Starting MIPTV on a Sunday (not just any Sunday, but Palm Sunday), with 500 fewer attendees than last year; coupled with a climate of cautious buying, had certainly cast a gloom on the market. Still, there are reasons to celebrate, and deals of all sizes to close, as TV ASIA Plus reveals in this issue.

China received massive attention; as massive as the billboard of CCTV-9 that engulfed the Palais’ façade. Note to Reed MIDEM: a Meet-the-experts-from-China session in one of the tiniest auditoriums is unlikely to go down well with the horde of enthusiastic producers trying to gain access to all things China.

From chilly Cannes to sunny Bali, top industry execs gathered end of April for the Asia Pacific Pay-TV Operators Summit (APOS). TV ASIA Plus brings you a preview. Also this month, the NYC Upfronts and L.A. Screenings kick into high gear. We’ll profile L.A. screenings’ “cousin” – the Latin Screenings.

While MIP buyers and sellers recuperate (and then negotiate some more), governments and broadcast regulators have been hard at work. You’ll read about the Foxtel-Austar merger in Australia; restrictions on TV advertising in India; tax incentives for productions in Malaysia; and an overcrowded Pay-TV market in Korea – very much the doing of local regulatory bodies!

On makeovers, last month, we unveiled beTV (formerly AXN Beyond). This month, STAR Chinese Movies receives a “royal” rejuvenation fit for an “emperor” (think FOX Movies Premium, in Chinese). Read the full story, here first, on TV ASIA Plus!

I also interviewed Maria Brown, who shares candidly about the Asian Food Channel.

And finally, our very own Asian Television Awards is receiving entries. Have you submitted yours?