US$4.5m

Fox International Channels (FIC) has committed to between 25 and 30 new hours of original factual content out of Singapore, boosting the local content creation purse by S$6 million/US$4.5 million from now to June 2017. The Fox Formats Lab initiative with Singapore’s Media Development Authority, comes on top of an original drama push that could see the Hong Kong-based operation spend up to US$1 million an episode on locally made series. Lab titles will air on National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo Wild and Nat Geo People. If the inaugural project is successful, the idea may be extended beyond factual to other genres. FIC owns all rights to Lab programmes.

37%

AXN says it held a 37% share of consolidated prime-time viewing among 20 competing English-language regional entertainment channels in four markets – Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Taiwan – from January to March this year. Ratings were more than 60% higher than the next competing channel, AXN said. The Sony Pictures Television Networks Singapore-based regional channel listed CSI: Cyber and The Blacklist 2 – both of which aired in Asia within 24 hours of the U.S. – and original production, Asia’s Got Talent, as the three driver shows.

0.7%

Singapore pay-TV platform StarHub has recorded an all-time low churn rate of 0.7% for the first three months of this year. Pay-TV customers grew 11,000 to 545,000 households, with ARPU at US$39. Pay-TV revenue increased 2% to US$73 million, but, overall, net profit dipped 12% to US$56 million.

US$21m

Thailand’s GMM Channel Digital TV has pushed content development and acquisition spend to US$21 million for the rest of this year as the country’s broadcasters ramp up the battle for audiences. The slate includes seven or eight Thai drama series, comedy and variety. About 60% of the content is being produced in-house or with GMM subsidiaries.

400 hours

Korea’s CJ E&M has sold more than 400 hours of original drama to Malaysia (8TV) and Singapore (StarHub). Both platforms bought about 200 hours of 2014 drama and this year’s full line-up. StarHub started airing the titles on Sundays at 9.30pm from 31 May on in-house channel VV Drama; the earliest window on new titles is two weeks. Media Prima’s 8TV has set aside the 10.30pm slot on Thursdays and Fridays for the CJ shows. StarHub begins with English and Chinese subtitles, and says it is planning to add Bahasa Melayu.

US$15.6m

Korean drama watchers have ears and eyes wide open for drama of the moment, Shin Saimdang. The epic series has a production budget of US$650,000 per episode, a total of US$15.6 million for the 24 episodes. The series is scheduled to broadcast in 2016. One of Korea’s big three broadcasters, SBS, secured rights after months of back and forth negotiations. Chinese buyers are said to have committed US$250,000 an episode, which is allaying fears that China’s new censorship rules have put paid to rights fees above US$100,000 an episode for Korean drama. Driven by new digital terrestrial players, the number on the table from Thailand is about double the usual fetched for Korean drama. Shin Saimdang‘s production company, Group Eight, is said to be hopping between negotiating rooms, tying up pre-sale and co-production deals that will, ideally, put the period drama on as many screens around the world as did landmark Korean wave series Jewel in the Palace.