Singapore, 3 September 2015: Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific today announced 13 new local productions commissioned out of Asia Pacific for the network’s various brands including flagship Discovery Channel, leading travel and lifestyle channel TLC, and Discovery Kids. The shows are produced with local production companies and crews, and/or feature local talent, bringing a truly local flavour to programmes that are made for an international audience.
The slate of local productions further reinforces Discovery’s commitment to investing in content and creating compelling local programmes that give insight into the people, cultures, and history in the region – while deepening its connection with viewers.
Charmaine Kwan, Vice President of Programming, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, said, “We have been bringing the world stories from our region for more than 20 years now, ever since Discovery started operations in Asia Pacific. Our programmes are about celebrating human achievements and the wonders of the world, driven by curiosity. So we are very excited about these shows – from animation and sport to survival and lifestyle – all of which have their own appeal but with a distinctly local element.”
The latest topical special from Discovery Channel is SABAH EARTHQUAKE DECODED which examines the science behind the earthquake and the possibility of future occurrences, and tells the touching human stories of those affected. In the one-hour special, some of the children from Singapore’s Tanjong Katong Primary School recount their experience on the mountain – the first time they have spoken in such detail about the tragic day. The special is produced by Malaysia’s Matavia Reka.
Also produced out of Malaysia by Red Communications is Discovery Channel’s YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED WITH EAN NASRUN. The 10-part series highlights experiments and home-made science heroes from all over the world, through a compilation of clips scoured from the internet. The series is fronted by popular Malaysian radio personality Ean Nasrun, and features experts and clips from Asia.
TAIWAN’S MILITARY ELITE produced with Article Taiwan returns for a second season and is narrated by Joel Lambert, host of Discovery Channel’s international hit series MANHUNT. Lambert, a former Navy SEAL, is the perfect fit for this format, lending not just his voice but also his expertise and experience in the field.
Following the success of Discovery’s natural history shows out of India such as INDIA’S WANDERING LIONS and REVEALED: RAAN OF KUTCH, is the one-hour special ROCK LEOPARDS OF JAWAI, produced with Robin Roy Films.
Fans of ABALONE WARS can look forward to the fourth installment of the series and expect all-new challenges as the abalone dive crews return to the hostile waters of Port Lincoln. The series is produced by NHNZ.
In the lifestyle genre, KITCHEN KAKIS with Malaysian production company Double Vision features local home cooks Aaron Chen and Yang Lee Keong in their television debut. The buddies, who share a common love for cooking, show that even the average guy can make much more than just man-food.
Discovery has also partnered with Singapore-based One Animation, to produce THE INSECTIBLES, a high-end animation series targeted at kids. This is Discovery’s second animation for Discovery Kids.
Other titles coming up (please refer to Programme Descriptions for more information and airing details):
From Taiwan
– TAIWAN MADE
– TAIWAN’S TRIBAL TREASURES
– KITCHEN COOK-OFF 3
From India
– INDIA’S BATTLES AND HEROES
From Australia
– JOHN EALES REVEALS: LIFE AFTER SPORT
From Japan
– NOBU’S JAPAN
# # #
About Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific
Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, a division of the number-one pay-TV programmer Discovery Communications, is dedicated to satisfying curiosity, engaging and entertaining viewers with high-quality content through its portfolio of 14 brands. From survival to natural history, wonders of science to extreme jobs, motoring to travel and lifestyle, and the latest engineering marvels to live sporting events, each channel offers distinct must-watch programming to engage viewers across the region. The network’s 14 brands reach 674 million cumulative subscribers in 36 countries and territories with programming customised in 14 languages and dialects. For more information, please visit www.asia.discovery.com.
PROGRAMME DESCRIPTIONS
1965: INDIA’S BATTLES & HEROES (1 X 60’)
Premiering: 4Q15 on Discovery Channel
The documentary commemorates the 50th anniversary of the 1965 India-Pakistan War. It recounts the valour and sacrifice of the men of the Indian Armed Forces who had laid their lives on the line for their country. Through rare archival footage of the war, re-enactments and emotional accounts of the soldiers who were at the battlefront, the special pays tribute to the extraordinarily brave soldiers who rose to the occasion when their nation was under threat.
ABALONE WARS 4 (3 X 60’)
Premiering: October 2015 on Discovery Channel
The abalone dive crews of Port Lincoln are back and this time, it’s an all-new set of challenges. In addition to the vicious weather and ever-looming Great Whites, a lack of high-earning abalone forces the divers to take a voluntary cut in quotas, forcing them to come up with innovative ways to survive the season. Despite the deadly challenges, the dive crews continue to risk their lives in search of the lucrative green-lipped abalone.
THE INSECTIBLES (52 X 15’)
Premiering: November 2015 on Discovery Kids
THE INSECTIBLES follows a band of genetically modified insects and one insatiably curious young boy as they encounter and confront many strange occurrences within the insect world.
JOHN EALES REVEALS: LIFE AFTER SPORT (1X60’)
Premiering: September 2015 on Discovery Channel
The modern elite athlete is a super human; faster and stronger than any generation before. Pushing their bodies and brains far beyond the boundaries that limit the rest of us, they dedicate their lives to achieving success. However, no matter how great they are, they can’t stay super human forever. Australian rugby union legend, John Eales AM sets out to uncover the periods of transition that occur throughout the careers of sport’s biggest champions. John sits down with some of sport’s luminaries, his peers, who have retired from sport or are planning for the day when they too will need to make the transition from elite athlete to everyday life. Featuring Grant Hackett, Layne Beachley, Andrew Ettingshausen, Al Baxter, Lauren Jackson, Matt Banting, Robbie Crowther and more.
KITCHEN COOK OFF 3 (8X 60’)
Premiering: November 2015 on TLC
Kitchen Cook-Off features two talented young chefs Joel Chen and Soac Liu who are on a mission to encourage modern young folks to get cooking! In the all-new season, they invite celebrities to their private kitchen in Taipei to whip up a tailor-made three-course dinner for the guest star.
KITCHEN KAKIS (8 X 30’)
Premiering: 1Q16 on TLC
This all-new series is a fun in-the-kitchen cooking show that teaches viewers how to make simple but impressive, “idiot-proof” meals in ten steps or less. No experience in the kitchen? No problem. Home cooks and buddies Aaron Chen and Yang Lee Keong will break it down into effortless step-by-step instructions so anyone can learn to whip up a smorgasbord of tantalising eats for every occasion!
NOBU’S JAPAN (5 X 30’)
Premiering: September 2015 on TLC
Legendary chef Nobu Matsuhisa travels with other renowned chefs to the lesser known regions of country to uncover a side of Japanese life not typically seen. Each episode will culminate with the chefs developing a new dish based on the inspiration they find during their travels. These new dishes will be served at a charity dinner whose proceeds will be donated to the earthquake recovery effort.
ROCK LEOPARDS OF JAWAI (WT) (1 X 60’)
Premiering: 4Q15 on Animal Planet
Nestled between Marwar and Mewar, is Godhwar, the Southwest region of Rajasthan and home to a proliferation of leopards. Here, these four-legged creatures are not quite like the elusive big cats they are known to be in the rest of India. The leopards here are regularly seen living in harmony with the villagers and this documentary is a story of a beautiful co-existence between man and cat.
SABAH EARTHQUAKE DECODED (1 X 60’)
Premiering: 4Q15 on Discovery Channel
In June, 2015, a huge earthquake rocked Mount Kinabalu, leaving hundreds stranded and 18 dead. Hosted by British Malaysian host Henry Golding, the series attempts to investigate why and how the earthquake happened with the help of actual footage of the earthquake, emotional first-hand survivor accounts and the scientific analysis of seismic experts. With once dormant fault lines under Malaysia now displaying signs of renewed activity, what are the possible implications for the surrounding regions?
TAIWAN MADE (1X 60’)
Premiering: 1Q16 on Discovery Channel
This series explores how many everyday made-in-Taiwan objects that we seldom stop to think about are imagined, designed and manufactured in the island city.
TAIWAN’S MILITARY ELITE 2 (3 X 60’)
Premiering: November 2015 on Discovery Channel
TAIWAN’S MILITARY ELITE, voiced by Joel Lambert, former Navy SEAL and host of MANHUNT WITH JOEL LAMBERT, goes behind-the-scenes to see what it takes to be a frogman, a ranger or a member of underwater ops. New recruits are pushed to the brink mentally and physically, but persevering means they’ll join a coveted unit and become the honor of Taiwan.
TAIWAN’S TRIBAL TREASURES (3X60’)
Premiering: March 2016 on Discovery Channel
Under the weight of globalisation, culture-rich Taiwan is experiencing the loss of some age-old aboriginal languages, traditions and rituals which could very well come to pass in our lifetime. In this three part mini-series, Discovery Channel brings viewers into the tribes of Taiwan to understand how the next generation is helping these traditions regain its position in today’s modern context.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED WITH EAN NASRUN (10 X 60’)
Premiering: September 2015 on Discovery Channel
Radio deejay and funny man Ean Nasrun joins Discovery Channel to scour the internet for the weirdest and craziest home-made science experiments in Malaysia and all over the world! With the help of a team of science experts from Malaysia and across the globe, the series will analyse how the most mind-blowing experiments were made possible and which ones deserve to be crowned the best. It’s science, but not as you know it!
# # #
Subhash Chandra-promoted Essel Group has marked a new beginning in its media journey with its new food and lifestyle channel Living Foodz, which will launch on 11 September. 
SINGAPORE, 4 September 2015 – Asian Food Channel and Food Network announced today that two talented and passionate foodies have been selected as the 2015 Food Hero winners after a four-month talent search across Asia-Pacific. The finalists were judged on their performance in a series of food-based challenges, interviews, screen tests and most of all, on their abilities to engage with the viewers both on-air and in person. Viewers across Asia can look forward to Ili Sulaiman and Debbie Wong from Malaysia and Hong Kong respectively, hosting shows on Asian Food Channel and Food Network in the coming months.
IBC Expo 2015, Amsterdam, September 3rd , 2015: Conax, part of the Kudelski Group and a leader in total service protection for digital TV and entertainment services showcases at IBC Expo a series of innovations including end-to-end forensic watermarking for UHD, secure Android TV, Conax’ proven multi-DRM back-end and fast-time-to-market solutions for OTT and TV Everywhere. In addition, Conax will announce a unique new solution for IPTV. Conax will be co-exhibiting with Kudelski sister companies, NAGRA, Kudelski Security and SmarDTV at IBC, Stand #C1.81. 
Ericsson has published the latest edition of its annual ConsumerLab TV & Media Report, representative of the viewing habits of 680 million consumers across the globe.
I am thrilled to announce today that Elemental is joining forces with Amazon to accelerate the development and adoption of our software-defined video platform. As a part of Amazon Web Services, Elemental will continue to operate under our existing brand, delivering the full range of solutions required by our customers.
NEW YORK / LUXEMBOURG, 2 September 2015 – SES S.A. (NYSE Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) and New York-based Fashion One Television LLC., the leading fashion, entertainment and lifestyle television network, have launched the world’s first global Ultra HD channel, Fashion One 4K. SES is delivering the free-to-air channel across North America, South America and Europe via its satellites.