Local productions
Over the recent years, Discovery has collaborated with local creators and storytellers to co-create content that caters to the various audiences in Southeast Asia. Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific announces their production slate for 2017 with Frontier Borneo, which follows a group of Borneo’s unsung heroes as they discover and preserve Borneo’s tropical landscape and rich biodiversity. Produced by Beach House Pictures and Kyanite TV with the support of the Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) and Perbadan Kemajuan Filem Nasional Malaysia (FINAS), the series uncovers rescue missions and deadly creatures in uncharted territories to fully reveal both the beauty and reality of frontier living in the island.
Another production out of Malaysia by Matavia Reka is Surviving Borneo, which is a series that follows local television host and influencer, Henry Golding, as the descendant of the once feared Iban tribe of Sarawak. Henry takes up a personal mission to discover his tribal roots through the unexplored and relentless jungles of his homeland in order to achieve his ‘Bejalai’ which is an Iban rites of passage.
Rohit Tharani, Director of Content Curation, Discovery Southeast Asia said, “In 2017, we are taking the lead and investing in more local content than ever before, bolstering our flagship channels and broadening the appeal for the millennial generation. We are well positioned to take risks and be experimental with the content we are curating across platforms. This presents an unique opportunity to deepen our connection with existing and new audiences across Southeast Asia.
Key Developments
Malaysia’s homegrown streaming service, Ton Ton lands carriage deal with HITS which brings in its’ curation of the best Hollywood TV shows to Ton Ton’s increasing subscriber base. HITS, the basic entertainment channel has more than eight million homes across Asia and the expansion to Malaysia welcomes in new users. Media Prima Television Networks owned OTT platform, Ton Ton, offers linear channels plus over 23,000 hours of catch-up and premium video content which includes a lineup of drama, talk shows, docudramas, and movies.
The success of Ton Ton is evident through its continuous addition of over 18,000 new members weekly with more than 6.6 million users. Ton Ton is uniquely positioned with 80% of its’ offerings from local content and HITS is the latest English-language, Bahasa Malay and Chinese-subtitled linear channel included in Ton Ton’s VIP service.
Owned and operated by multimedia branded entertainment company Rewind Networks, HITS’ multi-award winning series introduces a new generation of TV viewers to these iconic shows. Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, The Philippines and other markets has reached ratings successes showing that HITS’ curation of classic shows such as That ‘70s Show, The Nanny, Golden Girls, Cheers, MacGyver, Diff’rent Strokes, AirWolf, The A-Team, The X-Files and Grey’s Anatomy, resonates with viewers in the region.
HITS offers OTT services such as its’ catch up on-demand service, HITS Replay and streaming on the HITS app which is accessible via iOS and Android to authenticated pay- TV subscribers. Ton Ton offers two weeks of free preview of HITS from the time of the launch.
Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad (Astro) shares its results for the nine months of the financial year ending 31 January 2017, with e-commerce and Adex increasing growth in revenue and PATAMI. The decrease in EBITDA is mostly due to investment in key sports content and currency depreciation impacting content costs.
Tun Zaki Azmi, Chairman of Astro said, “The Group continues to execute against its strategic imperatives to deliver long-term shareholder returns and progressive dividend policy. In line with our progressive dividend policy, the Board is pleased to declare a third interim dividend of 3 cent per share, 9% higher compared to the same period last year.”
Dato’ Rohana Rozhan, Group Chief Executive Officer of Astro said, “We are seeing growth in our reach and engagement across all our platforms. Our TV service reaches 70% of Malaysian households at 5mn (Pay TV: 3.4mn| NJOI: 1.6mn). Our OTT and On Demand (OD) offerings continue to resonate with Astro on the Go (AOTG,) which saw its registered users increase to 1.1mn (+ 31% YoY) and an average viewing time of 130 minutes weekly, while our OD service is registering 600k video downloads per month. Our social media platforms now engage 5.1mn unique viewers monthly. Astro Gempak, our Malay entertainment platform, is Malaysia’s top YouTube channel with a growing 1mn audience and a total of 625.5mn total views.”
