9 Dec, 2015 – Turner Sports makes a mint off broadcasting the NBA, major league baseball, golf and college hoops. Now it wants to do the same for video games.

Next summer, Turner and Hollywood talent agency WME-IMG will kick off the “ELeague,” a professional video gaming league. TBS will air weekly three-hour competitions during two 10-week seasons. It is pairing that coverage with 30 hours of digital content every week of daily competitions, behind-the-scenes coverage and profiles of the teams and players.

Read more at digiday

HONG KONG (December 10, 2015) – Hallyu fans in Hong Kong can now tune in to the very latest drama and TV entertainment from one of Korea’s major networks and content creators, MBC. Turner and PCCW have announced the availability of a slew of Korean entertainment, premium drama series as well as variety and music programming across a number of platforms.

From January 12, now TV subscribers can watch a selection of top-rated shows on Turner’s 24-hour linear channel Oh!K. In addition, effective immediately, MBC shows are available through now TV’s SVOD service, Oh!K On Demand, as well as via Viu, a newly-launched OTT service from PCCW. Another part of the Turner-PCCW agreement is the delivery of MBC shows on now TV’s upcoming free-to-air channel, launching in April 2016.

Phil Nelson, Managing Director and Senior Vice President for Turner in Southeast Asia, said, “This is an outstanding multi-platform partnership. In its short history, Oh!K has grown significantly with the addition of Hong Kong to our distribution roadmap. Likewise, our content partnership with MBC has allowed new audiences – across all platforms – exposure to a truly impressive and exclusive line-up of Korean content.”

Current MBC shows of note include Glamorous Temptation and Sweet Mob Family, which air on Oh!K within 24 hours of its premiere, and Korea’s number-one variety show Infinite Challenge the same week as its original telecast. In January, Hong Kong viewers will be treated to one of the biggest Korean shows of 2015 – She Was Pretty.

In terms of variety programming, Infinite Challenge has been at the top of its game for more than 10 years with hosts Yoo Jae Suk, Park Myung Soo, Jung Joon Ha, Jung Hyung Don, Hwang Kwang Hee and Haha competing with each other in hilarious ways to win the challenge of the week.

Mr. Hyuk Jae Choi, Director of Global Business at MBC, added: “This announcement is great news for fans of our content in Hong Kong. We know that they crave MBC dramas and variety shows in both Chinese and English, as soon as possible after their original Korean broadcast, and on platforms beyond just the TV screen. Through Turner, PCCW and MBC, this has become a reality.”

Oh!K (Channel 154) will be part of now TV’s Asia Entertainment Package, and available with English and Traditional Chinese subtitles and Korean audio.

Oh!K, which launched in Singapore in 2014 and then Malaysia earlier this year, features an impressive line-up of first-run series. It is powered by content from leading Korean broadcaster, MBC, best-known for its hugely-popular recent productions such as Shine or Go Crazy, Jang Bo-Ri is Here, Kill Me, Heal Me, and Hwajeong.

-ENDS-

About Oh!K
Oh!K offers viewers the ultimate Korean entertainment, including premium drama series as well as variety and music programming. A TV channel powered by MBC, Korea’s leading broadcaster and content provider, Oh!K is for everyone who loves drama – packaging iconic and award-winning hit series from an unrivalled catalogue of content. The channel is available in Southeast Asia and provides local audiences access to first-runs and exclusives, many soon after their transmission debut in Korea. Oh!K is brand created and distributed by Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific, Inc., a Time Warner company. For more information, please visit: www.ohk-tv.com.

About Turner Asia Pacific
Turner creates and distributes award-winning brands throughout Asia Pacific. In the region, Turner runs 59 channels in 13 languages in 38 countries, including CNN International, CNNj, CNN, HLN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Boomerang, POGO, Toonami, World Heritage Channel, Warner TV, Oh!K, TCM Turner Classic Movies, truTV, WB, MondoTV, TABI Channel and HBO in South Asia. Turner also manages distribution for HBO Defined and HBO Hits in India. Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company.

For more information, please contact:

James Moore
Director of Communications
Turner International Asia Pacific
James.Moore@turner.com
+852 3128-3720

9 Dec, 2015 – LeTV has announced potentially disruptive pricing and packaging for English Premier League (EPL) football in Hong Kong, after securing the rights to the next three seasons.

Customers who have already signed up to LeTV’s membership plan, at HK$990 (US$128) for 12 months, can purchase games by the month, or for three months, or for a single season.

LeTV is charging an average price of HK$169 per month for an add-on package for one season.

Read more at Media Business Asia

9 Dec, 2015 -India’s English movie market is dead! Long live India’s English movie market.

Star India’s exclusive deal to acquire premium content from Time Warner’s HBO is another indicator that Hollywood movies are becoming increasingly niche and premium-oriented in India.

Today, India’s English movie channel market represents less than US$120 million in revenues, according to Media Partners Asia (MPA). That’s only 3% of the US$4 billion that pay-TV channels generate in the country, including advertising and subscription.

Read more at Media Business Asia

Singapore, 9 December, 2015 – Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific (DNAP), a division of the number-one pay-TV programmer Discovery Communications, received a total of seven accolades – four gold and three silver – at the 2015 PromaxBDA Asia Awards held in Singapore from 2-3 December. The wins include:

• Gold:
o ‘Best Reality Campaign’ for EVE’s HUSBAND HUNTERS.
o ‘Best Leisure & Lifestyle Promo’ for TLC’s EXTREME MAKEOVER: WEIGHTLOSS EDITION.
o ‘Best Public Service Announcement’ for Discovery Channel Taiwan’s CONSERVATION MONTH FEATURING RAINIE YOUNG.
o ‘Best Animation’ for Discovery Channel’s AFTERSHOCK: DISASTER IN NEPAL.

• Silver:
o ‘Best Reality Promo’ for Discovery Channel India’s MAN VS. WILD.
o ‘Best Leisure & Lifestyle Promo’ for TLC’s NESCAFE DOLCE GUSTO: SUNDAY BRUNCH.
o ‘Best Sponsor/Brand Integration Spots’ for TLC’s NESCAFE DOLCE GUSTO: SUNDAY BRUNCH.

Karen Cheah, Vice President, Creative Services, DNAP, said, “The recognition is an honour as it reflects the commitment and effort made by the teams, to continue to push the creative boundaries. To receive an award among the best in the business is a great compliment – especially in this highly competitive multi-screen environment, where brand content and promotion has to constantly remain innovative, fresh and authentic.”

The PromaxBDA Asia Awards honours the region’s finest work in television promotion, marketing and design, and is regarded as the highest accolade for professionals in the broadcast media and electronic industry. Awards entries are open to satellite, cable, broadcast television and radio stations, advertising agencies and associated new media, their agencies and production houses, who all compete to be recognised as the best in Asia. The entries submitted for the awards were judged on overall creativity, production quality, and results in achieving marketing objectives.

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8 Dec, 2015 – Walt Disney has doubled its stake in Vice Media, the edgy, youth-focused media group, in a deal that takes its stake to 10% and values the group at $4bn (£2.6bn).

According to sources familiar with the situation, Walt Disney is said to have paid $200m for its additional 5% stake.

The new investment comes as Vice continues to roll out new products across the globe and is to launch a cable TV network in the US next year.

Read more at the Guardian

8 Dec, 2015 – Scripps Networks Interactive has this year been benefiting from an uptick in younger viewers and ratings records at key networks, chairman and CEO Ken Lowe said Tuesday at the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference in New York.

The owner of HGTV, Food Network, Travel Channel and other networks is having its best-ever year with Millennials, he said, citing strong 25-34 audiences for DIY and the Cooking Channel in particular and an increase in kids viewing the Food Network.

“We have really had a strong year,” said Lowe. “Four out of six of our networks have had record years for ratings,” including HGTV and DIY.

Read more at the Hollywood Reporter

8 Dec, 2015 – Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes see earnings growing at Turner Broadcasting as revenues increase.

Bewkes, speaking at the UBS Media Conference in New York Tuesday, noted that Turner had substantial earnings growth in 2015, but that was mostly because of cost-cutting efforts.

“In ’16 it’s going to turn more into a revenue story,” Bewkes said.

“The ad market is starting out pretty well with scatter pricing in the double digits,” Bewkes said. (Turner on Tuesday announced a reorganization of its ad sales staff.)

Read more at Broadcasting Cable

8 Dec, 2015 – Video compression company Thomson Video Networks (TVN) is mulling a binding offer from delivery infrastructure giant Harmonic to acquire 100% of its assets.

Backed by private equity partner Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners (EdRIP), TVN has an existing strategy to accelerate its development by giving the company greater global scale and resources. This, it claims, will drive more value and continuous innovation to the benefit of its customers. Harmonic believes that TVN’s regional strength in APAC, EMEA and LATAM would further enhance Harmonic’s global footprint. With less than 50% customer overlap between the companies, TVN’s content and service provider relationships are expected to open significant opportunities for the joint portfolio of solutions.

Read more at Rapid TV News