Petaling Jaya, Malaysia – The 29th edition of Anugerah Juara Lagu (AJL) continued to resonate well with Malaysian viewers when the annual song-writing competition raked in a colossal viewership of 6 million during its live telecast on TV3 Malaysia on 18 January, while dominating channel share by 57.3%.

Since its inception in 1986, AJL has been paying homage to the Malaysian music industry by honouring composers, lyricists and singers in the ultimate battle between 12 shortlisted songs to clinch the coveted Juara Lagu title. The production remains one of Primeworks Studios’ most successful formats to date, being one of the most top-watched programmes on Malaysian television each year.

The challenge to keep the theme fresh and engaging each year is a task that Primeworks Studios’ content development team, led by Nor Shahila Harun Shah, gladly accepts. Shahila shared, “Being a music competition, our content developer, Siti Murni Ayu, and I went with a back-to-basics approach and chose to highlight the delicate importance of musical instruments in sound production through its theme, “Gema dalam Muzik” (“Sounds of Music”). Besides the set design, we shone light on the theme through the focus on the live orchestra, as well as through the opening and interlude performances. To ensure our production is of international quality, AJL is shot in high definition (HD) and recorded in Dolby 5.1 format.”

With a diverse crew of more than 200 persons, ranging from sound engineers to lighting directors to talent managers, the responsibility of coordinating each team fell on the shoulders of Chief Floor Manager Azrul Effendi Abdullah Azrul said, “There are a lot of areas that need to be paid close attention to in producing this live multi-camera production, from managing the thirteen cameras used, including a mix of Steadicam, GoPro, and Jimmy Jib, to the audio management of the 40-piece orchestra.”

Besides its high television ratings, this year’s AJL also garnered the highest social media engagement in the show’s history when it trended #1 worldwide and in Malaysia. Second-time AJL director and producer Roslina Abd Rahman beamed, “After months of meticulous planning, it is truly rewarding to see our labour of love being extremely well-received not just locally, but on an international scale as well. We are truly thankful for the strong support by AJL fans, and they have more than inspired us at Primeworks Studios to create something even more thrilling for the 30th edition next year.”