HBO Max adds TVING branded hub across Asia Pacific; WBD, CJ ENM promise Korean drama co-production
Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) and CJ ENM have signed a multi-year “strategic partnership” that gives Korean streaming platform TVING a branded hub on HBO Max across Asia Pacific and promises original Korean drama co-production for global distribution.
The number of titles involved has not been disclosed.
The new partnership kicks off on 6 November with the premiere of TVING’s “Dear X” on HBO Max.
The TVING destination launches on HBO Max in 2026, the companies said this morning in an announcement out of Seoul.
The announcement was made by WBD president/CEO, David Zaslav, and CJ Group chairwoman, Miky Lee, with quotes from WBD global streaming and games CEO/president, JB Perrette, and CJ America CEO and CJ ENM president of content, global business, Pious Jung, who described the partnership as “extensive”.
Something Special’s “Unforgettable Duet”, “Hit & Miss Tour” head to India in Karman Unlimited Korean unscripted deal
The first Indian versions of Korean unscripted titles “Unforgettable Duet” and comedy series “Hit & Miss Tour” are in the works in a deal between producer Karman Unlimited and Korean formats agency, Something Special.
The new adaptations were announced by Something Special president and executive producer, Jin Woo Hwang, and Karman Unlimited founder, Sunita Uchil, as MIPCOM drew to a close in Cannes.
“Unforgettable Duet” follows dementia patients whose families gather mementos and a favourite song to help them recall the past.
“Hit & Miss Tour” follows five comedians and long-time friends on a road trip.
NHK, ZDF extend production collaboration with 3rd installment of science doc, “The Body”
Japan’s NHK and Germany’s ZDF Studios have extended their collaboration to a third installment of science documentary, “The Body”.
The new series – “The Body: What is Life?” – explores the “mystery of life” from three perspectives – the life of cells; human life which shows how our 40 trillion cells create intelligence and abilities; and how all life on earth originated from a single common ancestor born nearly four billion years ago.
“The Body 3”, executive produced by NHK’s Hiroyuki Shirakawa, comes eight years after the show premiered. The second series, which explored genes, was released in 2019.
NHK says the show visualises the ultra-microscopic world inside cells using high-definition CGI. “This is not merely a scientific documentary; it is also a philosophical journey that explores the very essence of life,” Shirakawa said.
Mediacorp allocated S$1.9b government funding over 5 years, SG Parliament told; Ministry says this is half of public service broadcast funding in Finland and Denmark
Singapore’s Mediacorp has received S$380 million/US$293 million a year in government funding for the past five financial years to support broadcast services in four languages, the Ministry for Digital Development and Information (MDDI) told Parliament this week.
MDDI said this was lower than the annual funding of approximately S$750 million/US$579 million allocated to the national broadcasters of Finland and Denmark, which have similar population sizes to Singapore.
Answering questions about ratings and comparisons over the past five years, MDDI said measurement had shifted from TV alone to broader reach across all Mediacorp’s platforms and social media platforms.
“This is keeping with the domestic audiences’ changing consumption habits and Mediacorp’s broader network strategy. For example, Mediacorp’s TV reach dropped by about 10% over the last decade or so, but unique video viewers on [streaming platform] meWATCH has increased by about 80% in the same period,” MDDI said, adding that public satisfaction with Mediacorp has held steady, at more than 75% across this time period.
Mediacorp reaches more than 90% of the local population through its owned and operated platforms as well as social media platforms.
JioTV boosts biz content with Bloomberg deal
Indian entertainment platform JioTV is boosting business and financial news on its streaming platforms in a deal announced today with Bloomberg Media. The agreement gives Bloomberg TV+ and Bloomberg Originals access to 500 million users across India, and follows the launch earlier this year of Bloomberg’s upgraded TV studio in Mumbai. JioTV carries 1,000+ TV channels from more than 200 broadcasters in 16 languages; JioTV+ is available on connected TV sets via JioFiber and AirFiber.
Temp exit for MBC’s “Surprise Mystery TV”; revamp and return promised for early 2026
Korean broadcast network MBC takes Sunday morning flagship, “Surprise Mystery TV”, off air on 26 October after its 1,185th episode, promising to return the long-running show in early 2026 following a sweeping revamp.
First broadcast in April 2002, MBC’s “Surprise Mystery TV” recreates mysteries, bizarre incidents, unbelievable stories from around the world.
MBC said the revamp involved “upgrades to adapt to the evolving broadcasting environment”.
“This is not the end of the programme but a brief pause to come back even better. We ask for your continued interest and anticipation until our return in early 2026.”
🔄 Recap: ContentAsia @ MIPCOM
📅 Wednesday, 15 October 2025
▶ MIPCOM 2025 closes at 10,600 delegates, 3,340 buyers; Japan and Korea lead Asia presence
▶ CreAsia Studio seals Thai deal for “My Chef in Crime”; local adaptation heads for TrueVisions NOW in Q4 2026
▶ Indonesia’s Trans7 apologises for mocking Islamic schools; free-TV broadcaster drops “Xpose Uncensored" producer
📅 Tuesday, 14 October 2025
▶ Hunan TV’s “Gold Rush” added to Phil Gurin’s TGC slate; second season greenlit for China
▶ Deepak Dhar adds Talpa Studios’ titles to Banijay Asia unscripted formats catalogue
▶ NHK, Gedeon reunite on “The Lost Castle of Azuchi”; premium doc explores Japanese architectural wonder
▶ Nippon TV, Fuji TV lead Japanese formats activity at MIPCOM day two
▶ Yomiuri TV–Studio Bozzetto co-production brings Japan-Italy anime alliance to TIFFCOM
▶ Seven commissions Talpa’s "Caught in the Middle"
▶ Beach House leads Fremantle–Viral Nation partnership
📅 Monday, 13 October 2025
▶ Vidio victory lap on e-commerce function; 47% spike in Vidio Shopping buys during payday
▶ Viva preps microdrama platform; Nov launch for Philippines’ first home-grown service
▶ Call for Indian “Silicon Valley of creativity”; Sony’s Gaurav Banerjee pushes for bold moves & vision
▶ Hrithik Roshan boards Prime Video; first streaming series for Indian actor/producer
▶ Malaysia’s TV3 lands in Singapore; Singtel deal raises hopes of telco’s TV interest
▶ Netflix picks up All3Media Int’l titles; seven drama & comedy shows include “Total Control”
▶ Countdown to Dubai Int’l Content Market; MENA co-pros up 20% year on year, organisers say
▶ MIPCOM kicks off; Rewind Networks picks up ITV Studios’ “The Guest”
▶ Fremantle to lead int’l sales for PCCW Media’s "The Season"; PCCW Media/SK Global production will stream on Hulu in the U.S., partners say ahead of MIPCOM
▶ Rap contest countdown in Cambodia; CBS marks 1 billion social media views ahead of new show premiere
▶ Viddsee greenlights first theatrical feature; “Siti Vampire” kicks off with Indonesia’s Mahaka Pictures
▶ Kit Yow joins FOX Entertainment Global ahead of MIPCOM
▶ Viu adds 2 GMA dramas to Philippines’ streaming slate
▶ NZ bow for “The Chase”; ITV Studios’ adds 22nd territory for quiz show
▶ “Alice in Borderland” rules China demand Netflix series at 25x higher demand than average show – Parrot Analytics
▶ Cinesilip Film Fest countdown; focus on Philippines’ features for inaugural event
▶ Lucrecia Martel to lead SGIFF Asian film jury
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