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Korean producers dig in in Hollywood, draw harder line on IP ownership – BCWW conference hears
Korean studios and producers are well into the next phase of their global development, putting their hands up for earlier and bigger participation in global TV series out of the U.S. and embracing bigger budgets that allow them to tell different kinds of stories, delegates at Broadcast Worldwide (BCWW) 2022 heard in Seoul this morning.
In other sessions on opening day and on the sidelines of the annual event, production houses and creators – including “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” production house Astory – say they are drawing a harder line with companies, in particular streaming platforms, that attempt to secure all rights for all time.
Studio Dragon’s global division head, Hyun Park, spoke about an emerging slate of big-budget global Korean-language dramas, including “The Big Door Prize”, produced by CJ ENM, Studio Dragon and Skydance Television.
The 10-episode series, announced in May 2021, is currently in post-production and will stream on Apple TV+.
“Now that we have bigger budgets, our writers are breaking out more and trying to tell new stories,” Hyun Park said, adding: “That is going to level up story telling in Korea.”
The full story is at www.contentasia.tv
Astory’s “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” tops Netflix’s global non-English top 10 for 7th week
Korean courtroom drama “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” topped Netflix’s weekly global non-English top 10 TV charts for the seventh consecutive week, with 53.89 million viewing hours from 22-28 August.
“Extraordinary Attorney Woo”, which premiered at the end of June, has been in the top 10 for eight weeks.
The series debuted at number one in the week of 4-10 July with 23.95 million viewing hours, taking top spot in its second week with 45.58 million viewing hours but dropping to second in its third week with 55.07 million viewing hours.
“Extraordinary Attorney Woo” reclaimed top position in its fourth week on the charts with 65.63 million hours viewed and maintained top spots for week five (67.01 million hours viewed), week six (69.36 million hours), and week seven (77.43 million hours).
An unexpected hit from SkyLife’s ENA drama/entertainment channel (the former SkyDrama), the 16-episode US$15-million “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” ended its run in Korea on 18 August.
Starring Park Eun-bin as an autistic lawyer, “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” was one of four Korean titles on the top 10 for the latest week.
The other three titles were fantasy/romance/period drama “Alchemy of Souls” (at number three with 28.6 million viewing hours), romcom “Young Lady and Gentleman” (eighth, 8.8 million hours) and crime-thriller “A Model Family” (ninth, 8.13 million hours).
No other Asian titles appeared on the top 10 TV list for the week.
Half of Netflix’s Top 10 global non-English films were from Asia, topped by two Korean titles (“Seoul Vibe” and “Carter”), one Japanese (“Fullmetal Alchemist The Revenge of Scar”), one Malaysian (“The Assistant”), and one Hindi film (“Darlings”).
Korea’s How Pictures picks up two Swedish scripted formats
Swedish legal thriller “Honour” and romantic drama-comedy “Love Me” are being adapted in South Korea in a deal announced today between production company How Pictures and Eccho Rights, the companies said today.
Both shows are Viaplay Originals.
Broadcast partners in Korea have not been announced.
Produced by Bigster, “Honour” season three premieres in September. The show was created by Swedish actress Sofia Helin, and stars co-creators Alexandra Rapaport, Julia Dufvenius and Anja Lundqvist.
“Love Me”, produced by Warner Bros. International Television Production Sverige, was created, written and directed by Josephine Bornebusch who also stars.
iQiyi subs slip, cont; Q2 net loss at US$32m
iQiyi’s average daily subs in the second quarter slipped to 98.3 million, down from 99.2 million for the same period in 2021 and 101.4 million for the first quarter of this year, the company last night.
Excluding trial memberships, average daily subs for the quarter was 97.7 million, compared to 98.5 million for the same period in 2021 and 100.8 million for the first quarter in 2022.
Monthly average revenue per membership for Q2 was RMB14.53, compared to RMB13.42 for the same period in 2021 and RMB14.69 for the first quarter in 2022, increasing 8% year on year.
The company’s net loss was RMB214 million/US$31.9 million, compared to a net loss of RMB 1.4 billion in the same period in 2021.
iQiyi’s total revenues for the quarter were RMB6.7 billion/US$993.8 million), down 13% year over year.
Membership services revenue was RMB4.3 billion/US$639.7 million, increasing 7% year over year.
Founder/director and CEO, Yu Gong, talked about a “fight against the gravity of macro downturn” and the “absolutely remarkable” process of booking operating profit growth.
FEATURES
Independents’ day
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ContentAsia Summit 2022’s sessions are now available on-demand at www.contentasiasummit.com
BEC Studio, the newly formed production unit of listed Thai media company BEC World, has unveiled an ambitious new production and development initiative with a phase-one budget of THB400 million. BEC Studio President, Apicha Honghirunruang, talks about the first three drama originals out of the new studio, and the grand effort by one of Thailand’s major free-TV broadcasters and media platforms to raise the quality of Thai content in pursuit of the ultimate goal: a global footprint. The link to the full session is here
Malaysia's powerful free-TV network, Media Prima, has a lot going for it these days, not least of which is Malaysian superhero Ejen Ali, soaring content/IP sales as streamers jostle for local shows, upsized and monetisable content solutions, co-production ambitions, and the major success of primetime drama “Melur Untuk Firdaus'' gaining over 2.9 billion views on TikTok. Nini Yusof, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Media Prima TV Networks (Malaysia), talks about content priorities, free-to-air leadership, and Tonton and 8TV. The link to the full session is here
Indonesian production house Screenplay Films is at the forefront of the streaming boom, with a dozen titles for 2022 and on track to scale further by 2023 for, among others Vidio, Disney+ Hotstar and Netflix. SVP Streaming, Anthony Buncio, talks about production priorities and realities, surfacing stories that will engage a potential audience of 270+ million people, developing a superhero universe, and the move into international format adaptations. The link to the full session is here
National media network and Singapore's largest content creator, Mediacorp has led an expansion of the country's broader creative ecosystem, including a new approach to cross-border partnerships and relationships with domestic indies as well as expanding its story-telling range, skills and formats. A little more than a year after she joined Mediacorp as Chief Content Officer, Virginia Lim talks about the content direction being set, the advantages and challenges of a broad remit that has to satisfy everything from streaming entertainment and digital content services to niche audiences and mass market public service broadcasting. The link to the full session is here
Thailand’s GMMTV flies the flag for the country’s use of soft power around the world, with BL shows such as ContentAsia Awards winner “Bad Buddy Series”. Senior content production director, Nuttapong Mongkolsawas, talks about the global phenomenon of BL series and how GMMTV is contributing. The link to the full session is here
Korea’s blockbuster remake of BBC Studios scripted drama, “Doctor Foster”, has been followed by versions in India ("Out of Love") and the Philippines ("The Broken Marriage Vow"), and, most recently, in Indonesia for Disney+ and in Thailand (“Game Rak Torrayod” / “The Betrayal”) for broadcast network BEC World/Channel 3’s prime-time 2023 schedule. We speak to Philippines' director Concepcion Macatuno and to Thai executive producer Thiti "Teddy" Sutthikulphanich about their challenges and choices in adapting the premium British series for their markets. The link to the full session is here
AND MANY OTHERS, INCLUDING (In order of appearance)
Monika Rudijono Managing Director, Vidio
Catherine Park Senior Vice President, Head of Office & Streaming for Asia, Paramount
Felix To Head of Originals, Viu
Nik Emir Din Co-CEO, Bitsmedia (Muslim Pro)
Dinesh Ratnam Country Manager - Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei, iQiyi
Parnsuk "Poppy" Tongrob Thailand Content Lead, iQiyi
Agnes Rozario Director, Content, Astro (Malaysia)
Ongart Singlumpong Managing Director, JKN Best Life (JKN18)
Sirirat Kositanonda AVP, Head of Rights Management, Mono Streaming
Ari Arijitsatien CEO (Co), True CJ Creations
Thawatvongse (Oh) Silamanonda GM – Thailand, PCCW Media/Viu
Henry Tan Group CEO, Astro Malaysia Holdings
Bettina Thoma-Schade Executive Producer, "HER – Women in Asia", DW
MeeFung Lee Managing Director, PIK Film Malaysia
Derek Tan Co-founder Viddsee
Luca Fiore Director of Content and Education, Macademia
Dexter Ong MD, International & Interim Head of Content & Creators, Wattpad Webtoon Studios
Jay Roewe SVP, Incentives & Production Planning HBO/HBO MAX/Warner Bros Discovery
Michelle Chang Co-founder, Mocha Chai Laboratories
Justin Deimen President, 108 Media
Thean-jeen "TJ" Lee Managing Director, Weiyu Films
Gayatri Su-Lin Pillai Executive Producer, Infinitus Entertainment (Malaysia)
Rashid Karim CEO, Iskandar Malaysia Studios (IMS)
Antony Tulloch CEO, Docklands Studios Melbourne
Vara Vilaivan Acting Director Studio Management, The Studio Park Thailand
Ashim Mathur Senior Director Marketing, Japan & Emerging Markets, Dolby Laboratories
Yann Courqueux Vice President, Home Products, StarHub (Singapore)
Clarissa Tanoesoedibjo MD, Vision+ / Executive Producer at Vision Pictures
Varavuth Jentanakul CEO, Zense Entertainment, Thailand
Yossinee Na Nakorn Executive Producer, "Matalada" ("To the Moon and Back") & "The Frenemies" for Ch3 / BEC World
Sabrina Duguet EVP, Asia Pacific, All3media International
Min Lim Head of Production, Double Vision (Malaysia)
Rishi Negi CEO, Endemol Shine India
Thiti "Teddy" Sutthikulphanich Executive Producer, “The Betrayal” ("Dr Foster" Thailand), Juvenile Co Ltd
Anne Jakrajutatip CEO, JKN Global Media
Indra Suharjono Executive Producer, "Project Runway Thailand" / Co-founder, i.e. Entertainment
Tawn Chatchavalvong Mentor, "Project Runway Thailand"
Badmaa Batbold Executive Producer, "Project Runway Mongolia", Star TV Mongolia
Jay Lin CEO, Portico Media (Taiwan) / Founder, GagaOOlala
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