Singapore – BBC Worldwide announced the sale of 500 hours of programmes to key clients in Southeast Asia. The programmes, comprising primarily of drama titles, were signed with terrestrial platforms, Kompas TV in Indonesia, ntv7 in Malaysia, and MediaCorp in Singapore as well as digital terrestrial platform MONO29 and third-party content aggregator, STG Mediaplex, in Thailand.
“Historically, our partners in the region are primarily interested in our natural history programmes from BBC’s acclaimed Natural History Unit (NHU). In the past year, in addition to the steady demand for our natural history programmes, we’ve seen an increasing demand for BBC dramas,” said Monty Ghai, SVP & GM Southeast Asia. “The success of British dramas like Sherlock in the region has brought the spotlight to BBC’s drama slate as viewers now recognise the quality and originality of British drama.”
With the new deals, ntv7 viewers in Malaysia will be privy to Sinbad, a thrilling, modern, magical reinvention of the famous legend from the Arabian Nights; Atlantis, a fantasy drama set in a world of legendary heroes and mythical creatures from the creators of hit show Merlin and the creator and BAFTA award-winning Misfits; and The Musketeers, a fresh, contemporary take on the much loved characters and stories which follows d’Artagnan, Athos, Aramis and Porthos as they fight for justice, honour, love and adventure. The airing of The Musketeers and Sinbad marks the first time ntv7 has put international dramas in its primetime slot.
MediaCorp’s viewers in Singapore will have access to highly acclaimed BBC Worldwide dramas and music titles on the broadcaster’s English language channels, Channel 5 and a-ok (arts on okto). Titles include Orphan Black, a critically acclaimed BBC America’s original sci-fi series, featuring award winning actress, Tatiana Maslany as several identical people who are revealed to be clones; and Fleming – The Man Who Would Be Bond, a drama depicting the real story of Ian Fleming, the author who created James Bond.
In Thailand, viewers will be able to watch award-winning series Sherlock, BBC’s contemporary adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes detective stories. Created by Emmy winner Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, it stars Emmy winners Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Doctor John Watson; and Ripper Street, a compelling crime drama set in the seething backstreets of Victorian London – where the law is work in progress and in the hands of a team of determined enforcers.
