(Sept 8, 2014) BBC Worldwide is to use Globecast to handle and manage playout for up to 30 of its international channels globally. The agreement covers disaster recovery and redundancy for playout.

Read more at Advanced Television

(Sept 8, 2014) BBC Worldwide has licensed content from the preschool channel CBeebies into Mainland China, where it will be used in branded English-language learning centers around the country.

Read more at World Screen

Hong Kong (September 8, 2014)— cHK, the one-stop channel for cool, chic, and contemporary celebrity-powered Hong Kong entertainment, brought Spencer Leung Sze Ho, the multi-talented Hong Kong host, to Singapore over the weekend. This was in promotion of his highly-rated paranormal show, Unbelievable, in which he delves into the supernatural mysteries in Hong Kong.

During his visit, Leung promoted the new season of Unbelievable, HK Mysteries to the media. The show is about six beautiful models competing through haunted hunts in Hong Kong.

Unbelievable airs every Wednesday at 9 p.m. on cHK (SingTel mio TV Channel No. 510).

The multi-talented Hong Kong host Spencer Leung Sze Ho (middle), joined the cHK talent tour in Singapore to promote his highly-rated paranormal show, Unbelievable.

The multi-talented Hong Kong host Spencer Leung Sze Ho (middle, with black jacket) dined with the winners of a contest co-organized by cHK and SingTel mio TV in a spookily-decorated restaurant, sharing his own creepy paranormal experiences.

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Media Contact:
Pauline Poon
Celestial Tiger Entertainment
T: +852 2239 6131
E: pauline.poon@celestialtiger.com

About Celestial Tiger Entertainment

CELESTIAL TIGER ENTERTAINMENT (CTE) is a diversified media company dedicated to entertaining audiences in Asia and beyond. The company focuses on the operation of branded pay television channels, content creation and content distribution targeted at Asian consumers.

CTE operates a powerful bouquet of distinct pay television channels including: CELESTIAL MOVIES, the most widely distributed 24-hour Chinese movie channel in the world; CELESTIAL CLASSIC MOVIES, the gateway to an unparalleled array of Chinese movie masterpieces; cHK, a one-stop channel for cool, chic, and contemporary celebrity-powered Hong Kong entertainment; KIX, the ultimate destination for action entertainment; and THRILL, Asia’s only horror and suspense movie channel.

As one of Asia’s largest vertically integrated independent entertainment companies, CTE produces original content which complements its channels business. CTE is also the exclusive sales agent for Hollywood studio Lionsgate in Greater China and Southeast Asia, and represents Lionsgate’s television content and vast feature film library in Japan and Korea as well.

Headquartered in Hong Kong, CTE’s majority shareholders are Saban Capital Group, a leading private investment firm specializing in the media, entertainment and communications industries; Celestial Pictures, a major Asian entertainment company wholly-owned by Astro, the owner and operator of the leading DTH platform in Malaysia; and Lionsgate, the world’s largest independent filmed entertainment studio.

For more information, please visit www.celestialtiger.com.

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(Sept 6, 2014) Regional languages have received a great thrust with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) granting sports broadcaster Star Sports the permission to telecast in all regional languages.

Read more at Indiantelevision.com

Talent Competition Series Set To Debut on AXN in Early 2015, Begins Widest Ever Talent Search Across 13 Countries

SINGAPORE (September 5, 2014) – The record-breaking global hit “Got Talent”, co-owned by FremantleMedia and Syco Entertainment, is set to extend its search for talent further than ever following Sony Pictures Television (SPT) Networks, Asia’s commission of “Asia’s Got Talent”, a pan-Asian version of the hit format.

“Asia’s Got Talent” will debut in early 2015 on AXN, the number one English general entertainment channel in Asia, which spans 20 territories, including South East Asia, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Production for “Asia’s Got Talent” will commence this month and will be open to contestants across Asia. The series will scout for talent across 13 countries in Asia, with auditions planned in major cities including Jakarta, Indonesia; Singapore; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Manila, Philippines; and Bangkok, Thailand.

Hui Keng Ang, senior vice president and general manager of Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia said, “As the trailblazer in high quality local productions, ‘Asia’s Got Talent’ furthers our commitment to creating engaging content that truly resonates with audiences across the region. We look forward to providing aspiring Asian performers with an incredible international platform to showcase their talent. The next Asian star is about to be discovered on AXN!”

George Levendis, Head of International TV, Syco Entertainment, said, “It is very exciting for the 63rd version of our show to be a pan-regional production which offers viewers the chance to enjoy the wonderful shared values of the Asian region whilst also celebrating the unique talents of individual cultures.”

FremantleMedia Asia managing director Paul O’Hanlon said, “This is a hugely exciting step for the ‘Got Talent’ format in Asia. This latest commission further builds on the success of the existing ‘Got Talent’ versions in the region and we are looking forward to working with all partners on launching this mammoth pan-regional version of the show.”
FremantleMedia has also secured deals with local free-to-air channels in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and India to broadcast the series soon after its original airing on AXN. Additionally, for the first time, Chinese digital platform Youku will bring the “Got Talent” format to a vast online audience in that country.

The new deal follows FremantleMedia’s recent announcement that “Got Talent” won the Guinness World Records title for being the world’s “Most Successful Reality TV Format”. With the addition of “Asia’s Got Talent”, an impressive 63 versions of the international ratings phenomenon have now been commissioned worldwide across Africa, the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle-East.

AXN is a leader of regionally produced original content in Asia, with notable ratings successes including four seasons of the international Emmy-nominated “The Amazing Race Asia”; the Asian Television Award-winning “Cash Cab Asia”; “The Apprentice Asia”; “Cyril: Rio Magic”; “Cyril’s Family Vacation: Hawaii Edition”; and the Asian Television Award-nominated “Cyril: Simply Magic”.

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About FremantleMedia Asia

With offices in Singapore, Beijing, Bangkok, Jakarta, and Mumbai, and servicing the entirety of Asia, FremantleMedia Asia is one on the preeminent production companies in the region, producing world class content from the large scale talent competitions for which it is best known, including Idol, X Factor, and Got Talent, to long running game shows such as Family Feud. In addition to creating and developing local content, FremantleMedia Asia is no stranger to localization and is uniquely positioned as one of the most accomplished adaptors of international formats in the region, ensuring continuing success season after season in territory after territory. Beyond single market productions, FremantleMedia Asia has also demonstrated its strength in pan-regional production having recently produced the widely successful The Apprentice Asia.

About Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia

Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia was established in 1997 with Singapore as the Asian headquarters of Sony Pictures Television’s networks business. It operates six ad-supported 24/7 channels which are wholly-owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment.

AXN is the home of thrilling entertainment; beTV is the place to be for the best of TV; Sony Entertainment Television offers wickedly juicy TV for modern females; Animax offers anime for all; ONE is powered by prime and current South Korean entertainment content; and GEM serves up star-studded and popular general entertainment programming from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea.

For further information, please contact: For Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia:
Paul O’Hanlon Jennifer Doig
Managing Director, FremantleMedia Asia Executive Director, Communications
T: +65 6223 8771 T: +65 6622 4278
E: paul.ohanlon@fremantlemedia.com E: jennifer_doig@spe.sony.com

Seoul, 5th September 2014 – Last night, Sherlock scored another top honour at the 9th Seoul International Drama Award (SDA), when it was awarded ‘The Most Popular Foreign Drama of the Year’. The ceremony was held at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul. SDA is a festival that brings together all professionals in the field of TV drama production and media industry as well as global audiences who enjoy television dramas. The event was attended by over 1000 celebrities and industry partners.

Soojin Chung, General Manager of BBC Worldwide Korea, was present to accept the award on behalf of Hartswood Films and BBC. She said: “We are overwhelmed by the love from Sherlock fans in Korea. The award caps off honours we’ve won around the world including Emmys, BAFTAs, National Television Awards, Television Critics Awards and a Peabody. This award from the SDA truly demonstrates the international appeal of Sherlock.”

Sue Vertue, Producer of Sherlock added: “‘We are thrilled to receive this award and are honoured that Korean fans have taken Sherlock so much into their hearts.”

Each year, ‘The Most Popular Foreign Drama of the Year’ is awarded to a foreign drama that has been most viewed and acclaimed in Korea during the eligibility year that is selected by the organising committee.

This is the second time a BBC drama has taken home an award at the Seoul Drama Awards. In 2009, Doctor Who (series four) also took home the ‘Favourite Foreign Drama of the Year Award’.

Sherlock’s winning streak reaffirms the series’ popularity beyond its home country. Just last week at the Emmys, Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, was awarded ‘Outstanding lead actor in a miniseries or movie’ and ‘Outstanding supporting actor in a miniseries or movie’, respectively, for the third and final episode of series three, Sherlock: His Last Vow. Co-creator and writer for the series, Steven Moffat, bagged the ‘Outstanding writing in a miniseries or movie’ award.

Sherlock is a BBC drama, and a contemporary adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes detective stories. Created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, it stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Doctor John Watson.

Since it premiered in 2010, Sherlock has garnered immense international success, spreading across the UK, Russia and Asia. China was the second country, out of the UK, to premiere Sherlock series three. By the end of August 2014, online video portal in China, Youku, had received more than 72 million hits for series three and 1.7 million viewers watched it on Chinese IPTV platform, BesTV, when it premiered in January 2014.

The 9th Seoul International Drama Award was organised by Seoul Drama Awards Organizing Committee and Korean Broadcasters Association.

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Further information:

Jeanne Leong
BBC Worldwide Asia
Tel: +65 6849 5292
Email: Jeanne.Leong@bbc.com

Cassandra Wong
BBC Worldwide Asia
Tel: +65 6849 5295
Email: Cassandra.Wong@bbc.com

About BBC Worldwide
About BBC Worldwide. BBC Worldwide is the main commercial arm and a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Its vision is to build the BBC’s brands, audiences, commercial returns and reputation across the world. This is achieved through investing in, commercialising and showcasing content from the BBC around the world, in a way that is consistent with BBC standards and values. The business also champions British creativity globally.

In 2013/14, BBC Worldwide generated headline profits of £157.4m and headline sales of £1,042.3m and returned £173.8m to the BBC. For more detailed performance information please see our Annual Review website: http://www.bbcworldwide.com/annualreview

bbcworldwide.com
twitter.com/bbcwpress

(Sept 4, 2014) SES and EchoStar have boosted their strategic partnership by agreeing a new satellite to be located in the 105 degrees West position.

The satellite – SES-11, also to be known as EchoStar 105 – will be manufactured by Airbus Defence and Space, based on the highly reliable Eurostar E3000 platform, and launched into in Q4 2016.

Read more at Broadband TV News

(Sept 4, 2014) Streaming is closing the gap on linear TV with a gap of just two percentage points in terms of weekly consumption, according to the annual Ericsson ConsumerLab TV & Media Report.

The survey found 75% of consumers watching streamed content several times a week, compared to 77% who watch scheduled broadcast TV programming several times a week.

Read more at Broadband TV News

(Sept 4, 2014) FOX International Channels (FIC) has launched a dedicated content sales division, which will handle programming from its flagship networks, including FOX and National Geographic Channel.

Read more at World Screen