Sony Pictures Television (SPT) Networks, Asia announced a multi-year agreement with FremantleMedia International and Syco Entertainment for the rights to Asia’s Got Talent, the record-breaking series that premiered first on Sony’s AXN channel in 2015. The agreement forms part of SPT Networks’ long term strategy to further build on its pipeline of successful original productions.

Billed as the biggest talent show in the world, Asia’s Got Talent is set to return to AXN this year, featuring the region’s most dynamic, stunning and somewhat crazy acts from AXN’s 20 broadcast territories across Asia. The announcement follows hot on the heels of hugely popular The Amazing Race Asia Season 5, which celebrated its season finale last month, winning the ratings in its timeslot among all regional English language pay-TV channels collectively in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines.1

Season one of Asia’s Got Talent set new ratings records for the English general entertainment (GE) genre during its run, taking AXN to the number one spot in its timeslot among all regional pay-TV channels collectively across Southeast Asia and Taiwan.2

In Malaysia, Asia’s Got Talent was the highest rated entertainment series on English language channels on Astro in the past two years. In the Philippines, the Grand Final Results episode of Asia’s Got Talent was the highest rated pay-TV program in the country since 2008, and commanded a 96 percent share among 22 English GE channels. Auditions will be held in various cities throughout Asia in the coming months with the premiere of Asia’s Got Talent Season 2 slated for the second half of the year.

AXN is a leader of regionally produced original content in Asia, with notable ratings successes including five seasons of the international Emmy-nominated The Amazing Race Asia; the Asian Television Award-winning Cash Cab Asia and Cash Cab Philippines; The Apprentice Asia; Cyril: Rio Magic; Cyril’s Family Vacation: Hawaii Edition; and the Asian Television Award-nominated Cyril: Simply Magic.