The Record Breaking Series on HISTORY Will Be Gearing Up For Its Third Season In The New Year

(19 December 2013 – Singapore) – In time for the holidays, HISTORY’s top-rating hit series Duck Dynasty returns with a special Christmas episode this December and the premiere of its much-awaited third season in 2014, bringing back America’s favorite backwoods family, the Robertsons, as they go through the ins and outs of managing their multimillion-dollar duck call business.

The Christmas special, I’m Dreaming of a Redneck Christmas, airing on December 19 at 10pm, sees Willie taking his turn at playing Santa, Uncle Si crashing the party, and the family coming together at Phil’s place to ‘deck the halls’ in redneck fashion.

Duck Dynasty has made waves in the US, shattering network records with its third season debut reaching a whopping 8.6 million total viewers on its first episode. The season four telecast also broke cable records with 11.8 million viewers tuning in on the first episode, making the show the number one nonfiction series in cable history.

The much-anticipated third season of Duck Dynasty premieres across Asia on January 9, Thursday, 10pm. Gear up for an exciting season opener with back-to-back episodes that have the family going on the traditional camp-out the night before duck season and an unforgettable adventure to find Jesse’s misplaced wedding ring, just several among many other hilarious moments in the series.

HISTORY brings other Christmas specials to you this season, from December 20 to 25, from 10PM, including special Christmas episodes of Pawn Stars and Kings of Restoration, The Story of Jesus and the Pope From The End Of The World and more.

Other key shows to lookout for in the first quarter of 2014 include a new season of Vikings and Hidden Cities Extreme.

HISTORY™ and HISTORY HD™ are available on StarHub Cable TV Ch 401.

About HISTORY™ and HISTORY HD™
HISTORY™ and HISTORY HD™ are the leading destinations for entertaining hit series and revealing, award-winning event specials that connect history with viewers in an informative, immersive and fascinating manner across multiple platforms. Programming covers a diverse variety of genres ranging from real-life characters who bring history to life every day, to natural history, contemporary history, technology and science, as well as archaeology and pop culture. Hit series include Kings of Restoration, Pawn Stars, Ancient Aliens, Duck Dynasty, Vikings, Counting Cars, Hidden Cities Extreme and Ride N’ Seek. For more information, please visit:
Homepage: www.HistoryAsia.com
Twitter: @HistoryAsia
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HistoryAsiaTV

For Press Enquiries:

A+E Networks Asia
Hazel Yap
+65 3157 6510
hazel.yap@aenetworks.com

Strategic Public Relations Group (SPRG)
Deborah Dayani Nanayakara
+65 6325 8275
+65 9758 4071
deborah.dayani@sprg.com.sg

Regina Yeo
+65 6325 8232
+65 9661 9486
regina.yeo@sprg.com.sg

Nicole Su
+65 6325 8267
+65 9297 4611
nicole.su@sprg.com.sg

(Dec 18, 2013) Viacom hopes to lift ratings and revenue at MTV Asia, by ramping up original content and local appeal through in-market partners. MTV, Viacom’s iconic youth and music brand, has faced a challenging environment as a pay-TV channel in some markets, especially in Southeast Asia.

Central to the new strategy is a local partner to identify relevant youth content.

Read more at Asia Media Journal

The deal marks BBC Worldwide’s first format sale in the country

Singapore, 18 December 2013 – BBC Worldwide has announced that hit entertainment TV format Dancing with the Stars has been licensed to Cambodian Broadcasting Service Co,Ltd (CBS). The series will air on CTN, Cambodia’s most watched terrestrial channel.

The announcement marks the debut of Dancing with the Stars in Cambodia. It is also BBC Worldwide’s first format sale in the country.

One of BBC Worldwide’s most popular global brands, Dancing with the Stars has been icensed in 49 countries, and a version of the show has been seen in over 75 countries, with over 220 series to date. Local versions of Dancing with the Stars air in countries as diverse as Lebanon, India and Russia. The brand has also extended into live events, gaming and digital properties. In Asia, the format has been sold in Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, China, South Korea and two versions in India. In India, the sixth and latest season of the Hindi version, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa achieved its best audience figures to date for Colors. The grand finale pushed the show to the top of weekend programming nearly doubling the ratings from 2012.

“Cambodia is an important market in the growth of our business in Asia,” said Mark Whitehead, SVP & GM South East Asia and Channels Lead, BBC Worldwide, Asia. “Earlier this year, we launched BBC World News, BBC Lifestyle and BBC Knowledge in the country. With this new deal, we hope to introduce Cambodian viewers to more quality content from the BBC. Dancing with the Stars has been a huge global success and we are confident that the local format will take on the same reception with the viewers there.”

“We are extremely excited to be able to work with BBC Worldwide on Dancing with the Stars. Being able to adopt this internationally successful BBC format reinforces our strength and capabilities as a network. We hope that this is just the start of a fruitful long-term relationship with BBC Worldwide,” said Mr Bernard Anthony, General Manager of Cambodian Broadcasting Service Co, Ltd.

CBS will take on the production of the show. The series is set to premiere in mid 2014.

– ends –

Further information:

Jeanne Leong
Director, Communications BBC Worldwide Asia
Tel: (65) 684952992
Email: Jeanne.Leong@bbc.com

About BBC Worldwide Ltd
BBC Worldwide Limited is the main commercial arm and a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). BBC Worldwide exists to support the BBC public service mission and to maximise profits on its behalf. It does this 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 builds the reach and reputation of the BBC brand overseas and champions British creativity.
In 2012/13, BBC Worldwide generated headline profits of £156m and headline sales of £1,116m and returned £156m to the BBC.
For more information on BBC Worldwide, visit http://www.bbcworldwide.com/
About Cambodia Broadcasting Service (CBS)

Cambodian Broadcasting Service Co, Ltd (CBS) is a private company operating 3 Khmer language channels, CTN, MyTV and CNC with a nationwide market share of approximately 50%.

CTN launched in 2003 and has been ranked the No 1 Cambodian channel with market share of approximately 30% over the past 10 years

MyTV is a modern channel for age group 18-40 launched in 2009. It is ranked number 2 in Cambodia, with current nationwide market share of approximately 15-18%

CNC is the only 24 hour news channel in Cambodia. Launched in 2012, it holds a market share of approximately 2-4%

CBS ‘s vision is to bring the best entertainment & up to date news to the Cambodian audience, all the time.

SpongeBob Moves In gets into the holiday spirit with a brand new update featuring new characters, buildings, recipes and decorations. In this update, a mysterious diminutive figure is turning Santa’s elves into jerks, and players need to help SpongeBob keep them happy by serving up their favorite treats to increase the town’s holiday cheer.

Additional Game Features include:

• New Characters: Santa’s elves move in to make toys and MechaSpongeBob rampages through the town.
• New Buildings: Players can build a new Toy Factory; place homes for the elves; build the Spice Shack and Treat Shop to unlock special ingredients for Holiday recipes. Users can complete their collection by adding the Milk & Cookie Café.
• New Decorations: Feed elves and earn Christmas Coins to unlock limited time Holiday decorations like Patrick’s Santa Trap, Sandy’s Magic Analyzer, Nutcrackers, and Santa’s Sleigh. Players can design their own wintery Bikini Bottom with Lawn Reindeer, Snowflake Bushes, Christmas Trees, and more.
• New Recipes: Whip up the elves’ Holiday favorites like snickerdoodles, gingerbread, hot chocolate and bread pudding.
• SpongeBob Moves In was released globally in June 2013. It debuted right at number one among all paid apps, remained in the top spot for more than five weeks, and it was number one in 18 countries.

In SpongeBob Moves In, players can customize the look of their undersea city with a variety of characters, buildings and accessories. In the ongoing quest to keep Bikini Bottom inhabitants happy by fulfilling their wishes, players must collect happiness to fill the town’s happiness meter. Residents wish for food and gifts from the various Bikini Bottom restaurants and shops, like Krabby Patties from the Krusty Krab or a bouquet of flowers from the Flower Shop. Once their wish is granted, a treasure chest will appear for the player to open and collect gold coins, happiness or a new recipe to add to their collection. When the happiness meter is filled, players advance to the next level in the game, earning coins, game experience and unlocking more quests, building and accessories to buy in the store.

(Dec 17, 2013) Marco Bresaz is taking on the role of VP of unscripted at AMC, joining from its sister network Sundance Channel, where he served as VP of original programming and development.

Read more at World Screen

(Dec 17, 2013) Marc Buhaj has been named senior VP of programming and general manager of Disney XD, succeeding David Levine, who transitioned to the role of VP of programming, production and strategic development for Disney Channels Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

Read more at World Screen

(December 16, 2013) Arianespace has ordered 18 extra giant Ariane ECA launch rockets from Astrium-EADS. These are extra to the 35 rockets ordered back in 2009. Deliveries of the new order, worth more than €2 billion, are scheduled to commence in 2017.

The new rockets will be used to launch to orbit geostationary satellites and European Space Agency missions.

Read more at Advanced Television

(Dec 15, 2013) RTL CBS Asia Entertainment Network, the recently formed venture of RTL Group and CBS Studios International, has appointed two senior management executives. Jennifer Batty has joined as executive vice president of programming and Daniel Fung as executive vice president of distribution.

Read more at Rapid TV News

(Dec 13, 2013) A+E Networks is to replace its BIO channel with the new brand FYI as it looks to a more upscale audience.

The launch will be overseen by Jana Bennett, the former BBC head of television, who is now president of FYI and Lifetime Movie Networks at A+E Networks.

Read more at Broadband TV News

Impressive number of nominations for both Golden Globes and SAG Awards kick off the awards season for FIC in APAC and Middle East

Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, 13 December 2013 – Nominations were revealed this morning (Hong Kong time) for the 71st Golden Globe Awards and FOX International Channels (FIC) earned an impressive 25 nominations for shows and movies broadcast on its channels across Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Demonstrating exactly why FIC is Asia’s leading pay-TV network, 14 series and films across its leading entertainment and movie channels received nominations, including an impressive 21 in the top tier categories.

The Golden Globe Awards ceremony will be held on 12 January, 2014 at 8pm EST celebrating the best of film and television from the past year. The presence of so many shows broadcast by FIC illustrates its commitment to providing the best entertainment around, whatever the genre.

The nominations were led by the historical-epic motion picture, 12 Years a Slave, for which FIC has acquired the pay-TV rights to broadcast on its leading Hollywood movie channels FOX Movies Premium (FMP) in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia and STAR Movies in Taiwan. It received a staggering seven nominations, including ‘Best Motion Picture – Drama’, ‘Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama’ for Chiwetel Ejiofor, and ‘Best Screenplay – Drama’ for its writer, John Ridley. Other motion pictures for which FIC has secured the pay-TV rights earned a total of 15 nominations and include the biographical sports drama, Rush and the animated fantasy Frozen, both of which received two nominations each, as well as one of 2013’s biggest movies, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

Several of FIC’s big television hits have also been honoured, receiving an impressive 10 nominations in total. FMP’s gripping crime drama Ray Donovan, the hugely popular sitcom Modern Family on FOX in HK, SEA and Japan, and horror anthology American Horror Story: Coven on FX in HK, SEA and Korea each received two nominations, including the coveted ‘Best Television Series – Comedy or Musical’ for Modern Family, ‘Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television’ for American Horror Story: Coven and ‘Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama’ for Ray Donovan’s lead, Liev Schreiber.

“We are proud that our shows have again received so many nominations for such prestigious awards celebrating the television industry and it is testament to the quality of the content that we select and broadcast,” said Brian Lau, Senior Vice President of Content and Communications at FIC Asia. “We strive every day to bring to our fans and viewers only the very best shows and movies on offer, and the number of nominations we received this year affirms that we are making the right choices.”

The nominations for the Golden Globe Awards follow just one day after the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards nominations, officially opening the awards season and honouring the best acting and performances in film and primetime television. FIC received a total of 22 SAG Award nominations for top shows and movies on its channels across Hong Kong, Taiwan and SEA, including a nomination for ‘Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries’ for Rob Lowe, forhis portrayal of American president John F. Kennedy in National Geographic Channel’s original production television movie Killing Kennedy.

Golden Globe Awards nominations for television programmes shown on FIC’s channels (10):

FOX Movies Premium (HK/SEA)

Ray Donovan (2 nominations):
Best Performance by and Actor in a Television Series – Drama –Liev Schreiber
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television – Jon Voight

FOX (HK/SEA, Japan & Middle East)

Modern Family (2 nominations):
Best Television Series – Comedy or Musical
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television – Sofia Vergara

FX (HK/SEA & Korea), FOX (Japan)

American Horror Story: Coven (2 nominations):
Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television – Jessica Lange

FX (HK/SEA)

Nurse Jackie (1 nomination):
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical – Edie Falco
STAR World (HK/SEA), FOX (Korea), STAR World (Taiwan)

Scandal (1 nomination):
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama – Kerry Washington

STAR World (HK/SEA), FOX (Japan & Middle East)

New Girl (1 nomination):
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical –Zooey Deschanel

STAR World (HK/SEA)

Parenthood (1 nomination):
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television – Monica Potter

Golden Globe Awards nominations for films for which FIC has acquired the pay-TV rights (15):
FMP (HK/SEA) & STAR Movies (Taiwan)

12 Years A Slave (7 nominations):
Best Motion Picture – Drama
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama – Chiwetel Ejiofor
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture – Lupita Nyong’o
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture – Michael Fassbender
Best Director – Motion Picture – Steve McQueen
Best Screenplay – Motion Picture – John Ridley
Best Original Score – Motion Picture – Hans Zimmer

Rush (2 nominations):
Best Motion Picture – Drama
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture – Daniel Brühl
Frozen (2 nominations)
Best Animated Feature Film
Best Original Song – Motion Picture – “Let It Go”

Saving Mr. Banks (1 nomination):
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Emma Thompson

The Croods (1 nomination):
Best Animated Feature Film

The Book Thief (1 nomination):
Best Original Score – Motion Picture – John Williams

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (1 nomination):
Best Original Song – Motion Picture – “Atlas”

SAG Awards nominations for television programmes shown on FIC’s channels (14):

FOX Movies Premium (HK/SEA), STAR Movies (Taiwan)

Homeland (3 nominations):
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series – Claire Danes
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series

FOX (HK/SEA)

Modern Family (3 nominations):
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series – Ty Burrell
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series – Julie Bowen
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

FX (HK/SEA)

30 Rock (3 Nominations):
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series – Alec Baldwin
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series – Tina Fey
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

FOX (HK/SEA), STAR Movies (Taiwan)

The Walking Dead (1 nomination):
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series
National Geographic Channel (HK/SEA& Taiwan)

Killing Kennedy (1 nomination):
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries – Rob Lowe

FX (HK/SEA)

American Horror Story: Coven (1 nomination):
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series – Jessica Lange

FX (HK/SEA)

Nurse Jackie (1 nomination):
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series – Edie Falco

STAR World (HK/SEA & Taiwan)

Scandal (1 nomination):
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series – Kerry Washington

SAG Awards nominations for films for which FIC has acquired the pay-TV rights (8):
FMP (HK/SEA) &STAR Movies (Taiwan)

12 Years a Slave (4 nominations):
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role – Chiwetel Ejiofor
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role – Micheal Fassbender
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role – Lupita Nyong’o
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

Rush (2 nominations):
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role – Daniel Brühl
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture

Saving Mr. Banks (1 nomination):
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role – Emma Thompson

The Wolverine (1 nomination):
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture

-End-

About FOX International Channels (FIC)

FOX International Channels (FIC) is 21st Century FOX’s international multi-media business. We develop, produce and distribute 300+ wholly- and majority-owned entertainment, factual, sports, movie and lifestyle channels across Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa, in 45 languages. These networks and their related mobile, non-linear and high-definition extensions, reach over 1.6 billion cumulative households worldwide.

In Asia, FIC operates or distributes 30+ channel brands, including the FOX, STAR and National Geographic brands, with over 100 feeds across 14 markets. As the leading pay-TV network in the region, we reach more than 550 million cumulative subscribers across Asia Pacific and the Middle East with offices in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Australia and the UAE.

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

This press release was issued on behalf of FOX International Channels Asia by Tactic Public Relations Limited (Tactic). For further information, please contact:

FOX International Channels

Tactic Public Relations Limited (Tactic)

Kelly Jang
Director, Pan Regional Trade Marketing & PR
DID: +852 2621 8875
kelly.jang@fox.com

Kristen Gallagher
Tactic – Hong Kong
DID: +852 2114 4345
FAX: +852 2114 0880
kristen.gallagher@tacticpr.com.hk

Diana Low
Tactic – Singapore
DID: +65 6325 8264
FAX: +65 6325 8262
diana.low@tacticpr.com.sg