A Hong Kong-based Crime Drama starring award-winning cast Kara Wai, Anthony Wong, Kwan Ho Tse and directed by Patrick Kong

Hong Kong, 14th March, 2017 – FOX Networks Group (FNG), Asia’s leading pay-TV network, announced today the production of Stained, its venture into premium Chinese miniseries, a landmark initiative to deliver compelling high quality Chinese content to global viewers.

Directed by acclaimed director Patrick Kong (Marriage With A Fool (2006), Love Is Not All Around (2007), and L For Love, L For Lies(2008) and starring award-winning cast Kara Wai, Anthony Wong and Kwan Ho Tse. Stained is a high-energy crime drama set in Hong Kong and to be shot entirely in the vibrant city.  Consisting of 5 one-hour episodes, Stained follows Detective Bo, who faces mounting pressure in investigating a series of difficult cases including the mystery around her husband’s disappearance. Stained will be released in late 2017 on SCM, the region’s No. 1 Chinese movies channel.

Zubin Gandevia, President of Asia Pacific and the Middle East, Fox Networks Group, said,  “FNG  has always been focusing on providing the best stories to its fans and providing the best creative environment to the amazing creative talent that makes these stories come alive. We’re proud to collaborate with Director Patrick Kong to bring, “Stained” to the fans of our market leading SCM channel.
Cora Yim, SVP and Head of the Chinese Entertainment at FOX Networks Group Asia, said, “FNG is proud to be creating an original production with such an amazing on- and off-screen talent including Kara Wai and Patrick Kong. Stained has all the right ingredients of a major success – the cast, the gripping storyline and the cinematic production values. We look forward to continuing working with creative talent in developing high quality original Chinese premium content to viewers, touting local productions that are truly world-class.”

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with FNG, a content creative powerhouse, in particular for US drama series. I also feel privileged to work with a group of A-list talents in Hong Kong. Together we will work to bringing Chinese TV content production to a new level, with a Hong Kong setting but US-style cinematic storytelling approach,” said Patrick Kong, Director of Stained.

Playing the remarkable lead role of Detective Bo is Kara Wai, who has won several awards for her acting, including Best Actress for My Best Auntie and At The End Of Daybreak at the 1st and 29th HK Film Awards, respectively. She also won Best Supporting Actress at the 48th Golden Horse Awards for A Chinese Ghost Story, and has been nominated in the same category at the HK Film Awards for films such as Visible Secret and Dragon. She brings her wealth of experience and talent in acting to Stained and ensures a rich and deep portrayal of the complex character as Detective Bo. Adding immense talent to the mini-series is the highly-regarded Hong Kong director Patrick Kong, who has helmed over 20 feature films, including one of the top 5 highest-grossing Hong Kong romance movies in 2015. Having directed the popular romance trilogy of Marriage With A Fool, Love Is Not All Around, and L For Love, L For Lies, he has his pulse on what kind of entertainment audiences love and brings this expertise to the table in his direction of Stained.

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About SCM

SCM (衛視電影台) (formerly known as STAR Chinese Movies) is the No. 1 Chinese movie channel in Asia and is the premier destination for lovers of blockbuster Chinese cinema, with more than 1,000 titles in its film inventory. SCM is dedicated to providing first-run, premium content as well as cutting-edge advanced services. Premiering box-office hits from Hong Kong, Mainland China and Taiwan, SCM guarantees exclusives from top Chinese and Asian producers and major studios such as Emperor Motion Pictures, Media Asia, Pegasus and Fortune Star. In addition to hit movies, SCM also offers a powerful combination of live events, major concerts and acclaimed Asian documentaries in Cantonese or Mandarin with Chinese and English as well as Bahasa Indonesia and Thai subtitles. With this unrivalled content together with HD viewing, a VOD service and a market-leading online catch-up service called SCM Play, the channel provides an unmatched entertainment experience.

About FOX Networks Group

FOX Networks Group (FNG) is 21st Century FOX’s international multi-media business. We develop, produce and distribute 300+ wholly- and majority-owned entertainment, sports, factual and movie channels in 45 languages across Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa. FNG’s core channel brands include FOX, FOX Sports, FOX Life, FOX+ and National Geographic. FNG’s movie channels include FOX Movies, FOX Movies Premium and SCM (formerly Star Chinese Movies). Our non-linear brands include FOX Play, FOX Play+ and Nat Geo Play. These networks and their related mobile, non-linear and high- definition extensions, reach over 1.825 billion cumulative households worldwide. In addition, FNG owns and operates two production studios and produces thousands of local programming hours for its wholly owned channels and third parties.

Media Inquiries:

Gladys Lau

Assistant Manager, Marketing & Communications | FOX Networks Group Asia

Gladys.Lau@fox.com | Mobile: +852.6122.1263

Valerie Lee

Assistant Manager, Marketing (HK Market) | FOX Networks Group Asia

Valerie.lee@fox.com | Mobile: +852.9151.0002

HyppTV customers can now enjoy the best of world-class content with the largest variety of channels from the BBC on HyppTV and online via multi-devices with BBC Player, anytime and anywhere

Telekom Malaysia Berhad’s (TM) award-winning IPTV service, HyppTV and BBC Worldwide today announced the official launch of BBC Player here in Malaysia. This latest offering will allow fans of BBC’s programmes, through an authenticated multi-genre Subscription Video-on-Demand (SVOD) service, to watch the very best of BBC content anytime anywhere – via online, as well as via an app on their smartphones and tablets.

Available in Malaysia through HyppTV’s Jumbo Pack, viewers will have access to BBC First, BBC Brit, BBC Earth, BBC Lifestyle, CBeebies and BBC World News, including the latest series of Top Gear (S24), when it launches in March, available exclusively on BBC Player.

Top Gear is the world’s biggest motoring show that showcases fast cars executing thrilling stunts and challenges, all set in exotic locations. With a global audience estimated to be over 350 million, it is the Guinness book of record holder for being the most watched factual programme in the world. This March, Top Gear (S24) revs back to the small screen with Matt LeBlanc, Chris Harris and Rory Reid.

Jeremy Kung, Executive Vice President, New Media, TM commented: “As the largest IPTV service operator in the country, we remain committed in improving our service with the latest innovation and looking for ways to delight our viewers with more exciting offerings. Our latest partnership with BBC Worldwide to launch BBC Player will allow us to super serve our viewers with quality content from the BBC that they can watch anytime, anywhere, true to TM’s promise of ‘Life Made Easier’.”

Myleeta Aga, Senior Vice President and General Manager of South Asia and South East Asia, BBC Worldwide said: “We are excited that Malaysia is the second country in the world to launch BBC Player. We are confident that BBC Player will also be a hit in Malaysia. Malaysians recognise and appreciate the premium content from the BBC, and our channels which are all available on HyppTV, are already very popular. Now, with BBC Player, we will be able to give Malaysians even more ways to watch their favorite content – as we deliver BBC’s signature content seamlessly across our Malaysian customers’ devices, deepening their overall entertainment experience. Also, with a large fanbase for Top Gear in Malaysia, we are delighted to premiere the latest Top Gear (S24) on BBC Brit, exclusively on the BBC Player.”

“HyppTV and BBC Worldwide have achieved many milestones together over the last few years. We believe that BBC Player has brought our partnership to another level,” she added.

The authenticated BBC Player app is available on Android and iOS. It is also available online on www.bbcplayer.com.

BBC brands and programmes on BBC Player

BBC First, first launched on HyppTV in Malaysia in October 2016. It is the home to premium and original drama from the BBC and British independent production companies; with an array of titles that challenge, immerse and entertain, including some of the BBC’s most popular and unique dramas. Some of the BBC First programmes available at launch include:

SS-GB – a gripping and intelligent series adapted from Len Deighton’s bestselling alternative history thriller. The drama is set in a United Kingdom conquered and occupied by Germany during the Second World War and stars Sam Riley (Control, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, On the Road) and Kate Bosworth (Still Alice, Superman Returns, Blue Crush) and written by Neil Purvis and Robert Wade, the screenwriters of Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace and Skyfall.

Love Nina – a comedy drama adapted by Nick Hornby (About a Boy, An Education) starring Helena Bonham Carter based on the bestselling novel of Nina Stibbe which won the 2014 National Book Awards ‘Popular Non-fiction Book of the Year’. The series is about Nina’s time as a London nanny in the 1980s in North London is eccentric, hilarious, tender, gossipy and full of 1980s period detail.

BBC Brit the new genre brand launched in 2015 offers premium factual entertainment that is intelligent but irreverent, covering science, adventure, business, life-changing moments, extreme characters, quirky eccentrics, music, sport and comedy. Available exclusively on BBC Player, launch programmes on BBC Brit include:

Top Gear (S24) – the world’s largest motoring show is back for its latest series with Matt LeBlanc, Chris Harris and Rory Reid at the helm, with appearances from German race ace Sabine Schmitz, F1 supremo Eddie Jordan, and the international man of mystery referred to only as ‘The Stig’. In this new seven-part series, Top Gear’s presenters journey across wildest Kazakhstan in cars with half a million miles on the clock, tackle old-school motorsport in Cuba, blast through America’s wild west in the latest convertible supercars, and attempt to turn an ugly South Korean people-carrier into a luxury yacht to rival Monaco’s finest.

Special Forces Ultimate Hell Week (S2) which sees super fit men and women take on the challenge of their lives to discover who can survive and ultimately win. In this series, set in South Africa, competitors have to endure 12 days of physical and mental endurance, masterminded by former members of six of the world’s toughest special forces.

BBC Earth showcases the work of the world’s foremost factual film makers as it takes audiences on a journey of discovery. BBC Player viewers will be privy to programmes like:

David Attenborough’s Natural Curiosities – In this series, the naturalist, broadcaster and writer highlights some of nature’s evolutionary anomalies and how curious critters baffle and fascinate scientists.

Steve Backshall’s Extreme River Challenge – Steve Backshall takes on the toughest challenge of his career: a complete descent of the Baliem. Along the journey, Steve infiltrates a notorious cannibal tribe, attempts to trap one of the world’s biggest saltwater crocodiles, and searches for the beautiful and elusive birds-of-paradise.

BBC Lifestyle provides a wealth of inspiration for home, family and life.  Viewers can watch the following programmes on BBC Player:

Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook: Cosmopolitan Cook – in which half-Malaysian TV chef, Rachel Khoo travels to some of the most beautiful foodie destinations in Europe and shows us how simple it is to capture a flavour of them in our own home kitchens.

Kirstie’s Fill Your House For Free (S2) – Property and interiors guru Kirstie Allsopp shows cash-strapped homeowners how to furnish their rooms without breaking the bank. It’s all about upcycling and recycling – but the big rule is, things may be cheap but they must always look stylish.

CBeebies is specially created for pre-schoolers, offering a ‘learn through play’ environment where fun colours and friendly characters engage and captivate young minds, encouraging children to get involved. Two CBeebies programmes on BBC Player include:

Go Jetters (S2) – Go Jetters follows the adventures of four plucky international heroes, Xuli, Kyan, Lars and Foz, as they travel the world with their teacher, mentor and friend, Ubercorn, a funky disco-grooving unicorn. Each episode offers older preschoolers a fun-filled and unique introduction to geography and their wider world.

My Pet and Me – Celebrating all the joy that pets can bring, this series helps children appreciate what it really means to have a pet, highlighting the responsibility of caring for its needs while also showing what great fun they can have.

BBC World News, owned by BBC Global News Ltd, is the BBC’s award-winning 24 hour global news channel, offering world-class international news and feature programmes from an unrivalled network of journalists. BBC World News reports global breaking news whenever and wherever it happens and is the world’s most trusted international news outlet with journalists in more places than any other international news broadcaster. Programmes available on BBC Player include:

HARDtalk – In-depth interviews with hard-hitting questions and sensitive topics being covered as famous personalities from all walks of life talk about the highs and lows in their lives

The Travel Show – The Travel Show draws on presenters based all around the globe to provide an insider’s view of the world’s most exciting destinations as well as all the latest tips and trends. Each show focuses on the current issues and trends that are influencing global travel choices, ranging from high-end trips to budget vacations.

Viewers can also stream and download these award-winning and highly rated BBC programmes to watch offline for up to 30 days.

HyppTV now offers its customers a total of 108 channels with 53 channels in High Definition (HD) – consisting of 49 premium channels, 26 free channels, 2 Radio channels, 9 Video-On-Demand (VOD) channels and 22 interactive channels in a wide variety of affordable packages or via ala-carte options. HyppTV customers will also enjoy the world class entertainment line-up on the move via HyppTV Everywhere or Hypp Play, a Video-On-Demand channel which offers a series of content available on HyppTV for binge watching.

For more info, visit www.tm.com.my/hypptv or check out our social media page at www.facebook.com/hypptv (Facebook), www.twitter.com/hyppworld  (Twitter), and www.instagram.com/hypptv (Instagram) and www.youtube.com/tmyoutube  (Youtube).

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About TM

Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), Malaysia’s Convergence Champion and No. 1 Converged Communications Services Provider, together with webe, its Centre of Excellence for Mobility, offers a comprehensive range of communication services and solutions in broadband, data, fixed-line and mobility. As a market leader, TM is driven by stakeholder value creation in a highly competitive environment. The Group places emphasis on delivering an enhanced customer experience via continuous customer service quality improvements and innovations, whilst focusing on increased operational efficiency and productivity.

Leveraging on our extensive global connectivity, network infrastructure and collective expertise, TM is well positioned to propel Malaysia as a regional Internet hub and digital gateway for South-East Asia.

As a multiple award winning model corporate citizen committed to good governance and transparency, TM continues its pledge to ensure the integrity of our processes, people and reputation as well as the sustainability of our operations. Our Corporate Responsibility (CR) ethos reinforces responsible behavior in the four main domains of the marketplace, workplace, the community and the environment. With a focus on ICT, the Group further promotes 3 major platforms i.e. education, community/nation-building and environment, through our Reaching Out programmes.

TM looks forward to continue serving customers with its comprehensive suite of offerings, delivering a seamless digital experience and integrated business solutions to meet their lifestyle and business communication needs – towards making “Life and Business Made Easier for a Better Malaysia”.

For further information on TM, visit www.tm.com.my.

About HyppTV

HyppTV, Malaysia’s largest and an award winning IPTV Service powered by TM is available to UniFi and Streamyx customers nationwide. HyppTV comes with TM’s UniFi triple-play service of UniFi Pro Plan with unrivalled experience with amazing speeds up to 100Mbps from RM329 a month and UniFi Advance Plan with an unbeatable value package options with speeds up to 50Mbps starting from RM199 a month.

For Streamyx, HyppTV is available with Streamyx BB Deal 8Mbps as part of its triple play service at RM160 a month that includes 26 free channels, while for Streamyx BB Deal 4Mbps subscribers, HyppTV is offered as an add-on service with a commitment of a HyppTV Pack for a minimum of RM30 a month that also comes with 26 free channels. HyppTV’s multiscreen offering can be enjoyed by downloading the HyppTV Everywhere apps on Androids Play Store or Apple’s App Store hence you can now watch your favorite HyppTV programmes on smartphones, tablets or PC. HyppTV is also available to UniFi and Broadband business.

HyppTV features a wide range variety of high quality world class entertainment contents with an affordable, rain or shine viewing experience. The award winning service has received several awards accolades such as the Best Component or Enabler Award at TV Connect Industry Awards 2014 (previously known as IP&TV Industry awards) in London. This is the second year in a row the service was recognized at the international front as HyppTV was awarded the Best Online TV Service or Solution at the same award ceremony in 2013. With these awards, HyppTV created history by being the first Malaysian IPTV service to win an award at the prestigious event, which recognise, reward and celebrate innovation, excellence and achievement in the Connected Entertainment industry.

HyppTV now offers its customers a total of 108 channels with 53 channels in High Definition (HD) – consisting of 49 premium channels, 26 free channels, 2 Radio channels, 9 Video-On-Demand (VOD) channels and 22 interactive channels in a wide variety of affordable packages or via ala-carte options. HyppTV is powered by TM’s high speed broadband service, UniFi which are available to viewers come rain or shine with 14 days catch-up feature and 2 hours’ time-shift function through residential and business packages. HyppTV customers will also enjoy the world class entertainment line-up on the move via HyppTV Everywhere or HyppPlay, a Video-On-Demand channel which offers a series of content available on HyppTV for binge watching. To date, HyppTV has more than 1.2 million subscribers.

For more info on HyppTV, log on to www.tm.com.my/hypptv and visit HyppTV social media page at www.facebook.com/hypptv (Facebook), www.twitter.com/hyppworld   (Twitter),

www.instagram.com/hypptv (Instagram) and www.youtube.com/tmyoutube (Youtube).

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 2015/16 BBC Worldwide generated headline profits of £133.8m and headline sales of £1,029.4m and returned £222.2m to the BBC.

For more detailed performance information please see our Annual Review webpage: bbcworldwide.com/annual-review/.

Official website: bbcworldwide.com

Official twitter: twitter.com/bbcwpress

New Series Gets Greenlight along with an Integrated Console Game
HONG KONG – Cartoon Network powers up a connected world of original heroes across the TV and gaming landscape with the greenlight of animated series OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes followed by an integrated console game jointly developed with indie video game studio Capybara Games. Created by Ian Jones-Quartey, and produced by Cartoon Network Studios, the action-packed show follows the heroic feats of K.O., an endlessly optimistic kid attempting to level up to be the best he can be in a dynamic universe of friends and challenging foes. The console and PC game is an action brawler with RPG elements and is expected to arrive in Asia Pacific this September.

To help build this highly-developed world, Cartoon Network opened the door to the gaming and creative communities to produce custom multiplatform content. At a Game Jam last year, independent game developers created their own original games based on the characters. Following the Game Jam, college undergraduates were invited to craft 15-second animation shorts using the IP at an Animation Jam. A standalone original mobile game, titled OK K.O.! Lakewood Plaza Turbo, also launched last year based on Jones-Quartey’s short, of the same name, from Cartoon Network’s Emmy-winning artist program.

“This combined launch marks the culmination of a unique multi-media development process,” said Rob Sorcher, chief content officer for Cartoon Network. “The result is an entirely connected world which provides deeper satisfaction as fans get further into the property from every access point.”

­Added Jones-Quartey: “For me, video games and animation have a lot in common and having fun is the main goal. OK K.O.! is a video game-inspired world expressed through the language of animation, but mostly an adventurous playground with heart-warming heroes who battle against robots.”

OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes is set in Lakewood Plaza, a mall for heroes, where K.O. and his cool crew of friends are constantly trying to impress each other in their efforts to level up and overcome the obstacles that evil foe Lord Boxman sends their way on his quest to destroy the plaza. OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes is slated to premiere this summer in the U.S. and will also roll out across Asia Pacific later this year and early 2018.

Jones-Quartey first joined the Cartoon Network family in 2010 as a storyboard artist on Secret Mountain Fort Awesome. Most recently, he served as the co-executive producer on the Emmy-nominated series Steven Universe. He is an alum of the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

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About Cartoon Network

Turner’s Cartoon Network, the number one kids’ channel in Asia Pacific, offers the best in original animated content including the multi-award-winning global hits Ben 10, The Powerpuff Girls, Regular Show, The Amazing World of Gumball, Adventure Time and We Bare Bears.

Cartoon Network is available in 29 countries throughout Asia Pacific and is currently seen in more than 135 million pay-TV homes. Internationally, it is seen in 192 countries and over 370 million homes, and is an industry leader with a global offering of the best in award-winning animated entertainment for kids and families.

The brand is known for putting its fans at the centre of everything by applying creative thinking and innovation across multiple platforms. Cartoon Network also reaches millions more through its websites, games and apps, including Cartoon Network Watch and Play and Cartoon Network Anything. Cartoon Network, sister company to Boomerang, POGO and Toonami, is a brand created and distributed by Turner, a Time Warner Company.

About Turner Asia Pacific

Turner Asia Pacific creates and distributes award-winning brands throughout the region, running 61 channels in 14 languages in 40 countries. These include CNN International, CNNj, CNN, HLN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Boomerang, POGO, Toonami, World Heritage Channel, Warner TV, Oh!K, TCM Turner Classic Movies, truTV, MondoTV, TABI Channel, and HBO, HBO HD and WB in South Asia. Turner manages the business of Pay- and Free-TV-channels, as well as Internet-based services, and oversees commercial partnerships with various third-party media ventures; it teams with Warner Bros. and HBO to leverage Time Warner’s global reach. Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific, Inc. (“Turner Asia Pacific”) is a Time Warner company.

Publicity Contact

For further information, contact:
James Moore

Director of Communications, Turner Asia Pacific

+852 3128-3720 / James.Moore@turner.com

SINGAPORE, MARCH 10, 2016 – GAME OF THRONES will return for its seven-episode seventh season in Asia on MONDAY, JULY 17 at 9am (8am Thai.Jkt), exclusively on HBO, with a same day primetime encore at 9pm (8pm Thai.Jkt). The series will also be available on HBO GO and HBO On Demand.

Based on the popular book series “A Song of Ice and Fire,” by George R.R. Martin, this hit Emmy^®-winning fantasy series chronicles an epic struggle for power in a vast and violent kingdom. Members of the ensemble cast for the sixth season included Emmy^® and Golden Globe winner Peter Dinklage, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Aidan Gillen, Kit Harington, Diana Rigg, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams and Jonathan Pryce. Season six credits: executive producers, David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Carolyn Strauss, Frank Doelger, Bernadette Caulfield; co-executive producers, Guymon Casady, Vince Gerardis, George R.R. Martin.

About HBO ASIA

Singapore-based HBO Asia brings the best of Hollywood to Asia first through its exclusive licensing deals with major Hollywood and independent studios, including Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, Warner Bros. and Lionsgate. HBO Asia has proprietary and award-winning HBO and HBO Asia Original programmes that are produced exclusively for HBO viewers. Wholly owned by HBO (a Time Warner company), HBO Asia reaches 23 territories across Asia and offers a bouquet of channels and services including 24-hour commercial-free subscription movie channels in standard-definition and high-definition – HBO, HBO SIGNATURE, HBO FAMILY, HBO HITS, CINEMAX and RED by HBO – as well as HBO GO and HBO ON DEMAND. HBO Asia is also the exclusive distributor of BabyFirst and the DreamWorks channel in Asia. Log on to www.hboasia.com for more information.

Sloths are adept swimmers, as this pygmy three-toed sloth demonstrates. Found only on the tiny island of Escudo de Veraguas, Panama, the pygmy sloth is the smallest of all sloth species and is considered endangered.

• Global audience mood significantly lifted by viewing landmark natural history hit Planet Earth II
• Study results prompt BBC Worldwide to launch The Real Happiness Project which aims to promote the benefits of connectivity with nature that can begin with just a laptop, TV or smartphone

BBC Earth, the BBC’s global factual brand, has today published findings of an international study titled The Real Happiness Project showing nature programming’s direct impact on the mood and wellbeing of its viewers.

The research, conducted with Professor Dacher Keltner, an expert in the science of emotion at the University of California, Berkeley, confirms that even short engagement with such shows leads to significant increases in positive emotions including awe, contentedness, joy and amusement. The study also found substantial decreases in emotions such as nervousness, anxiety, fear, stress and tiredness.

BBC Worldwide’s in-house research team collaborated with Professor Keltner, who oversees Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley on a two-phased study. A global quantitative research project of over 7500 nationally representative participants from the US, UK, Singapore, India, South Africa and Australia and a literature review of over 150 scientific studies that have explored the link between a connection with nature and human happiness and wellbeing. To further enrich the study, the research team worked with Crowd Emotion, a pioneering tech start-up that specialises in emotion recognition, using cutting edge facial mapping technology to understand how viewers respond to video footage.

The research was commissioned to mark the launch of one of the BBC’s most ambitious landmark nature series in ten years Planet Earth II, which recently premiered in the U.S. on BBC AMERICA to universal acclaim and strong viewership. The BBC natural history juggernaut has also taken Australia, South Africa and France by storm, having debuted in those territories during the last three weeks.

A decade ago, Planet Earth inspired an unprecedented number of people worldwide to connect with the natural world, gaining an estimated global audience of over half a billion people. Planet Earth II launched in the UK in November and has already surpassed expectations by drawing the second largest live TV audience in Britain during 2016 and becoming the most successful nature documentary for 15 years.

Professor Dacher Keltner of the University of California, Berkeley commented: “The shifts in emotion demonstrated in the BBC study as a result of watching this powerful natural history series are significant as we know that wonder and contentment are the foundations of human happiness. If people experience feelings of awe, they are more likely to display empathetic and charitable behaviours and have been shown to be better able to handle stress.”

Mike Gunton, Executive Producer of Planet Earth II said: “What excites me about this study is seeing how Planet Earth II connects with people on a deep emotional level – as a film maker that is very rewarding. We’re always striving to bring our audiences closer to nature and it’s thrilling to see how this can generate such positive emotions and have a powerful impact on our viewer’s mood and wellbeing. I hope that in sparking an appreciation of the natural world Planet Earth II will also encourage people to love and protect the natural world.”

BBC Earth will support the project by publishing a variety of exclusive content across its social platforms – BBC Earth Facebook, YouTube, Twitter & Instagram.

To find out more about The Real Happiness Project and how you can benefit or get involved, visit www.realhappinessproject.com

How the study worked:

The Results:

Participants rated themselves from 0-10 for feeling each of 14 groups of emotions immediately before and after watching a stimulus clip. Results were grouped into global mean scores for each emotion group for each type of stimulus watched. Analysis below refers to the change in mean scores across all respondents viewing a natural history clip.

 Participants watching Planet Earth II clips showed:

• Significant increases in feelings of awe, amazement, wonder; curiosity, interest and wanting to explore; joy, excitement and enthusiasm; contentment, relaxation and peacefulness; amusement, having fun and laughing
• Significant decreases in nervousness, anxiety and fear; stress and overburden; anger and irritability; tiredness, fatigue and low energy.
• When tested against a control group, all results above are proven to have been caused by watching natural history content.

The demographic breakdown of the global sample revealed:

• On the majority of measures, women experienced greater changes in emotions than men as a result of watching Planet Earth II.
• Although both genders experienced significant increases in awe, amazement, wonder, the increase for women was 35% greater than amongst men. Watching Planet Earth II had a more pronounced effect on younger people, who were feeling higher levels of negative emotions at the outset. Younger people (16-24s) experienced the greatest amounts of change in nine of the 14 emotion sets amongst all age groups.
  • Their significant decreases in levels of nervousness, anxiety and fear; stress and overburden, and tiredness, fatigue and low energy were amongst the largest seen across all age groups in any emotion set.
  • Moreover, they had some of the highest levels of these emotions to begin with.

The BBC study adds to a growing body of scientific evidence proving that a connection to nature is of fundamental importance to a person’s health, happiness and wellbeing.  In parallel with this global research, Professor Keltner carried out an extensive review of over 150 scientific studies exploring the relationship between emotion and nature. The review commissioned by the BBC revealed multiple benefits to connecting with nature.

BBC Earth literature review findings:

• Access to nature, both physical and through filmed footage and imagery can help people to manage the stress of modern living.
• A connection to nature has multiple positive effects on outlook and behaviour including:
  • Enhanced attention, focus and cognitive performance
  • It decreases stress and enhances calm
  • People who experience a connection with nature are more pro-social and effective teamworkers
  • There are significant studies demonstrating the importance of nature to our physical health

-ENDS-

For more information, please contact: Philip Fleming, Head of Communications, Brands & Content, BBC Worldwide

Tel: +44 (0) 7824 622 077

NOTES TO EDITORS

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 2015/16 BBC Worldwide generated headline profits of £133.8m and headline sales of £1,029.4m and returned £222.2m to the BBC.

For more detailed performance information please see our Annual Review webpage: bbcworldwide.com/annual-review/.

bbcworldwide.com

twitter.com/bbcwpress

The largest global consumer piracy online survey ever conducted finds that consumer education could reduce the number of individuals (52%) who watch pirated video content

BRUSSELS, CABLE CONGRESS, 8 March 2017 – Irdeto, the world leader in digital platform security, has released results of the largest consumer piracy survey ever conducted. The Irdeto Global Consumer Piracy Survey of more than 25,000 adults across 30 countries found that despite the high number of consumers around the globe watching pirated video content (52%), nearly half (48%) would stop or watch less illegal content after learning the damage that piracy causes the media industry. This willingness by nearly half of consumers to change their viewing habits speaks to the huge impact that education could have on reducing the number of people who pirate video content.

The positive outcome of an industry-wide education initiative could have the most impact in Latin America and APAC. Fifty-nine percent of consumers who watch pirated content in Latin America and 55% in APAC stated they would watch less or stop watching pirated video content after learning that piracy results in revenue loss from studios, affecting investments in future content creation. Conversely, only 45% in Europe and 38% of respondents from the US said that they would watch less or stop watching pirated content. This indicates that simply educating consumers in these regions about damages associated with revenue loss may not be enough. However, an education initiative focusing on piracy’s impact on the creative process of producing content, coupled with knowledge on how piracy is often linked to criminal organizations and that pirated content could include malware aimed at stealing consumer’s personal information, may resonate better in those markets.

“A battle is being waged in the media & entertainment industry,” said Doug Lowther, CEO, Irdeto. “Legal content offerings are no longer only competing against each other. Pirates have undoubtedly grown into a formidable foe that should not be ignored. With more than half of consumers openly admitting to watching pirated content, it is crucial that the industry tackle piracy head-on. To do so will require technology and services to protect the legal content as well as a comprehensive education program to help change the behavior of consumers. Coupled with a 360-degree anti-piracy strategy, the market is fully prepared to take the battle against piracy to the next level.”

Additional findings from the Irdeto Global Consumer Piracy Survey include:

• An illegal vs. legal awareness gap: While many consumers across the globe recognize that producing or sharing pirated video content is illegal (70%), far fewer people are aware that streaming or downloading (watching the content) is also against the law (59%). In Latin America, this gap was widest with 75% of respondents stating that producing or sharing pirated content is illegal, compared to only 60% recognizing that streaming or downloading is illegal. The overall survey results suggest that more education may be required around the globe to educate consumers that engaging in any form of piracy (producing, sharing, downloading or streaming) is illegal.

• The Russian awareness outlier: In nearly every country surveyed, many consumers recognize that producing or sharing pirated video content is illegal; however, in Russia this is not the case. A staggering 87% of respondents do not think that producing or sharing pirated video content is illegal. In addition, 66% believe that it is not illegal to download or stream pirated video content. A concerted effort must be made to educate Russians about piracy as an illegal practice to prevent growth of piracy in the country.

• Content availability impacting consumption: APAC (61%) and Latin America (70%) had the most consumers who admitted to watching pirated content, while those in Europe (45%) and the US (32%) said they pirate the least. These results indicate that consumers in Europe and the US have more access to the content they desire, reducing their need to watch pirated content.

• The younger generation shifting viewing habits: Laptops were universally the preferred device for the consumption of pirated video content. Consumers in Europe (65%), APAC (45%), Latin America (53%) and the US (41%) all stated that this was their most frequent method of consuming pirated content. However, a shift has already started, with many 18-24 year old’s surveyed indicating that they use mobile or streaming devices the most to watch or access pirated video content. 52% percent of consumers in China in this age bracket indicated that mobile devices are their preferred method of consuming pirated content (i.e. smartphones or tablets). Additionally, 18-24 year old consumers in India (20%) were the most likely to watch pirated content on a streaming device. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) cracked the top five in both categories, indicating that its population of 18-24 year old’s are ahead of the curve when it comes to using mobile or streaming devices instead of laptops to view pirated video content.

• The rise of Kodi in the UK: Interestingly, the Kodi box only registered as a top device to pirate content in the UK, with 11% of pirating consumers using the streaming device to access illegal content. The second highest percentage was in Portugal where 6% of consumers use Kodi to access pirated content. The highest percentage of Kodi users in the UK were in the 35-44 and 55+ age groups at 18% each. This is in stark contrast to the 3% of 18-24 year old’s using a Kodi box to pirate content.

• Consumer’s must-watch list: Movies that are currently being shown in cinemas/theaters (27%) and TV series (21%) were the most popular types of pirated content. Also, while live sports piracy is a growing industry problem, one surprise in the survey results was the percentage of pirating consumers who indicated that live sports was the type of pirated video content they were most interested in. The only countries that listed it in their top two were Portugal (25%), Egypt (23%) and GCC (19%).  While the negative impact of live sports piracy is already being felt by the industry, this indicates that the market still has an opportunity to educate consumers about the damage that piracy causes the live sports space before the problem grows even larger. This education will be especially important for males as more men in each country indicated that live sports is the type of content they are most interested in pirating, while a majority of women prefer to pirate TV series.

“Education around the negative impact of piracy on both the industry and the consumers themselves is an important element of any anti-piracy strategy,” said Rory O’Connor, Vice President of Services, Irdeto. “The results of this survey show that many countries are open to change. To elicit this change in consumer habits will take a concerted effort from all the industry players to not only educate consumers about the negative impact of piracy, but also continued innovation to address the three elements of consumer choice – content, value and convenience.”

Click here to view the full report on the survey results: https://irdeto.uberflip.com/irdeto-global-consumer-piracy-survey

Methodology

The survey was commissioned by Irdeto and conducted online from December 29, 2016 – February 16, 2017 by YouGov Plc. 25,738 adults (aged 18+) in 30 countries agreed to take part in the survey. Countries surveyed include: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, China, Colombia, Denmark, Egypt, GCC (GCC region cluster comprised of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman), Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, UK and US. Figures have been weighted appropriately to be representative of adults in each country (e.g. nationally representative, urban representative, online representative).

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About Irdeto

Irdeto is the world leader digital platform security, protecting platforms and applications across multiple industries, such as media & entertainment, payments and automotive. Our solutions and services enable customers to protect their revenue, create new offerings and fight cybercrime. With nearly 50 years of expertise in security, Irdeto’s software security technology and cyber services protect over 5 billion devices and applications for some of the world’s best known brands. Our unique heritage as a subsidiary of multinational media group Naspers (JSE: NPN) means that we are a well-established and reliable partner to help build a more secure future. Please visit Irdeto at www.irdeto.com.

For further information, please contact:

Katie Walsh

Director, Corporate Communications, Irdeto

Mobile: +1-603-738-9599

Email: Katherine.walsh@irdeto.com

Crystal Kung

Account Manager, WE Communications

P: +65 303 8472

Email: ckung@we-worldwide.com

HKT (SEHK:6823) – HONG KONG, March 8, 2017 – PCCW Global, the international operating division of HKT, Hong Kong’s premier telecommunications service provider, and Zhuhai Da Hengqin Technology Development Company (DHQ Tech) which is headquartered in Hengqin, China, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly turn Hengqin, one of China’s Pilot Free Trade Zones, into a “Smart City”, offering superior quality of life for its residents as well as an exciting and innovative business environment.

Hengqin, located 34 sea miles from Hong Kong, offers massive trade and business potential. It is optimally located, covering an area of 106.46 square kilometers and is less than an hour from Hong Kong via the new Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.

PCCW Global and DHQ Tech plan to develop Hengqin into a global business and communications hub, and to position Hengqin as one of the world’s leading Internet business environments to attract foreign investment and to support enterprise customers, new start-ups and hi-tech research and development centers with the latest ICT technologies. The collaboration will leverage PCCW Global’s advanced international infrastructure to maximum advantage in order to position Hengqin as a strategic gateway for China to communicate with the rest of the world, and for the rest of the world to communicate and trade with China.

PCCW Global will assist in the design of world-leading smart city infrastructure, including operations, ICT consultancy, and regional mobile payment services that will facilitate international enterprises for development in Hengqin. PCCW Global will also serve to support all smart government, smart tourist, big data, smart education, smart health, and safe city initiatives.

Mr. Marc Halbfinger, Chief Executive Officer of PCCW Global, said, “PCCW Global’s technological know-how and vast international infrastructure will be key to further developing Hengqin as a globally leading Smart City. As a global telecommunications company, we are also excited by the opportunities Hengqin will bring to the region, and thus we are studying the feasibility of setting up a new local office in the Hengqin Pilot Free Trade Zone.”

About PCCW Global

PCCW Global is the international operating division of HKT, Hong Kong’s premier telecommunications service provider, which is majority-owned by PCCW Limited. Covering more than 3,000 cities and 150 countries, the PCCW Global network supports a portfolio of integrated global communications solutions which include Ethernet, IP, fiber and satellite transmission solutions, international voice and VoIPX services, managed network & security services and our expanding “as-a-service” solutions including OTT video and Unified Communications.

PCCW Global is headquartered in Hong Kong, and maintains regional centres in Belgium, China, France, Greece, Japan, Korea, Singapore, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. To learn more about PCCW Global, please visit www.pccwglobal.com.

About HKT

HKT (SEHK: 6823) is Hong Kong’s premier telecommunications service provider and leading operator in fixed-line, broadband and mobile communication services. It meets the needs of the Hong Kong public and local and international businesses with a wide range of services including local telephony, local data and broadband, international telecommunications, mobile, and other telecommunications businesses such as customer premises equipment sales, outsourcing, consulting, and contact centers.

HKT offers a unique quadruple-play experience in Hong Kong delivering media content on its fixed-line, broadband Internet access and mobile platforms jointly with its parent company, PCCW Limited.

HKT also provides a range of innovative and smart living services beyond connectivity to make the daily lives of customers more convenient, whether they are at home, in the workplace, or on the go.

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

For further information, please contact:

Ivan Ho

PCCW Group

Tel: +852 2883 8747

Email: ivan.wy.ho@pccw.com

Issued by HKT Limited.

Will collaborate to create deep audience segmentation and razor sharp targeting as a trail-blazing move for the mobile advertising ecosystem

Mumbai/Bangalore, 7^th March 2017: Hotstar, one of India’s leading OTT platforms, and Zapr Media Labs, a Bangalore based media tech company, today announced a strategic partnership to drive the next wave of mobile audience analytics in India. In what is certain to be an exciting development for advertisers and agencies, the two companies will work together to create a deep understanding of mobile audiences that can be leveraged by brands to create personalized communication and offers.

While access to the Internet has been exploding in India in the last few years, especially on the mobile screen, mobile marketing has been constrained till date by the lack of availability of platforms that marry deep user engagement and audience segmentation. While many brands have deployed significant amounts of money on mobile in the last few years, especially through banner and in stream display ads, marketers have been frustrated by the lack of brand building vehicles online that allow them to leverage deep audience analytics. In what is clearly a trail blazing move for digital marketing, the partnership could herald the emergence of more robust audience analytics and better accountability for results in the mobile marketing world.

Ajit Mohan, CEO, Hotstarsaid, “In the transition from the broadcast world to the digital world, advertisers got a data bonanza but in the process had to give up the ability to engage consumers who are actually paying attention to what they are saying. Hotstar has the opportunity to build the world’s first platform on digital where consumers are engaged and immersed while at the same time delivering deep audience understanding that allows brands to talk to individuals rather than segments. We believe that we have a shot at creating the world’s premier truly personalized advertising service, which benefits both brands and consumers.”

L to R – Zapr Co-Founders Deepak Baid, Sajo Mathews, Sandipan Mondal

Sandipan Mondal, Co-founder and CEO, Zapr Media Labssaid, “We are excited to partner with Hotstar and Star on our journey to build a world-class media-tech company out of India. Over the past few years, Zapr has grown into one of the world’s largest media consumption repositories and audience cross-targeting platforms and this partnership further reinforces the incredible response we have received from our partners across brands, agencies and broadcasters. We look forward to accelerating the pace of our research & development, growing our product portfolio and building a deeper and long lasting relationship with the larger media and advertising industry.”

The strategic partnership is accompanied by a minority investment into Zapr Media Labs from Star. Zapr’s proprietary technology platform analyzes television viewership across 600+ channels in India providing targeted digital analytics and insight into offline consumption behaviour. Zapr has built an analytics platform that combines this proprietary understanding with enriched data that allows advertisers to use it for sharper audience targeting and analysis. Zapr enjoys a strong foothold in the analytics space and as part of the next stage of growth, plans to invest further in R&D and grow the team across cross platform data sciences, analytics and product management.

For Hotstar, the partnership signals a clear intent to evolve from a media startup to a full-fledged technology and analytics company that shapes the next wave of mobile usage and advertising in India. With more than 60 million users in the month of January and a sharp uptick in user growth in the last few months, the platform already boasts of some of the highest daily engagement amongst its followers. The announcement is a big step in the direction of becoming the world’s premier personalized advertising service.

About STAR India

STAR India has defined the Indian media landscape since 1991 and today is one of the country’s leading media conglomerates, reaching approximately 650 million viewers a month across India and more than 100 other countries. STAR generates 20,000 hours of content every year and broadcasts 50+ channels in 8 different languages, reaching 9 out of 10 C&S TV homes in India.

The network’s entertainment channel portfolio includes STAR Gold, Channel V, STAR World, STAR World Premiere HD, STAR Movies, STAR Movies Select HD, STAR Utsav, Star Utsav Movies, Life OK, Movies OK and STAR Plus, India’s No. 1 Hindi General Entertainment Channel. It has a leading presence in regional broadcasting as well, through a bouquet of channels which include STAR Jalsha, Jalsha Movies, STAR Pravah, Maa channels and affiliate channels Asianet, Asianet Plus, Asianet Movies, Suvarna, Suvarna Plus and Vijay. It is also present in the Indian movie production and distribution space through Fox STAR Studios, an affiliate joint venture company.

STAR India is making quantum leaps in transforming sports in the country by leveraging the group’s strengths in superior content and audience engagement. STAR’s sports business has grown rapidly to 10 channel properties (STAR Sports 1, 2, 3, 4; STAR Sports HD1, HD2, HD3, HD4 and Star Sports Select HD1, Select HD2), making it the leading sports network in the country.

STAR is set to drive the agenda on digital content consumption in the country with Hotstar, STAR’s revolutionary digital platform that brings your favourite TV shows, movies and sports in one destination.

STAR India is a fully owned subsidiary of 21st Century Fox.

About Hotstar

Hotstar is India’s largest premium streaming platform with more than 100,000 hours of drama and movies in 9 languages, and coverage of every major global sporting event. Launched in early 2015, it is one of India’s most downloaded apps and has attracted more than 175 million followers on the back of a highly evolved video streaming technology and high attention to quality of experience across devices and platforms. The Hotstar Premium service showcases the best line up of TV shows, movies and sports from around the world, including Emmy Award winning shows like Game of Thrones, Veep and Silicon Valley, and live sporting tournaments including Premier League and F1 all at a monthly subscription fee of Rs. 199. Hotstar appropriated the top spot on iTunes as Apple TV’s App of the Year for India 2016.

About Zapr Media Labs

Zapr Media Labs was cofounded in 2012 by IIM Ahmedabad batchmates, Deepak Baid, Sajo Mathews and SandipanMondal. The company is India’s largest media consumption repository and audience targeting platform. Zapr’s proprietary technology profiles the offline media consumption behavior of millions of people, enabling content owners and brands, for the very first time, to identify their offline audiences and re-engage with them on digital and mobile. Zapr Media Labs was a graduate of the first batch of the GSF accelerator and was backed by marquee entrepreneurs as well as media veterans like Samir Bangara, Rajesh Sawhney, Roshan Abbas, Naveen Tewari, Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Rajesh Kamat and ArihantPatni, amongst others. In January 2016, Zapr raised a round of funding from Flipkart, Saavn, Micromax and AmbigaDhiraj, cofounder of Mu Sigma.