Canal+ Myanmar premieres its new original series, "Emerald Heir", on its Zat Lenn Channel this evening (16 June), adding a family story of desire and revenge to a growing slate of originals across its subscription services.

Filmed in Yangon, "Emerald Heir" is about a patriarch and his prized possession – an emerald necklace with the power to grant any wish. As rivalries between those around him escalate, family members and friends discover the terrible price of making wishes come true. 

The 30-episode half-hour original series, produced by Nora Ko ("Sparkle Hearts")/Bonanza Production and directed by Htut Tint Htut (known for zombie series "Toxic"), follows horror/supernatural drama, "The Loom", which premiered in March, and marital drama "Unbreakable Vows" in January. All are wholly funded by Canal+ Myanmar. 

Next up, is "Born to be One", which premieres in September, followed by crime drama "The Lake" in November, and motherhood drama "Saturday Gems", scheduled for January 2026.  

May Wah Lwin, Canal+’s editorial manager in Yangon, says the team chose the "Emerald Heir" story because nothing else like it has been done in Myanmar. “The storyline is unique,” she says. “They’re family but not real family...full of desire, revenge, betrayal...  It has 13 villains. Everyone is a protagonist and everyone is an antagonist. Even this mysterious, very beautiful, valuable emerald necklace is a villainous character,” she says. 

The platform’s original production ambitions are part of Myanmar’s increasingly vibrant and confident video production landscape across platforms.

The streaming environment is also expanding; three new platforms rolled out in Yangon in the past year. “They all need content,” Canal+ veteran, Damiano Malchiodi, who joined the Myanmar operation in 2021 as managing director for channels and content, says, adding that the demand gives rise to a new creative dynamic.   

Although Myanmar’s number of TV series overall dropped last year, domestic platforms still produced 65 series in 2024 (compared to 74 in 2023). Canal+ Myanmar bucked the general industry trend, producing seven of the 65 series, up from six the previous year. Meanwhile, the film industry is booming, with more than 50 features produced in 2024 against about 31 the previous year, according to local industry data. 

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So far, Canal+ Myanmar has produced more than 400 hours of original scripted episodes in seven years. "Emerald Heir" is its 25th series since 2018. 

At Canal+ Myanmar’s HQ in Yangon, the production team is upbeat about their progress, at home as well as in neighbouring Thailand and beyond.  

The platform is planning to air five original series this year, pushing up scale and production values, and five more are on the schedule for 2026 (including the first period costume drama) along with the hunt for a strong franchise property.     

“We are trying to increase our ambition day by day,” Malchiodi says, adding that he expects 2026 to be the company’s biggest original production year yet. 

Malchiodi notes requests for rights from Thailand, which has a significant Burmese population, but also because he believes the latest productions are qualitatively better. “There are no boundaries when the story is strong, when the talent is great,” he says. 

Along with streaming service Viu, which is also part of the Canal+ family, platforms in Vietnam are acquiring Canal+ Myanmar shows, and the series, "Crying Forest", has been picked up in Eastern Europe. Indonesia is also on the distribution radar. 

Malchiodi talks about a tight development process (“when you press the button you have to be 100% ready), as well as a generation of rising stars who understand marketing and are as aware as every other celebrity of social media engagement. 

“We mix the DNA of the cast,” Malchiodi says. 

Among "Emerald Heir’s" cast is one of Myanmar’s top YouTubers and film actor – Nay Htoo Naing – who has never been cast in a TV series before.

Lead actress, Myat KayThi Aung, is best known for her film roles, but she agreed to star in the TV series “because the project was shiny”.

Malchiodi describes her decision as a game changer for the show. “Others in the ecosystem are looking at TV differently,” he says.

Canal+ Myanmar celebrates this agility. As Malchiodi says it’s “part of our mindset”.  – by Janine Stein