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Asia's rights environment has shifted in a big way this year
03 November 2014
3 November 2014: Asia's regional general entertainment channels are slugging it out for pole position in Southeast Asia's measured markets, with bigger-than-ever bets being made on new and returning seasons of series, the biggest-ever play for day-and-date (or at the very least the shortest window possible) releases, and probably the most significant commitment to original programming in the region's multichannel history.Asia telecasts as close as possible to U.S./U.K. releases are becoming a hygiene factor. High-demand dramas from markets such as Hong Kong and Korea are also part of this play. For one, platforms don't want stuff that's done the rounds on pirate or other platforms. Also, buzz about hot new shows goes global in a nanosecond and there's value in maximising the attention.While the additional costs of delivering content so soon after domestic telecasts are an issue, clearly many think it's worth the additional layout, and their ratings performance against rivals in the space bear them out.Logistics challenges – including language customisation and censorship – are being resolved by, for example, U.S. studios reworking domestic delivery dates to accommodate demand for day-and-date releases in international markets.All the major entertainment players are headed in the same direction, some even with specific "express" branded banners for their day-and-date initiatives. Many of the new seasons went out in Asia very quickly this year, including Scorpion and The X Factor (RTL CBS Entertainment), Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (FOX), Gotham (WarnerTV), The Voice and The Blacklist (AXN), Scandal (Star World), Resurrection (Lifetime), Downton Abbey (Diva) and I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here (ITV Choice).And, of course, there's Fox International Channels' global release of The Walking Dead in October. The premiere of season five broke ratings records ac...
3 November 2014: Asia's regional general entertainment channels are slugging it out for pole position in Southeast Asia's measured markets, with bigger-than-ever bets being made on new and returning seasons of series, the biggest-ever play for day-and-date (or at the very least the shortest window possible) releases, and probably the most significant commitment to original programming in the region's multichannel history.Asia telecasts as close as possible to U.S./U.K. releases are becoming a hygiene factor. High-demand dramas from markets such as Hong Kong and Korea are also part of this play. For one, platforms don't want stuff that's done the rounds on pirate or other platforms. Also, buzz about hot new shows goes global in a nanosecond and there's value in maximising the attention.While the additional costs of delivering content so soon after domestic telecasts are an issue, clearly many think it's worth the additional layout, and their ratings performance against rivals in the space bear them out.Logistics challenges – including language customisation and censorship – are being resolved by, for example, U.S. studios reworking domestic delivery dates to accommodate demand for day-and-date releases in international markets.All the major entertainment players are headed in the same direction, some even with specific "express" branded banners for their day-and-date initiatives. Many of the new seasons went out in Asia very quickly this year, including Scorpion and The X Factor (RTL CBS Entertainment), Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (FOX), Gotham (WarnerTV), The Voice and The Blacklist (AXN), Scandal (Star World), Resurrection (Lifetime), Downton Abbey (Diva) and I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here (ITV Choice).And, of course, there's Fox International Channels' global release of The Walking Dead in October. The premiere of season five broke ratings records across Asia, outperforming the season four premiere by 57% in the Philippines, by 32% in Singapore and by 95% among all people 4+ in Taiwan.Shorter windows are not the sole preserve of high-end studio content. Earlier this year, Malaysian platform Astro added simultaneous releases for drama from Hong Kong’s Television Broadcasts Ltd (TVB). TVB's new period drama, Ghost Dragon of Cold Mountain, was the first title to be offered, followed by modern thriller Black Heart White Soul. The titles premiered in Malaysia at the same time as their debuts on Hong Kong's leading free-TV channel TVB Jade."Whilst this move is no silver bullet to combat piracy, it's an on-going effort on our part to protect intellectual property, industry, jobs and revenue," HBO Asia chief executive, Jonathan Spink, said earlier this year when HBO Asia said it would be squeezing Asia release windows for HBO and Cinemax Originals – including The Knick and Olive Kitteridge – to less than 24 hours after U.S. airdates.Olive Kitteridge, starring Frances McDormand (Fargo) and Richard Jenkins (Six Feet Under), premieres in Asia on 3 November, a day after the U.S. Parts one and two of the four-part miniseries premiere back to back, followed on 4 November by the final two parts. All four parts will be released on HBO On Demand from Monday, November 10."By offering viewers legitimate content in a timely and more convenient manner, we hope to be able to continue to encourage viewers to support the fight against online piracy," Spink said.Early windows are but one of the ways the industry in Asia has changed this year. The ground is also shifting under the region's licensing/syndication environment elsewhere as well, reworking relationships and reshaping channel competition.Old output deals are/have broken apart, letting in new buyers and allowing former partners, to some extent, to cherry pick titles they know will work.It's not something studios or buyers shout about from the rooftops, but the end of the Disney-Fox International Channels (FIC) output deal was obvious when Sony Pictures Television launched its new Sony Channel in Asia with first and exclusive rights to How to Get Away With Murder.The output deal was clearly replaced by some sort of package arrangement, and FIC remains a significant buyer of Disney television series. New titles on FIC channels include the season two premiere of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in Asia 12 hours after the U.S on 24 September. The show won Fox the night in Singapore against western general entertainment services during primetime (6pm-midnight) among males and females aged 15 49. Fox's line up also includes Criminal Minds season nine.With the FIC/Disney rights arrangement now obvious, attention has turned to the new relationship between NBCUniversal distribution and the Universal channels group in Asia. Speculation has been rife that the long term output deal dating back to another time, another age and a whole different attitude was wending its way to a merry end.And then came October's re-org, which puts Justin Che in charge of both the channels and the programme licensing businesses in Asia as managing director, NBCUniversal International Television Asia Pacific. All eyes are now on how Che balances the needs of both to the best advantage of each.The official line from NBCUniversal International Television Distribution and Universal Networks International president, Belinda Menendez, is that the consolidated structure "aligns with NBCUniversal's overall strategy to integrate our portfolio of television assets in a more holistic way in key growth markets".Another influence on Asia's evolving regional entertainment environment is rising competition from factual player A+E Networks Asia, which has shifted into the entertainment space in a much bigger way, with shows such as The Bible, by Roma Downey and Mark Burnett for History Channel in the U.S., and local competition series Photo Face-Off. The premiere of five-part mini-series The Bible, made History the top channel across both factual entertainment and general entertainment channels in Singapore between 10pm and midnight on 8 October, beating general entertainment market leaders AXN, WarnerTV and Fox. The premiere rated 0.98% among viewers 15+ in subscription TV households, making it 2014’s top show so far across all of Singapore's factual entertainment channels during prime time (source: Kantar Media Singapore). The Bible was also the number one show among factual entertainment channels in Thailand for the time slot (source: Neilsen Thailand). The Bible is not aired on History in Malaysia.A new factor is A+E Studios International, which launched at Mipcom in Cannes in October. The new structure means that A+E Networks Asia is, for the first time, trimming third-party acquisition of A+E titles and buying directly from the year-old A+E Studios and its new international unit. "Our channels will buy from us. They have access to the best ideas and content, which is key," said Sean Cohan, A+E Networks’ executive vice president, international. Cohan added that in a past life, "some of our own channels sometimes didn't have the ability to get in line for some of our content". In the new world, "our best content will end up on our channels".