Toggle and ViuTV collaborate for their inaugural co-production, Bluetick

The 20-ep series will simulcast in Singapore and Hong Kong, on Toggle and ViuTV respectively

Hong Kong and Singapore, 19 March 2018 – Mediacorp (which owns digital entertainment service Toggle) and HK Television Entertainment Company Limited (operator of PCCW’s free television service ViuTV) announce their first collaboration to co-produce a 20 episode series, Bluetick.

The collaboration will see Toggle and ViuTV pooling the best of their production capabilities together. Viewers can look forward to an elevated production value not usually seen in local dramas. Filming will take place across Singapore, Hong Kong and various places in mainland China, enabling viewers to experience new sights and sounds and catering to new consumption preferences.

The suspense drama strengthens both Toggle and ViuTV’s brand presence in Southeast Asia. This project aims to add on to the lineup of ViuTV’s original production. As the first co-produced Toggle Originals program, the project is fully supported by Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).

The co-production will cast artistes from Singapore and Hong Kong, exposing them to a diverse mix of talents from both territories, ranging from veteran actors to up-and-coming stars. Cast members include film-award-winning actor Wong You Nam (HK), veteran actors Liu Kai Chi (HK) and Law Kar Ying (HK), Mediacorp artistes Desmond Tan (SG), Ya Hui (SG), Jeffrey Xu (SG) as well as actress-model Sheila Sim (SG). ViuTV artistes Bonde Sham (HK), Scarlett Wong (HK), Dixon Wong (HK), Colin Chan (HK), Hailey Chan (HK) will also participate in the drama.

Based on Hong Kong author Ray Leung’s best-selling novel, Bluetick revolves around ten strangers who attend the funeral of their common friend. One of them, Bi Nianxia, sends a message to her deceased friend, only to receive a “blue tick”, indicating that the message was delivered and read. Nianxia brushes it off as a prank initially, but realizes that something is amiss when those who attended the funeral gets murdered one after another. She decides to investigate and the plot thickens with cliffhangers, unpredictable twists and an unforeseeable ending.

Mr. Anil Nihalani, Head Digital Products and Technology Mediacorp, said, “The collaboration with ViuTV marks another milestone for Toggle, and reinforces our commitment to delight our audiences with quality original content, up the ante with international production and casts that they can already relate to. Through this collaboration, we also hope to introduce Mediacorp’s wide content offerings to audiences in Hong Kong through Toggle.”

Ms. Doreen Neo, Chief Content Officer, Mediacorp, said, “We feel privileged to collaborate with ViuTV for this co-production. Having the opportunity to participate in a myriad of co-productions over the years, we hope to bring into this collaboration our production expertise and creative talents. With the strength of both platforms, Toggle and ViuTV, and a combination of production and acting talents from both sides, I am confident that we can create content that will resonate with viewers not just in Hong Kong and Singapore, but across Asia.”

Mr. Lofai Lo, General Manager of ViuTV, said, “It is a great pleasure to collaborate with Mediacorp. By forging a creative dynamic between our two production arms, we hope to produce a creative and unique drama series that blends the best of both cultures in Singapore and Hong Kong. Our collaboration enhances our ability to serve the Chinese audience in different parts of the world, and also heightens ViuTV’s production quality. By taking an initial step in international co-production, ViuTV can establish and strengthen its brand presence around the world, and further our mission to provide more variety and choices to our Chinese audiences.”

Bluetick will be simulcast to audiences in Singapore and Hong Kong, via Toggle and ViuTV respectively. Scheduled for launch in September 2018, the series will commence filming in March and will be released over 20 30-minute episodes.

– # –

About Toggle

Toggle is Mediacorp’s digital entertainment service with entertainment and lifestyle content. It redefines TV viewing, going beyond the television set, offering a wide variety of local content options – videos on-demand, Toggle Originals, live coverage of key events, and behind-the-scenes exclusives to viewers across multiple devices – computers, tablets, smartphones, Smart TVs and Apple TVs. Log on to www.toggle.sg or download the app on App Store, Google Play Store, and Smart TV App Stores.

About Mediacorp

Mediacorp has the widest range of media platforms in Singapore spanning digital, television, radio, print and out-of-home media. Its mission is to engage, entertain and enrich audiences by harnessing the power of creativity.

Mediacorp pioneered the development of Singapore’s broadcasting industry, with the radio broadcast in 1936 and television broadcast in 1963. Today, the company has over 50 products and brands in four languages (English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil), reaching out to virtually all adults in Singapore weekly.

Mediacorp is an active regional player through Channel NewsAsia International, drama co-productions and collaborations in magazine publishing and online media. Its investments include majority share in Kapanlagi Network, Indonesia’s largest independent digital media and in Malaysia’s digital games publisher Cubinet Interactive. It also has stakes in Reebonz, one of the region’s fastest growing luxury online retailers, and Vietnam television’s International Media Corporation.

Mediacorp was named Terrestrial Broadcaster of the Year for the 13th time at the Asian Television Awards in 2016.

For more information, please visit mediacorp.sg.

About ViuTV

Dedicated to bring Hong Kong audiences a huge variety of television entertainment, HK Television Entertainment Company Limited operates two free-to-air channels – ViuTV (Channel 99), the Chinese-language channel, and ViuTVsix (Channel 96), the English-language channel. With 24 hours daily broadcast of factual entertainment, variety show, drama, travelogue, infotainment, news and sports programmes, ViuTV has established itself as the epitome of high quality, creative local TV production in Hong Kong.

ViuTVsix provides top-notch television programmes from around the world. The channel also collaborates with major news networks worldwide to provide a variety of news programmes, along with live broadcasting of the world’s top sports events.

For media inquiries, please call:

Heather Ang
Mediacorp
AVP, Marketing, Connected Media
Tel.: +65 9106 3066
Email: heatherang@mediacorp.com.sg

Portia Wong
ViuTV
Public Relations Manager
Tel.: +852 3665 5834
Email: portia.wong@viu.tv

Information is provided by member companies of CASBAA. CASBAA takes no responsibility for opinions and information contained in these news releases.