Vietnam and Thailand run neck and neck as Asia’s top formats countries by volume. But overall, the number of formats on air/commissioned in Q1 2018 is down on last year. At the same time, high-value drama formats are way up, led by Japan, Korea and China.

Vietnam continues to lead Asia’s formats market by number of titles, although Thailand is catching up, tying with Vietnam for the market with the largest number of formats on air, in production or commissioned for broadcast in 2018/9 during Q1 2018. Vietnam and Thailand each had 36 titles. China was second, with 26 titles (14%) followed by Cambodia with 17 titles (9%). According to ContentAsia’s latest Formats Outlook, the top three markets – Vietnam, Thailand and China – make up 52% (98) of the total 189 titles.

Overall though, the first three months of 2018 were less robust than the same quarter last year. Total titles dropped by 19 (9%) from last year’s 208. Vietnam had eight fewer titles this year than last. Indonesia and the Philippines also dropped.

Big-brand regional formats were largely MIA for the first quarter, although Singapore’s first MasterChef sizzled briefly, lit up social media for two minutes for seeming to favour Chinese speaking audiences and discriminating against everyone else, before fizzling out for reasons that backers, including rights holder Endemol Shine, agency Motion Content Group, and broadcaster Mediacorp had not, at press time, disclosed. We don’t think it has gone away, it’s just a lot more difficult to keep things together when chants of racism are being hurled about. The other big-brand titles on our radar are a third season of Asia’s Got Talent and possibly The Amazing Race Asia season 6 at Sony Pictures Television Networks Asia, and Asia’s Next Top Model season six at FOX Networks Group. Nothing on the record about any of them at press time.

Perhaps the best news is that drama/scripted formats are on the rise, driven this year so far by Japan, China and Korea. In the first of its kind for Japanese drama, Ryota Kosawa’s script for Fuji TV comedy series, The Confidence Man, has been sold to both Korea and China before the Japanese version even airs. All three versions are in production. The Japanese version premieres on 9 April.

The two-way traffic between Japan and Korea continues with Fuji TV’s adaptation of Korean drama, Signal, which begins airing in April. In Korea, CJ E&M has picked up scripted format rights to Nippon TV’s Mother for cable channel tvN. At the same time, South Korea’s MBC is remaking BBC drama Luther; CJ E&M’s Studio Dragon is adapting Mistresses, and a local version of retro detective series, Life on Mars, is in the works.

Teeny-tiny Singapore is also happily basking in China’s attention. In the latest deal, two Singapore dramas – The Little Nonya (2008) and The Awakening (1984) – are in the works from China’s Perfect World Pictures.

The Korean adaptation of Japan’s Fuji TV drama, “Rich Man, Poor Woman”, starts shooting in Seoul in February, with a planned April premiere on Korean cable television channel Dramax.

The 16-episode Japanese drama, the first co-production between Japan’s Fuji TV and Korea’s iHQ, stars Suho (EXO, “The Universe’s Star”, “Prime Minister and I”) and Ha Yeon-soo (“Drinking Solo”, “Legendary Witches”) and is directed by Min Do-sik (“Jungle Fish 2”, “Billy Jean Look At Me”).

The original Japanese series ran from July to September 2012 in Fuji TV’s Monday 9pm prime-time drama slot.

Fuji TV’s First Class and Second to Last Love has been on our radar since 2017 with not much details but now has been planned for broadcast in late 2018.

Japan’s TV Asahi brings 31 Legged Race to China for CCTV14 while in Thailand, the series was renewed for season 13 on Channel 9 MCOT, 18 March.

They did a test broadcast for the first episode of 31 Legged Race in China on 20 December 2017 before airing the remaining nine from 15 January 2018. The series brings 30 elementary school children to run a 50-meter race with their legs tied together and the fastest team wins.

Travelling to India is BBC Worldwide’s The Office and Criminal Justice; Bomanbridge introduces DNA in Telugu for ETV and renews seasons six and seven for Zee Tamizh. Other renewals include a second season of Chef in Your Ear Mongolia for NTV Channel and second season of Sing My Song Vietnam for VTV3.

Warner Bros’ “Little Big Shots” in the Philippines renews with season two, where season one ruled ABS-CBN’s weekend schedule in January. The first season of the local version, which premiered in August last year, hit national TV ratings of 25.4% on the Saturday before Christmas, dropping to second spot on Christmas Eve behind long-running fantasy drama “Wansapanataym”, but still coming in at 20.9%. 10 episodes of the Indonesian version went on air last year and 10 more will be produced.

The Bachelor series enters Vietnam, premiering in July on HTV7. The season two of the Japanese version will premiere on Amazon Prime Video, 25 May. Cold Case Japan will be renewed for a second season for Wowow, planned for Q4 this year, season one ended in 2016.

Singapore’s monopoly broadcaster Mediacorp has sold IP rights to Perfect World Pictures for a remake of The Little Nyonya planned for 2019 and The Awakening plannned for 2020 (more on page 30).

New for Endemol Shine Group, MasterChef Bangladesh, Family Food Fight China, Perfect On Paper Thailand, The Big Music Quiz Vietnam, Identity Vietnam and Singer Takes It All Vietnam. Renewals are The Face All Stars Thailand season four, Odd One In Vietnam season five and Big Brother Phillippines returns with 157 episodes in season eight. Season seven of the series was the longest season where it ran from 11 July 2016 to 25 March 2017.

Renewals across genres around the region is led by Lip Sync Battle season three on GMA Network’s Channel 7 and season three of I Can See Your Voice in the Philippines; Nippon TV’s season five of Pharaoh! China; TV Asahi’s season three of Turn Back and season four of Noisy Neighbours in Vietnam for HTV7; and Armoza’s season two of I Can Do That! in the Philippines.

On the digital side, we’re loving Viu’s activity in India and, particularly, the bold bet being taken on CBS Studios’ format, Hollywood Squares.

Keshet, meanwhile, is making even more inroads in India, with a local version of Rising Star for Viacom18’s Colors TV, which is also making ​Top Model India for Colors Infinity. In Vietnam, Keshet is bringing 22 episodes of Masters of Dance and 12 episodes of Lovers or Liars. Also renewing Rising Star Indonesia for season three in Q4 2018.

​Published in Issue One of ContentAsia's inprint+online 2018 (4 April 2018)