Singapore, November 19, 2013 – Television Asia Plus, the official publication and organiser of the 18th Asian Television Awards (ATA), has announced that the prestigious trade awards event held annually in Singapore will be televised regionally on Star World and Channel [V], FOX International Channels’ (FIC) leading general entertainment channel and music channel respectively. The awards ceremony will air across five feeds between the two channels reaching audiences in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam (telecast details to be announced). This is the first time in ATA’s history that the trade event will enjoy a regional broadcast. Singapore’s terrestrial broadcaster MediaCorp TV will produce the show for a separate local broadcast.
This year’s ATA has attracted 1,248 entries from 14 countries across the Asia-Pacific. In all, 189 channels from 98 broadcasters, as well as 65 independent production companies, will compete in 38 categories under the three groups of Programming, Performance, and Technical & Creative.
A final “top four” ATA trophies (making 42 trophies in all) will be handed out for “Terrestrial Channel of the Year”, “Cable & Satellite Channel of the Year”, “Terrestrial Broadcaster of the Year”, and “Cable & Satellite Network of the Year”, based on the number of wins aggregated by each broadcast entity; the results of which are tabulated by independent audit firm PwC.
To manage the overwhelming submissions, the judging panel – consisting of regional programmers, production professionals and channel managers – has been upsized from last year’s 48 to 62. The final list of nominees for the 38 competing categories was announced industry-wide on November 13.
Another “first” for the awards is its new home, the iconic tourist destination Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), Singapore. The awards, to be held on the night of December 5, will open with an expanded pre-event red carpet that will also house a Networking Cocktail Party. This cocktail reception will be for the first time, opened to all trade members for free. As with previous years, ticketed guests will be entitled to attend the formal Gala Dinner and witness the Awards Ceremony.
Other firsts, 45 to be exact, represent the number of entrants participating in ATA for the first time. These 45 media companies put forward a total of 101 entries, representing Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, The Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam; reflecting the awards’ ever-widening reach.
“We’ve seen tremendous interest for our awards over the years. Not only have the number of entries increased, we’re also seeing greater participation from more Asian broadcasters and production companies, making this awards truly representative of Asia,” says Raymond Wong, CEO of Television Asia Plus. “The theme of this year’s awards, ‘Celebrating Asia’, plus our collaboration with FOX International Channels, signal our desire for an event of this scale to reach the widest audience possible, so that regional viewers may celebrate their home-grown talent as they receive the Asian television industry’s highest honour.”
“FOX International Channels is honoured to partner with the Asian Television Awards this year,” says Joon Lee, Executive Vice President of Content & Communications, Asia Pacific & Middle East at FOX International Channels. “There is a lot of great work being done in the industry that should be recognised. We are pleased to have the opportunity to support the creativity and successes of our colleagues and peers, and help the industry grow as a whole.”
At this year’s ATA, the Official Regional Broadcaster FIC will also be honouring an individual from the industry with the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Asian Television Award,’ recognising a senior industry professional whose work in Asian television has changed the landscape and helped push the industry forward.
On the same night, official publication Television Asia Plus will announce the winners in real-time on Twitter and Facebook, capturing winners’ on-stage reactions and other moments throughout the night for audiences that have come to expect instant results, on multiple screens, and via multiple devices.
To attend the ATA Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony (table bookings), please contact Amantha Chia at amantha.chia@contineomedia.com.
To RSVP for the ATA pre-event Networking Cocktail Party (FOC), please contact Laura Low at laura.low@contineomedia.com.
For media passes and other press enquiries, please contact Laura Low at laura.low@contineomedia.com.
For sponsorship opportunities, please contact James Phua at james@clarusmktg.com.
To find out more about ATA, please visit ata.onscreenasia.com.
18th Asian Television Awards: Key Figures
Entries
- Total entries: 1,248
- Number of awards: 38 award categories, 4 top awards (42 in total)
- Industry Achievement Award: 1 award, for “Outstanding Contribution to Asian Television”
- New entrants: 45 media companies that have previously not participated, adding 101 new entries.
Submitting companies
- No. of submitting broadcasters and platform operators: 80
- No. of broadcasters and platform operators represented (including production companies that submitted of behalf of broadcasters and platforms): 98
- No. of submitting regional and terrestrial channels: 138
- No. of regional and terrestrial channels represented (including production companies that submitted works on behalf of broadcasters and platforms): 189
- No. of independent companies (production houses and distributors) that submitted entries: 65
- Countries represented: 14, from Australia, Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam
Judges: 62 (up from 48 in 2012)
