About three months after Turner pushed Warner TV into an edgier, more dramatic space in Asia, programming bosses report steady growth in the younger audiences that the re-launch was designed to reach.

Turner International Asia Pacific’s vice president for general entertainment content, Marianne Lee, says in Singapore, young audiences between 20 and 44 years old are on the up, cementing early successes. In April, a month after the relaunch, Warner TV was the No.1 English-language entertainment channel among 20-44 years olds, as well as among younger males 20-34 and females 20-34.*

The strategy is driven by shows such as Gotham, iZombie and The Flash; seasons two of Gotham and iZombie return later this year.

The Last Ship, Arrow (season four returnslater this year) and The Big Bang Theory are part of a template of drama, action and comedy that is unique to the channel.

Lee says superhero titles – part of the action line-up – “continue to be a big priority for us and... reinforce our new younger-skewing branding and target audience”.

First-window rights are a goal for new series. Movies not so much.

Lee says titles such as The Lord of the Rings, The Dark Knight and Harry Potter “have great repeat value and are highly re-watchable even after several years”.

Flagship express titles for the next few months include The Last Ship (season two) and Murder in the First (season two), as well as Agent X, a new drama starring Sharon Stone, which airs in September.

Lee believes TV everywhere options are critical, and says “existing subscribers should be able to watch content on whichever screen they want”.

Warner TV’s licensing deals include non-linear rights “so we’re very interested in working with our distribution partners and affiliates to provide catch-up and SVOD options,” she says. An example is Warner TV Encore with now TV in Hong Kong.

“We are very committed to working with a partners to deliver on this and we believe, if done well, will enable us to continue engage a younger, underserved and even new audiences,” she says.

In the third week of July (20-26 July), action/crime drama series filled about 42% (17 hours) of Warner TV’s prime-time (6pm-midnight) schedule with TV series The Mentalist season six, about an independent psychic consultant turned California Bureau Investigation (CBI) investigator, stripped at 6.30pm on Mondays to Fridays; Rizzoli & Isles season four, which follows the complete opposite police detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles duo in their mission to solve murder mysteries, stripped at 7.20pm Mondays to Fridays; crimes solving The Closer season two, stripped at 8.10pm Mondays to Fridays with repeats of three back-to-back episodes on Saturdays at 5.40pm; and detective series Murder in the First season two at 9pm with repeat at 11.30pm on Wednesdays.

Superhero drama series in the third week of July made up 20% (8.5 hours) of Warner TV’s prime-time 6pm-midnight schedule with two titles: Arrow season two, about spoiled billionaire playboy Oliver Queen who went missing and returned five years later as a hooded vigilante crime buster, stripped at 5.40pm Mondays to Fridays; and speed superhero The Flash season one, with back-to-back episodes on Mondays at 9pm and 9.50pm.

Movies, which filled 17% (seven hours) of the 20-26 July prime-time schedule, run on Friday nights at 10.40pm, and 9pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

The rest of the Warner TV July prime-time offering includes comedy drama (12%/5 hours), thrillers (6%/2.6 hours) and supernatural drama (4%/1.7 hours).

In June (22-28 June), action/crime drama series filled about 43% (18 hours) of the prime-time schedule. June’s action/crime TV drama series were Person of Interest, earlier episodes from The Closer, Rizzoli & Isles and Murder in the First.

Comedy drama series in the weekly June schedule filled about 18% (7.5 hours) of 6pm-midnight prime-time with two titles: long-running series Friends, stripped at 6.30pm and 6.55pm Mondays to Fridays; and The Big Bang Theory, stripped at 10.40pm and 11.05pm Mondays to Thursdays. No comedy series were aired during weekends in June and July.

Superhero drama series – early episodes of Arrow and The Flash – in the third week of June made up 9% (four hours) of the primetime 6pm-midnight schedule.

The rest of the June’s prime-time offering are thriller filling about 8% (3.5 hours) and supernatural drama series with 6% (2.5 hours) of the weekly schedule.