Singapore – Some of the biggest names in Asian television gathered in Singapore on Thursday December 11 for the 13th Asian Television Awards. Among the stars at the event were Hong Kong’s Raymond Lam, named best actor for his role in The Master of Tai Chi, and Bangkok’s Chiranan Manochaem, named best actress for her role in The Slave. Denise Lorraine Keller was the host for the evening, with guest presenters Al Jazeera English’s Veronica Pedrosa and CNBC Asia Pacific’s Martin Soong – who also took home the award for Best News Presenter or Anchor. MediaCorp Singapore took home the Terrestrial Broadcaster of the Year Award, plus four awards from the Programme Categories, with two of Singapore’s top artistes, Guo Liang and Quan Yi Fong, jointly clinching the Award for Best Entertainment Presenter. Discovery Networks Asia Pacific took home a total of five awards, including the Cable & Satellite Network of the Year Award for the second year running. DNAP garnered a total of 15 awards and commendations from a record 23 nominations for awards in eight categories, topping its previous best of 17 nominations in 2007. Tom Keaveny, executive vice president and managing director, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, said, “Being named ‘Cable & Satellite Network of the Year’ again is a great honour and a testament to the compelling, relevant and high-quality programming Discovery delivers to audiences across the region. In 2009 we will celebrate 15 years of broadcasting in Asia-Pacific and this is a wonderful way to kick off the new year.” CNN picked up ATA’s for flagship programmes CNN Today and Talk Asia, named Asia-Pacific’s Best News Program and Best Talk Show respectively. “This is a fantastic achievement that further underlines the quality of CNN International’s output from the Asia-Pacific region,” said Tony Maddox, executive vice president and managing director CNN International. Al Jazeera English received the award for Best Current Affairs Programme for Inside Myanmar – The Crackdown. Al Jazeera English also received commendations in the categories of Best Documentary Programme and Best Current Affairs Programme. “The Asian Television Awards are among the most coveted in the region and our journalists have been justly rewarded for their in-depth and groundbreaking reporting,” said Tony Burman, managing director of Al Jazeera English.