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Australia’s Beyond turns 30
19 October 2015
2015 marks the big 3-0 for Australia’s
Beyond Entertainment. Birthday drinks at Mipcom earlier this month coincided with the launch of 12 new titles and 160 hours of returning shows.
Celebrations continued with the launch of Beyond International’s new scripted drama division announced on 14 Oct. Writer/executive producer David Ogilvy, previously with public broadcaster ABC, heads the new division, which will develop local and international content across a range of genres.
Beyond has had a presence in Asia for more than a decade, and currently airs about 100 shows across the region. These include kids programme, Backyard Science. Kid Detective and History Hunters, both based on the Backyard Science format, also perform well in Asia, as does Discovery Channel series Mythbusters, says Joanne Azzopardi, Beyond Distribution’s vice president of sales for Asia. All are Beyond’s own productions.
Azzopardi says the company’s production strategy in Asia has focused on science/technology and educational children’s content because of the popularity of the genres in the region.
Ron Saunders, general manager of Beyond Screen Production, has fond memories from a number of co-productions out of Asia. Production of preschool series Hoopla Doopla, for instance, involved a cast of acrobats at a giant CCTV studio outside Beijing. “There was a great launch at the studio that included fireworks and a tour of the huge CCTV backlot,” he says.
Beyond Distribution represents various third party titles airing across Asia, including Love It or List It (HGTV, We TV) and Highway Thru Hell (National Geographic).
Over the past three decades Beyond has expanded its production and distribution efforts with, among others, the Beyond Home Entertainment division about 10 years ago. In 2012, the company made a commitment to the digital future with BeyondD, an all-digital division focused on digital marketing services, media sales and marketing databases.
What’s next? Definitely more co-productions. Saunders says discussions are under way with companies in Korea, China, Malaysia and India.
This article originally appeared...
2015 marks the big 3-0 for Australia’s
Beyond Entertainment. Birthday drinks at Mipcom earlier this month coincided with the launch of 12 new titles and 160 hours of returning shows.
Celebrations continued with the launch of Beyond International’s new scripted drama division announced on 14 Oct. Writer/executive producer David Ogilvy, previously with public broadcaster ABC, heads the new division, which will develop local and international content across a range of genres.
Beyond has had a presence in Asia for more than a decade, and currently airs about 100 shows across the region. These include kids programme, Backyard Science. Kid Detective and History Hunters, both based on the Backyard Science format, also perform well in Asia, as does Discovery Channel series Mythbusters, says Joanne Azzopardi, Beyond Distribution’s vice president of sales for Asia. All are Beyond’s own productions.
Azzopardi says the company’s production strategy in Asia has focused on science/technology and educational children’s content because of the popularity of the genres in the region.
Ron Saunders, general manager of Beyond Screen Production, has fond memories from a number of co-productions out of Asia. Production of preschool series Hoopla Doopla, for instance, involved a cast of acrobats at a giant CCTV studio outside Beijing. “There was a great launch at the studio that included fireworks and a tour of the huge CCTV backlot,” he says.
Beyond Distribution represents various third party titles airing across Asia, including Love It or List It (HGTV, We TV) and Highway Thru Hell (National Geographic).
Over the past three decades Beyond has expanded its production and distribution efforts with, among others, the Beyond Home Entertainment division about 10 years ago. In 2012, the company made a commitment to the digital future with BeyondD, an all-digital division focused on digital marketing services, media sales and marketing databases.
What’s next? Definitely more co-productions. Saunders says discussions are under way with companies in Korea, China, Malaysia and India.
This article originally appeared in ContentAsia's eNewsletter issue 219 published on 19 October 2015.
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