Dylan Lee, Executive Program Director, now NEWS It is a great honor for now NEWS to win the title of The Best Documentary Program of the Asian TV Award 2009. It is the second consecutive year that we have received the award. Now NEWS just celebrated its second anniversary and this award is definitely the best birthday present for us. now NEWS is a 24-hour local Chinese news channel which started airing on 24 October 2007. It is committed to pursuing truth in this ever-changing world in a professional and dedicated manner. As part of a team, every staff member involved in this project has contributed to the success. We believe that industry recognitions like the Asian TV Award will surely help to boost the quality of programs. Joyce Yeung, Senior Vice President and General Manager Asia, Sales and Distribution, BBC Worldwide We are extremely proud of Wild China, it being our first ever co-production with a Chinese broadcaster. Everyone who worked on the series was keen to show audiences a different side to this enigmatic country, opening it up to the world, and it’s fantastic that all their efforts have been recognized with such a prestigious award. The BBC’s Natural History Unit is world renowned and consistently delivers new and groundbreaking natural history footage from across the world. Their input was undoubtedly key to the success of the series, as was CTV’s huge expertise on the ground in China. Without their knowledge, the unique and never-seen-before locations and scenes could never have been shot and then shown to the world in this landmark documentary. The awards absolutely help to raise the profile of original content created out of Asia, in partnership with a credible international partner such as the BBC. It showcases a successful framework whereby local productions are backed by funding supported by strong international sales, hence enabling larger scale of production and high production values. In addition to local broadcasters and private production sectors investing into TV production, government support is also key as we have already seen in a number of countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and South Korea. Fumio Narashima, Head of International Program Development, NHK We are very happy that our programs have won at the Asian Television Awards. The New Anatomy Show came out from a challenging idea to mix together science and entertainment. The success greatly owes to NHK’s expertise in science programs and various unique experimental ideas that the science team has accumulated over the years. Through observation of the Yanomami people, our program, Yanomami, tried to take a look at our roots as human beings and how we have lived together with nature. We are glad to know that our intentions were understood and shared by the Asian juries. The ATA encourages producers to look beyond the domestic broadcast. It gives them an opportunity to think about the international audience when producing programs. It is extremely important for Asian producers to know and understand each other. It would be nice to have ATA provide the nominees with more network opportunities with each other. Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-Chief, IBN18 Network It is really a special moment. What makes this award truly special is that it is not an individual award, but one that has been ‘earned’ by the entire CNN-IBN team. Moreover, it is for election coverage, easily the most defining attribute for any news channel, and in a country of the size of India, perhaps the most difficult to execute. CNN-IBN was declared the most watched channel on Election Counting Day (as per officially released TAM ratings) and had already received widespread praise and recognition for its coverage. The latest Asian TV Award is an additional and an important feather in the channel’s cap. Election coverage is the ultimate test for a news channel and to win an award for election programming requires a spirited team effort. This award just goes to show that we have the best team in the business and that the entire team came together when it mattered most. To win an Asian TV award is a big deal since the competition includes among the best in the business. Besides being extremely satisfying, it also makes one conscious of the fact that one has to live up to the high standards and serves as further encouragement to continue the good work in future. It also means a lot that one’s work has been noticed and appreciated not just in one’s own domestic market but across the whole of Asia. Ellana Lee, Managing Editor, CNN International Asia Pacific We are delighted to be recognized by our industry peers in this way. CNN’s staff continue to raise the bar and get to the heart and soul of the stories they report on and these awards reflect their efforts. Of special commendation are our two award recipients, Anjali Rao who received the award for Best Current Affairs Presenter for Talk Asia, and John Vause, our senior international correspondent based in Beijing, who won the Best Single News Story award for Gold Machine, a look at Chinese athletes’ quest for Olympic gold. The success is due to our people – our correspondents across the region and our teams behind the camera who work tirelessly to support them. Awards such as these help promote and stimulate the region’s television industry by demonstrating the industry’s best-practices and honoring excellence. It also underscores our belief that journalism backed by passion, transparency, intelligence and diversity will always have a loyal audience. Investment in people, infrastructure and technology is vital in stimulating TV production in the Asia Pacific. CNN has led by example with new correspondents, a new production center in Abu Dhabi, new programming line-up and an enhanced CNN.com site. Cheung Hak Chiu, Senior Executive Producer of Sunday Report, TVB Winner of Best Current Affairs Programme award On behalf of all my colleagues working on programmes for the 1st anniversary of the Great Sichuan Earthquake, I am very honoured an episode on Sunday Report has been deemed the ‘Best Current Affairs Programme’ in the Asian Television Awards 2009. TVB News invested massive resources following up closely on the progress of the rebuilding and renovation of collapsed structures, and to unearth the truth as to why so many schools had been devastated. Investigative reports are not easy. I hope this award will further encourage and stimulate your efforts to probe into dubious actions, ill-intentions and outright stupidity of governments, organisations and individuals, and in turn promote the integrity and excellence of the television industry in this region. Hsu,Chin-Yun, Director of Hakka TV Hakka Television Station has been founded for merely six years, and this is an encouragement for us to be recognized by winning the Best Drama Series and Best Single Drama or Telemovie Programme awards, as well as a Highly Commended for Best Single Drama or Telemovie Programme and a nomination for Cable/Satellite Network of the Year. 1895 in Formosa won the award of Best Drama Series. In addition to showing gratitude for the production team’s efforts, we would like to thank Council for Hakka Affairs, for it supported us by providing budgets for the movie version and hence we had the chance to accomplish the production of TV version. Although Ma Shi-Yu in Easy Money and Jin-Ying Hunag in Love in the Season of Osmanthus both served as the directors for the first time, they showed brilliant performances. We are very thankful for the recognition bestowed by the ATA judges on Hakka Television Station. Also, we believe that such an honor is so encouraging and inspiring for enthusiasts who devote themselves to the television industry. Adrian Pang, MediaCorp For me, to be able to enjoy the process of working on any production is the most gratifying thing, and I can honestly say I had a blast working on Red Thread. I made some great friends on the shoot, and worked with some really wonderful people. Winning the award is a nice bonus, and a lovely memento of the time I spent with this fabulous bunch of people. I share the award with everyone on Red Thread…and I’m happy to keep it in my house on their behalf. Chia Men Yiang, Senior Executive Producer, Chinese Drama Productions, MediaCorp We are pleasantly surprised and honoured to win the Best Drama Series Award for The Little Nyonya, after all the competition is stiff as we face strong contenders from the region. This is testament to the hard work put in by everyone in the team, from the scriptwriter to the actors, and all who are involved in the production. One of the key ingredients in the drama’s success is its captivating script. This is a result of years of relentless efforts by our scriptwriter Eng Tee in researching the Peranakan culture. Together with the dedication of the production team and the casts’ brilliant acting, the story was successfully brought to life. Other attributing factors include the company’s commitment to this mega project and the valuable assistance by The Peranakan Association Singapore. The Asian Television Awards has provided an excellent platform for regional productions to compete in a fair and healthy manner. It creates an opportunity for cultural exchange and also to learn from each other’s strength, which inadvertently stimulate creativity and elevate the quality of regional content. If the competition can draw participants from a more varied background, this will definitely encourage interaction and stimulate exchanges in all aspects of drama production. Atsuya Takase, Producer, Programming & Production Department, Fuji Television Network, Inc. It is a great pleasure to know that our show was recognized among an audience that comes from so many different regions. This is the result of the hard work of our crew. I thank my crew, cast, and viewers for their support. The production team’s love towards the show is the most important aspect. We’ve also made sure that our show was attractive enough to satisfy our viewers. As a result, Run for Money became a content that many Asian people found attractive as well. Television used to be a domestic media that depicted the cultures and lifestyles of just a particular country. However, I think it’s becoming necessary for television to transcend borders. This will heighten the importance and raison d’etre of television. That is why the development of international awards is crucial. The key in stimulating TV production in the Asia Pacific is for those in the television industry around the world to maintain their motivation and sincerity to “create fun and interesting content”. In order to do so, I believe the analog approach of personnel exchanges between countries is important. In order to stimulate TV production even more, it’s vital to first stimulate the creators themselves. Ricky Ow, Senior Vice President & General Manager, SPE Networks – Asia To win the award two years in a row is a huge encouragement for us. We achieved good ratings for the show, which is a clear indication of its entertainment quality; to win an award reinforces our belief in this great production. It is a philosophy that we hold dear – we always aim high when we embark on a project. Despite this being the third season, we continued to find new angles to add freshness to each new season. Even though the show is already a winning formula, we wanted to give viewers new surprises. We aimed to improve all aspects – from production, cast selection, sponsors integration, to marketing and promotional activities. No effort was spared to ensure we bettered ourselves and not rest on our laurels even though we won an award the previous season. With Asia being a keenly watched market place worldwide, such awards give an added boost for Asian productions and can help stimulate the demand for quality productions and bring recognition to talents in Asia. Awards such as these work well in recognizing outstanding work done in Asia. Governments in Asia also play an active role by investing in productions; and many academic organizations offer courses in this area too. In addition, there should be a marketplace within Asia for Asian content. Channels in Asia should be encouraged to buy shows from one another. There should be more outlets to reap such returns, even if it means acquiring second or third runs. This will help to create a more sustainable economy in the long run. Asia has to become a vibrant market first before we look at tackling the rest of the world. Lastly, we should encourage younger talents to participate. Perhaps having a youth award to recognize young talents will help to kickstart their careers and build the foundation for the future. Chusak Iamsuk, Workpoint Entertainment Plc. Co. Ltd It is a great honor. I never thought I would have a chance to be on this honorable stage again. I would like to thank Workpoint Entertainment, Phanya, Prapas and my team for all their support. I will work hard and develop my acting skills so that audiences will not be disappointed. Phanya Nirunkul, CEO, Workpoint Entertainment Plc. Co., Ltd It is an honor and I am very happy to win in the Asian Television Awards. We’ve won awards in different categories each year, and I believe it is because of the effort we put into our work that lead to our success. We attribute our success this year to the continuous development of the creative team – they are in charge of coming up with new ideas and programs. Awards such as the ATA encourage development because of the high level of competition that leads to better quality TV programs. This is also a reward for us and everyone in this business. It would be great if there is a chance to exchange TV programs – especially programs from other countries that have also won the Awards. That way we can learn from each other and use it to further develop our work in order to produce the best TV programs. Nivedith Alva, Executive Director, Miditech Private Limited Winning the Asian Television Award is a truly humbling feeling. We have produced Indian Idol for 4 seasons in India and the award this year is a fitting tribute to teams that have worked really hard and in a totally dedicated manner for over four years on this show. This award means more than the others as it is voted for by professionals across the Asian programming spectrum, each of whom has a lot of experience and is a leading light in their own country. Indian Idol 4 was a truly spectacular show and was probably the best looking version done out of India. The team at Miditech worked hard to produce and deliver a show that broke through the clutter of the other shows and came across as compulsory viewing for audiences in India. This year we also won Best Music show at the Indian Television Academy Awards for Idol. So a twin success means a lot. These awards are a fitting tribute to hard work and dedication. They are much coveted and winning them is a true feather in our cap. When one competes at these awards and wins, one gets to know about the other types of shows that are produced, what the competition is like and what ideas are being worked on in the rest of Asia. Forums such as these bring our countries closer together. The Asian Television Forum should be held in different Asian countries each year. This will improve participation and also bring in more avenues for working together.