EDITOR'S NOTE: May the best model win...
2008/9's economic crisis was unquestionably the biggest show on earth. Is it over? Depends on who you talk to about which market, particularly in Asia, which by all accounts wasn't nearly as hard hit as the U.S. Except Korea, perhaps, where exchange rate woes sucked the life out of a market many distributors had their biggest dollar numbers against.  More

IN QUOTES: The single most important influence on Asia's TV industry in the next 12 months will be...
"The ability to create and transmit content nimbly across multiple geographies will increasingly drive success on both traditional and emerging media platforms." Shawn Galey Managing Director, Commercial Affairs Bloomberg Television Asia Pacific  More

BUSINESS: Roll on 2010...
Media industry sentiment in Asia is more optimistic than it has been in the past 12 months. But it’s not about 2009. All eyes are now on 2010, widely expected to be a major improvement on this year. And 2011 looks like it is going to be even better, industry leaders say.  More

NEWS CORP: Questions time
News Corp’s dramatic rework of its Asian operations should be complete by June 2010. ContentAsia looks at some of the questions that are being asked – and might be answered – in the next nine months.  More

DISTRIBUTION: It’s the economy... for now
No one needs to be told that the economic downturn has had a brutal impact on programming fortunes. At the same time though, distributors say a little bit of flexibility goes a long long way, and that long-term there are other issues that will have a much bigger influence on the way business is done in Asia.  More

NEW LEADERS: Rise & Shine
Asia’s television landscape has changed dramatically in the past year, and it’s not only because of the global financial crisis or because News Corp killed Star as we knew it. There is also a whole lot of new faces – and familiar faces in new roles – in the driving seat. ContentAsia looks at who Asia’s newest leaders are, how they think and what they would most like to achieve.  More

INDIA: Colors coded
Viacom’s new-ish joint-venture Hindi general entertainment channel, Colors, has done the almost-impossible in India. Chief executive Rajesh Kamat talks about 3D strategies, two-point plans and how he is on track to taking a business from zero to profitable in two years in what may well be Asia’s craziest market.  More

KIDS FOCUS: Small wonders
The children’s programming space in Asia has been as hard hit as any other this year. But, like almost everywhere else, there’s high optimism for 2010 as budgets open up, kids’ channels grow, and multimedia platforms expand.  More

KIDS FOCUS: Squareds and roundabouts
Veteran kids’ content creator, Andy Heyward, has sat back, looked around, and figured out that the next space he can feel the most good about is full and rich and a total experience – and that’s just for him. The added value for kids is that this all-round-all-the-time entertainment is coupled with solid life lessons from icons in their fields.  More

KIDS SCHEDULE: Kids prime time
Prime-time content for kids in Asia is overwhelmingly animated, across various genres and age groups. But there’s also a bit of live action, a smattering of movies, a rare bit of drama, and a small nod given to art, music and dance. The biggest changes in the past two years have been in the number of regional kids channels, pay-TV operators’ appetite for content targetting young audiences and their families, and the small but growing push for locally made content on regional services.  More

KIDS FOCUS: Small spaces, big action
Asia has more kids content on air right now than any time in the history of television in the region. Paul Robinson, managing director of relative newcomer KidsCo, speaks about tough environments, new opportunities and a slow steady push into local production.  More

KIDS FOCUS: China connections
Nickelodeon is riding the mainland Chinese animation boom for the first time to push connections with audiences in Asia. That’s in addition to Tiao Zhan Xiao Yong Shi, the first Chinese remake of kids’ format Guts!  More

PRICES: Price guide
Not surprisingly, programming prices in Asia this year came under some serious pressure. But if lower budgets and delayed acquisitions characterised 2009, indications are that volume rather than rates may have been the biggest loser in many markets.  More