APRIL 2019: Asia entered 2019 with record energy around local IP development and production, greater confidence in Asian stories, remakes of premium scripted formats for Asian audiences at an all-time high, and more attention than ever in local originals for global streaming slates. At the same time, consumer appetites are broader, viewership is spread across screens and services, user-interfaces are evolving, payment solutions are emerging, the viable balance between free/subscription is being tested, and data is shining a light on audience segments and habits.

And there’s no reason – short of an apocalypse (and even then, zombie stories are super-hot) – to think any of this will be derailed. If anything, the hunt for original ideas will intensify, local storytellers will up their games as rival streaming platforms vie for sticky stories, mass market free broadcasters may fight back, co-production is likely to ramp up, and insularity will continue to crumble.

That picture might be a bit pretty, given market uncertainty over the direct-to-consumer proposition, real-life experience on the ground with pay/subscription in Asia, still-crazy piracy, uneven regulations, and giant unemployment looming as the new world order emerges.

But almost every distributor we’ve spoken to in the last few months has talked about original production opportunities, possibilities and ambitions in the region alongside syndication opportunities.

A+E Networks’ Seoul office continues to boost original Korean production; Philippines’ broadcaster/producer ABS-CBN says international partnerships are key in growing its business; all3media will have about a dozen adaptations of its formats on air in Asia in 2019, and talks about a focus on drama story lines with international appeal; Canadian indie Blue Ant is already co-producing factual in China and is itching to do more; kids’ indie Boat Rocker Rights is co-producing 2D animation in China; out of her Singapore regional HQ, Sonia Fleck’s Bomanbridge Media is deficit financing extreme adventurer Ash Dykes’ trek along the length of China’s Yangtze River; Germany’s DW Transtel is working on co-productions in India, Indonesia and China; Gaumont has its eyes wide open for Asian co-pros; the Philippines’ GMA is working on a drama co-pro in Thailand; out of Bangkok, JKN Global Media has new drama projects in development in India and the Philippines; Korea’s JTBC Content Hub, fresh from its Sky Castle ratings victory, is venturing out, not least because of mega licensing deals with Netflix; European indie Red Arrow Studios has burgeoning relationships in Asia that will boost local output beyond The Last Cop and My Man Can; Turkey’s Kanal D has local production/co-production on its radar; and India’s Zee is looking for the next project after global doc The Life of Earth from Space.

U.S. studios have their own mega-slates, their Asian presence swelled by scripted and other format adaptation such as Sony Pictures Television’s K-drama Vagabond and at least three other Asian co-productions this year; more modelling ramp than anyone for CBS Studios International, which has eight formats in production or on air right now, including four versions of Next Top Model; Fox Networks Group Content Distribution, which is co-producing blue-chip factual series, China’s Hidden Kingdoms; NBC Universal Distribution, fresh off Suits successes in Korea and Japan; and Viacom International Studios’ reboot of YO! MTV Raps for Southeast Asia.

And then there’s Turner’s first drama series co-production in Taiwan – The Haunted Heart, a 30-episode fantasy/action/romcom about a girl with special powers. The series, produced by Phenomena and run by award winning producer/scriptwriter Li-ju Xie (The Player, Channel X), is in post-production in Taipei, schedules for a mid-2019 release.

And those are but a few... We will, of course, keep tracking. Our feeling is that it’s going to be a super-busy year.

Published in April 2019 in ContentAsia print+online magazine for MIP TV 2019

Adapted from ContentAsia’s directory, The Big List 2019.
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