ATF Singapore – On the first day of the Asia TV Forum, FremantleMedia International (FMI) has announced more than 1,200 hours of sales to the region – all of which have been closed within the last eight weeks. Among the deals are many titles from its recently launched MIPCOM slate as well as the first ever sale of an Australian drama to a free-to-air channel in the Philippines.
The Asia team has made light work of racking up deals across Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and The Philippines, packaging some 580 hours alone for MediaCorp’s on-demand platform Toggle.sg. Leading shows across all genres, from entertainment and lifestyle to drama and kids, have also been snapped up by a variety of free-to-air, pay TV and cable channels.
The competitive reality docu-series featuring the inimitable Anna Wintour, The Fashion Fund, has sold to two broadcasters in Thailand: free-to-air channel Workpoint TV and pay TV operator TrueVisions. TrueVisions has also acquired the new Hulu original series Behind the Mask, the one-off feature documentary I Am Steve McQueen and the eye-opening factual special, Asteroids: Doomsday or Payday?
Solar Entertainment in the Philippines has bought series one to three of Winners and Losers, making it the first ever free-to-air Philippine network to broadcast an Australian drama. It has also acquired The Fashion Fund, David E. Kelley (Ally McBeal, Boston Legal) medical drama Monday Mornings and Web Therapy series three starring Lisa Kudrow.
Philippine cable channel Lifestyle Network has also helped itself to the new FMI celebrity entertainment titles Young Hollywood’s Greatest… and Young Hollywood’s Presents Evolution Of…, and the high concept drama Full Circle.
Haryaty Rahman, Vice-President, International Distribution and Home Entertainment Asia, said, “The Asian marketplace is booming at the moment, it’s full of opportunities but also highly competitive so I’m thrilled to see this appetite for our portfolio. FremantleMedia has had a presence in this region for around 20 years now so we have a great sense of what our buyers need to sustain and expand their audiences”
