Local productions and Korean and Chinese dramas continue to monopolize eyeballs during prime-time on the major free-to-air broadcasters across much of the Asia-Pacific. But Big Brother is still going strong, Idols are popular and game shows are hot in many markets. Most US series are still relegated to late night or daytime slots on the leading networks. But if Steve Macallister, Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Buena Vista International Television (Asia Pacific) has his way, that may soon change. BVITV recently completed a regional focus group study in Malaysia, Korea, Indonesia and India to get a deeper understanding of how consumers relate to US programs. “What was clear from the findings and to a certain extent quite a surprise, was the sheer depth and engagement that Asian viewers have with US content, and this confirms that US shows absolutely add value to local programming schedules,” Macallister said. “As a result of this study, we plan to work more closely with our broadcasters to find the best timeslots for our programs.”