It's a December day in Loyang, and the rain is hitting the roof so hard the crew is worrying it will be audible on the recording. But the brightly-coloured set and cheery personalities of the young cast form a very welcome contrast to the monsoon raging outside. And the Singapore version of format As the Bell Rings is to be Disney Channel Southeast Asia’s first made-for-mobile production. A short-form, live action series, it launches March 2008 on StarHub’s Disney Mobile Xtra service … [Read more...] about Disney rings the bell for mobile
Content
Local strategy – global business
Since their arrival in Asia over a decade ago, it’s no secret that international networks have been localizing feeds, channels and content to please affiliates, as well as to attract both viewers and advertising dollars. But one thing that became apparent was that even executives with a pan-regional marketing remit did not necessarily command a regional budget, and often needed to seek approval from in-market marketing heads to release country-specific funds. This made selling whole-region … [Read more...] about Local strategy – global business
India in focus
In the continued proliferation of new satellite TV channels and increasing competition from several other ‘screens’ be they Internet, mobile phones or outdoor, TV as a mass medium in India is being challenged to brace itself for future. The role of TV in the overall communication strategy remains as critical as ever before. Especially considering the fact India has 219million households with 112million TV homes (64million color TV homes and 68million homes have access to cable and … [Read more...] about India in focus
The start-up upstarts
NBC Universal (NBCU) are finally set to deliver on their promise of new channels, with general entertainment Universal Channel, Sci-Fi and 13th Street slated for roll-out in the second quarter of 2008. The hold-up thus far is believed to have stemmed from the internal tussle for content between the proposed channels and NBCU’s (estimated US$8billion) syndication business. Indeed it will be interesting to see the new channels’ programming line-up given that many of NBCU’s most … [Read more...] about The start-up upstarts
High hopes for Hindi GE
Back in the late 1980’s, Sunday mornings used the see the streets of India seem strangely deserted. It was an era, in which audiences across all age-groups, would be at home practically glued to their TV screens watching a weekly show based on the great Indian epic Ramayan. The series’ home channel, state-run Doordarshan, used to reign supreme in the absence of any competition from DTH satellite TV. Fast forward to 2008 and Ramayan is back on air. But a lot has changed in the last … [Read more...] about High hopes for Hindi GE
Philippines ratings row rages
With TV ratings key to winning advertising revenue, no wonder that TV networks in the Philippines are both highly competitive – and extremely sensitive – about the topic of audience measurement. And when those all-important figures might prove to have been manipulated, be sure the ‘injured’ party will doggedly pursue the matter to protect its share of the ad pie. Such is the situation in Manila where ABS-CBN has filed a P63million (US$1.5million) civil lawsuit against … [Read more...] about Philippines ratings row rages
