27 October-9 November 2025
 

Asia festival & market frenzy kicks off this week; 2025 closes with spotlight on regional co-production and creativity

Seven weeks of back-to-back Asia market and festival frenzy kicks off this week, beginning this afternoon with the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF), followed on Wednesday by the TIFFCOM market in Tokyo (29-31 Oct) and the Ubud Writers Festival in Bali (29 Oct-2 Nov). Next is Taiwan’s TAICCA-backed TCCF (4-7 Nov), the JAFF Market in Yogyakarta (29 Nov-1 Dec), part of the Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival (JAFF), and the ATF (2-5 Dec) and Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), both cornerstones of Singapore-government agency the IMDA’s 12-day multi-event Singapore Media Festival (SMF), which runs from 26 Nov-7 Dec.

Also inside…

Mediacorp x StarHub – confirmed, Singapore’s top two platforms join forces; “more than a commercial agreement,” newly minted partners say

Singapore’s Mediacorp is adding StarHub TV+ to its meWatch platform in a deal we tipped weeks ago and which StarHub confirmed today (27 Oct). StarHub says the new arrangement, which it called a “key milestone” and “more than a commercial agreement”, will give “everyone in Singapore easier access to the content they love”, including the Premier League.

Streaming value crisis: Why 47% of subscribers feel ripped off – BoltOS

Here’s the maddening paradox: streaming services offer more quality content than ever, yet 47% of subscribers think they’re overpaying. Another 41% say the content isn’t worth the price. This isn’t buyer’s remorse – it’s a full-scale value crisis that’s poisoning the entire subscription economy.

Brought to you by BoltOS

“The Voice Pakistan” in the works; 2026 debut for latest ITV Studios’ adaptation in Asia

The first Pakistan version of ITV Studios’ blockbuster singing format “The Voice” is in the works in an adaptation deal with Karachi-based regional media company Contenue. Auditions kick off in Q2 2026 and the target premiere date is Q3 2026. Still early days, but Contenue founder and CEO, Usman Malik, says he picked “The Voice” because it focuses on talent “not looks”, costs can be controlled and the brand personality is Gen-Z friendly.

Four Asia platforms pick up “The Assassin”; Two Brothers’ Pictures’ series to air across the region

Four platforms in Asia have acquired rights to action series The Assassin in post-MIPCOM deals with global indie distributor, All3Media International. The six-part series will air on BBC Player and premium SVOD service BBC First in Asia and India, as well as on Wowow in Japan and Sohu in China, as well as on Sky Free (Three and ThreeNow) in New Zealand.

“Sins of Kujo” on the way in TBS x Netflix deal; first live action adaptation of Shohei Manabe’s manga, global debut set for 2026

Netflix has added Tokyo Broadcasting System Television Inc’s (TBS) live action series “Sins of Kujo” – an adaptation of Shohei Manabe’s ­(“Ushijima the Loan Shark”) manga – to its global line up for Spring 2026.

ABS-CBN, AIS Play to air Miss Universe; four Asia platforms take live rights for Nov pageant

The Philippines’ ABS-CBN and Thailand’s AIS Play have added this year’s 74th Miss Universe Pageant to their schedules, bringing Asia’s official distribution partners to four, the Miss Universe Organisation said ahead of the 74th event in Bangkok on 19 and 21 November. FPT in Vietnam and Supreme TV in Sri Lanka (Supreme TV) have also signed on for this year’s event.

“Peacemaker” hits demand high spot; HBO Max original tops digital rankings in Malaysia – Parrot Analytics

HBO Max made a rare appearance on Asia’s demand rankings for the week of 13-19 October, beating rival streamers in Malaysia to #1 with James Gunn/DC Studios’ “Peacemaker”, according to Parrot Analytics. “Peacemaker” ended the week with 22.5 x higher demand than the average show in Malaysia, just shy of the 23.6 x of the overall winner, Japanese anime series, “My Hero Academia”.

PLUS

 4 Asia titles top Prime Video November; 2 Korea + 1 anime + ABS-CBN Philippines’ thriller
 Asia deals for CBS’ “Boston Blue”; AXN Asia, Coupang Play among 100+ market pickups
 Prime Video adds NBA League Pass in India
 RTHK, Gov't release WWII doc series
 First Chinese FAST channel rolls out in France
 Events: What’s going on in and around Asia

You can also access ContentAsia's latest eNewsletter here and browse back issues of all our publications at www.contentasia.tv

Unsubscribe here if you no longer wish to be part of ContentAsia's mailing list OR update your details here to continue receiving emails from us. © Pencil Media Pte Ltd 2025. All rights reserved.