content on BBC Earth presented by Joanna Lumley, Ben Fogle, and Simon Reeve.
The COVID pandemic accelerated the trend of audiences wanting access to more content whenever and wherever they want it.
British drama continued to grow in appeal in Asia in 2020 and home-bound viewers avidly sought out the latest series to binge-watch. BBC First, our premium British drama SVOD service, saw record viewing figures for the edgy award-winning thriller Killing Eve S3 in April.
We’ve seen an increase in viewership in 2020 on our BBC Player which features ondemand content from all of our brands.
Audiences also sought out more comforting and familiar fare such as Grantchester and The Mallorca Files.
On content trends of 2020 vs. 2021
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he COVID crisis resulted in an increase in television viewing all over the world.
We expect that to continue in 2021, helped by the launch of new set-top boxes by our affiliate partners that provide a frictionless viewing experience. Content strategy for 2021:
CBeebies, aimed at preschoolers aged six years and under, provides a consistently safe environment for children to learn through play.
There is a demand for distinctive world-class content, that informs, educates, and entertains, which the BBC is known and love for.
The content mix includes new favourites such as Hey Duggee and classics like Thomas and Friends which educate and entertain young audiences.
In 2021, you will see new landmark natural history titles on BBC Earth such as A Perfect Planet, narrated by Sir David Attenborough.
We saw increased viewership for CBeebies on-demand content on our multigenre BBC Player Asia, particularly in the months of April, May, and June.
On BBC First, 2021 will see the launch of The Watch, a new high-concept drama series inspired by the characters of Sir Terry Pratchett’s “Discworld” novels. Taking bold British creativity to the region will continue to be at the heart of what we do.
On our branded services in Asia, the demand for our distinctive, world-class content remained strong overall and we did see increased viewership for certain genres that reflected the fact that we were home-bound. On BBC Lifestyle, programs like The Great British Bake Off and Your Home Made Perfect performed well as more people took up activities like baking and home improvement during lockdown. As we are largely unable to travel, audiences
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December 2020 television asia plus
Viewers can expect several new shows from BBC in 2021, such as A Perfect Planet (L) narrated by Sir David Attenborough on BBC Earth; and The Watch (R), which is based on Sir Terry Pratchett’s ‘Discworld’ novels on BBC First.
