As I write, it has just gone a month since the year of Asian television came to a celebratory crescendo at the Awards ceremony in Singapore. Along with the new and tweaked award categories – which garnered some of the highest entries – it was also fantastic to see a number of fi rst time winners and a real diversity in programmes being awarded.

A bigger highlight of the day were our Showcase and Superpitch events. Not only did the day-long programme garner a healthy turn out – up from 137 in the previous year, to just under 400 in 2011, but the positive response from the industry – both regionally and elsewhere – was a reassuring pat on the back for content makers across the Asia-Pacifi c.

The Asian Television Forum also saw a marked increase in foot traffic, with an estimated US$188 million worth of deals closed by the end of its run, a 26 per cent increase on 2010. Organizers Reed Exhibitions and Reed MIDEM announced at the event they have entered a strategic alliance to build on ATF’s reputation and develop the market further as demand for Asia-made content continues to make headway in international markets.