ATF 2012: new players in the attractive Asian scenario

The new partnership with ScreenSingapore allowed ATF to be transformed into a new venue, not only gathering the traditional TV players, but also participants from theatrical business (production and distribution) as well as the growing new media industry. In comparison with other editions, the conference program seems to be much bigger, and there are more screenings and premieres of local productions and co-productions.

Yesterday, December 4, there were ten high-end conferences with keynotes as C.B. Cebulski, SVP, Creator & Content Development at Marvel (USA), who highlighted: ‘Great characters, great creators and a great cast equals a great story. And if you tell a great story, audience will come’. He exhibited the trailer from IronMan 3, to debut on April 2013 in Singapore.

Also, David Fernando Audy, president director of Global TV, which belongs to MNC Group (Indonesia) that has 40% of the local TV market share, explained: ‘Our free TV channels success is based on our capability to air quality drama series, as well as the local adaptations of big entertainment franchises like Indonesian Idol, Master Chef and Indonesian X-Factor’.

Since 2000, MBC South Korea has made a splash in the Korean Wave by airing period drama, as Jewel in the Palace or Dae Jang Geum. Ahn Taeg Ho, managing director of Future Strategy at the second Korean broadcaster, remarked during its presentation: ‘When consumers purchase products, they acquire not only tangible things, but also “the culture” embedded in those products’.

Lastly, Cho Hyo Jin, producer of the private Korean station SBS, described the success of the urban action variety show Running Man, broadcast during the last three years thanks to its non-scripted format and use of landmarks. Michelle Guthrie, APAC Director for large partnership solutions, Google/YouTube, said that one of the main objectives of the digital titan is to find ‘new ways’ to advertise on the online video platforms.

There were many announcements before the ATF begins. A+E Networks will assume full ownership of AETN All Asia Networks, the Singapore-based company formed as a joint venture with Astro Overseas Limited (Malaysia) in 2007, and Talpa Holding created Talpa China Star with Chinese media company Puji Star Media, aiming to produce and exploit TV formats from Talpa in Greater China market.

Turner International Asia-Pacific has launched on December 1 the new action adventure channel Toonami, while MyChinaChannel and Shanghai Media Group’s Toonmax announced a partnership to aggregate and distribute Chinese-language kids’ content from China in collaboration with GlobeCast. This deal goes via a packaged, branded TV channel targeting Southeast Asia; it will be launched in 2013, but is not yet named.

The Last Tycoon, a major Chinese epic drama to be released early next year, had a media presentation and made its world premiere yesterday with a red carpet gala at local Shaw Theatres Lido, with the participation of the director Wong Jing, international star Chow Yun Fat, Yu Dong, CEO and Founder, Bona Film Group, and actresses Yolanda Yuan and Joyce Feng. The organization celebrated the opening party at 10pm on Marina Bay Sands Skypark.

By Fabricio Ferrara