UK-based Travel Channel was the first to announce its entry into Asia Pacific as 3 November 2009 saw it launch via the AsiaSat 5 satellite. Travel Channel broadcasts to 117 countries in 18 languages across Europe, Africa and the Middle East – it is not to be confused with the US-entity of the same name which airs domestically in the US only. Chief executive of Travel Channel, Richard Wolfe, said “We’re excited about partnering with a whole new set of affiliates as we roll out across the Asia Pacific. They’ll find us a bit different – small enough to be nimble and responsive to our customers but big enough to deliver a consistent, high-quality set of products that exploit all the new forms of delivery. Taking the view that our customer’s success is our success has kept us the dominant multi-platform travel broadcaster in EMEA for the past 16 years.” Travel Channel became available across the AsiaSat 5 footprint, reaching through India, North and South East Asia and Australasia. Travel Channel will be uplinked by AsiaSat subsidiary SpeedCast. As Scripps became the new owner of Travel Channel in the US, Scripps Networks Interactive Inc. announced its intention to launch Food Network in Asia on 1 January 2010. The new Food Network channel, which will be programmed and versioned for specific countries, will be distributed through MEASAT Satellite Systems and Ascent Media. The ad-supported service will be available in high definition (HD). “Given the remarkable success of the Food Network brand in the United States, it’s natural to bring this popular genre to Asia where food is such an important part of culture and tradition,” said Greg Moyer, president of the company’s international development division, Scripps Networks International. “Food Network is an obvious and logical choice for international distribution given its universal appeal and tremendous brand power. Our objective is to aggregate an engaged and growing audience of passionate ‘foodies’ across the globe.” Plans for the Asian version of the Food Network include original programming from the regions it will reach, as well as relevant shows that were produced for US audiences. This distribution agreement represents a new direction for the company’s international development efforts, which are now focused on identifying distribution and programming partners around the globe and investing in existing or new lifestyle channels. Last month, Scripps announced its first channel carriage outside North America: a joint venture with Chello Zone to launch Food Network in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific, Inc. announced plans to expand its entertainment portfolio in Asia with the launch of truTV. Taglined ‘Not Reality. Actuality’, Ian Carroll, executive vice president, TBSAP said the channel seeks to move away from the less savoury connotations of reality TV toward the human interest afforded by actuality TV. Scheduled for launch in early 2010, truTV is positioned as the only pay TV channel in Asia giving viewers the opportunity to watch moments of real drama with real consequences The announcement follows Turner’s recent entertainment and lifestyle channel acquisitions, MONDO 21 and Tabi Channel in Japan. “As with our new channels in Japan, the truTV launch represents our ongoing investment to expand our networks in Asia and reflects Turner’s commitment to deliver high quality, well packaged and compelling content. We’re confident that this channel will develop a significant viewer base in Asia, as it has done in the US,” said Carroll. Targetting a core audience of men and women aged 29-39, truTV will feature an exciting programming line up popular in over 91 million households in the US including its number one, high octane series, Black Gold. From the same stable, but to be distributed by HBO Asia, comes WarnerTV, a new general entertainment television channel featuring a slate of Warner Bros. Entertainment programming specifically selected for Asian audiences. The announcement of Warner TV’s 2010 entry into Asia was made by Malcolm Dudley-Smith, executive vice president – business management, Warner Bros. International Branded Services; and Jonathan Spink, CEO, HBO Asia. WarnerTV will feature hit series such as The Mentalist, The Big Bang Theory, Fringe and Gossip Girl. WarnerTV will also present the Asian television premieres of Dark Blue and Southland. Dudley-Smith says the new WarnerTV channel in Asia follows in the footsteps of the Warner Channel in Latin America, WB India and numerous WarnerTV-branded on-demand zones around the world and brings the total number of branded services to more than 30 in over 60 countries around the world. HBO will handle distribution exclusively for WarnerTV throughout Asia. HBO Asia is currently in discussions with various cable operators across Asia, and WarnerTV is targeted to debut in the first quarter of 2010. “WarnerTV is a fresh and exciting addition to our channel lineup. As a basic service featuring the very best of hit television series, it is the perfect complement to our premium bouquet,” said Spink. “We believe WarnerTV will spark exceptionally high demand from both operators and viewers, and we look forward to the launch next year.” HBO Asia also announced an agreement to act as the exclusive distributing agent in Asia Pacific for infant and toddler channel BabyFirst. BabyFirst programming is specifically tailored to meet the unique needs of babies up to three years and features a safe and positive, commercial-free learning environment. Spink commented, “HBO Asia has had a presence in Asia for 17 years and we now operate in 22 territories. HBO has also been voted the top Cable TV channel* in Asia for three years in a row. These successes didn’t happen overnight but through hard effort, significant investment and the establishment of relationships with regulators, governments, affiliates, partners and many others.” Less than three years after its launch, France 24 is putting Asia-Pacific at the forefront of its global roll-out strategy. The French international 24/7 news channel already reaches more than 100 million TV households and is available in more than 750,000 upscale hotel rooms across 120 countries throughout Europe, Middle-East, Africa and the East Coast of the US. Thanks to the free-to-air satellite broadcast of its English-language service on the AsiaSat 2 (now AsiaSat 5) platform since early 2009, France 24 has been able to conclude its first distribution agreements with major cable and IPTV platform operators, and is available in more than 50,000 international hotel rooms throughout Asia-Pacific. In order to strongly support its distribution effort on the ground, France 24 also mandated TV5 Monde Asia (via its Hong-Kong-based office) to prospect, promote and distribute FRANCE 24 on the residential and out-of-home markets in the key countries of the region. Meanwhile TV5Monde Pacifique has added a subscription-based 24/7 live option via its Pacific website www.tv5.org.asia. Costing USD10.99 per month, or $131.88 per year, the new offering is delivered via a dedicated P2P technology developed by SoftBank in Japan. It fills any distribution gaps in territories covered by the TV5 Monde Pacifique signal (Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand NZ); acts as a catch-up in selected markets such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan (due to the three-hour timeshift between TV5 Monde’s Asia and Pacific feeds; and offers Malaysia audiences access to TV5 linear content for the first time. A spokesperson says that, having worked well in Japan for two years in terms of revenue, it was decided to extend this channel offering elsewhere in the region. September 5 saw TV5Monde Pacifique become the ninth channel of the French-speaking network, and, alongside TV5Monde Middle East (32 million H/H) and TV5Monde Asia (18.3million H/H), the third to cover Asia. TV5Monde Pacifique targets territories in the GMT+8 to GMT+12 time zones, mainly North Asia and Australasia. Designed and encrypted for operators, it is carried via optical fibre from Paris to Atlanta and uplinked to IntelSat 8. Unlike the Asia channel, it uses MPEG4 standard to pave the way for new means of distribution such as mobile and high definition. And most recently Rainbow Media, MEASAT Satellite Systems Sdn. Bhd. And Ascent Media Pte Ltd announced an agreement to distribute Sundance Channel and WE tv across the Asia-Pacific region via the MEASAT-3a satellite. The channels will be distributed in high and standard definition. The agreement marks a milestone for both brands, which will be made available for the first time throughout Asia. Under the agreement, Ascent Media will deliver a complete file-based workflow and fully automated playout system, operated in a shared network environment, and will provide the HD uplink to the MEASAT-3a satellite. “We are pleased to announce this significant deal, which paves the way for the Sundance Channel and WE tv to be available in Asia for the first time,” said Ed Carroll, chief operating officer, Rainbow Entertainment Services. “Working with MEASAT and Ascent, we are looking forward to Sundance Channel expanding its reach into another major world market and the launch of WE tv beyond the United States.” “We are fortunate to be working once again with Rainbow Media and Ascent Media for the distribution of Rainbow Media’s latest HD initiative in Asia. Our collaboration with Rainbow Media dates back to 2007 when VOOM HD, the first HD channel on MEASAT-3, was launched in Asia. The addition of Sundance Channel and WE tv strengthens our position as the leader of HD channel distribution in the region,” said Terry Bleakley, vice president, commercial operations, MEASAT. Under the creative direction of Robert Redford, Sundance Channel reaches more than 33 million subscribers in the US. The Sundance Channel schedule is highlighted with original series, Man Shops Globe and Lazy Environmentalist; the premiere limited series 100 Mile Challenge; the theatrical special film presentation, King Lear starring Academy-Award nominee, Sir Ian McKellen; and coveted indie films like Theater of War starring Academy-Award-winning actors Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline. Available in nearly 74 million US households, WE tv (www.WEtv.com) is the premier source for women looking to satisfy their curiosity with fascinating, original stories and entertaining, informative content that is relevant to key stages of their lives. WE tv features such signature series as Bridezillas, Amazing Wedding Cakes, and The Locator.