Netflix picks up 250+ hours of non-exclusive rights in largest anime deal with Japan’s Nippon TV

Japan’s top commercial free-TV broadcaster, Nippon TV, has finalised its largest anime deal with Netflix, putting more than 250 hours of programming on the platform in multiple countries.

The non-exclusive agreement for 13 titles kicks off in September 2022 with the fist 38 episodes of “Hunter X Hunter” for 104 countries, with the other 100+ episodes to follow; “Claymore” in 136 countries; and “Ouran High School Host Club” in 190 countries.

Netflix has also licensed “Death Note”, “Death Note: Relight” 1/2, “From Me to You”, From Me to You” season two, “Berserk”, “Nana” and “Monster”, among others.

Nippon’s two previous sales to Netflix included a global deal for “Old Enough!”, and 30 drama series for Asia.
 

GMA’s “Lolong” tops Philippines’ most-watched list in 2022; action adventure drama at 13m+ viewers an episode

GMA Network’s “Lolong” is now the Philippines’ most-watched TV show so far in 2022, with double-digit ratings and an estimated 13 million viewers a night, according to Nielsen Philippines' TAM data from 1 January to 14 August 2022.

Directed by Rommel Penesa and Conrado Peru, the action adventure series debuted in July, with Ruru Madrid as Rolando “Lolong” Candelaria, a man who forms an extraordinary friendship with a giant crocodile named Dakila.

The series is based on an idea from broadcast journalist and GMA News pillar, Jessica Soho, and assistant vice president for GMA Public Affairs, LJ Castel, is produced by GMA Public Affairs.

Audience data distributed by GMA shows a combined average people rating of 15.6%t (GMA & GTV) in Total Philippines.

GMA’s “24 Oras”, “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho”, “First Lady”, “Happy Together”, “The World Between Us”, “Magpakailanman”, “Bolera”, “I Left My Heart in Sorsogon” and “Jose & Maria's Bonggang Villa” completed the top 10 list of most-watched programmes in Total Philippines during the same period.

GMA says the show continues to attract record audiences.

From 15-19 August, “Lolong” recorded a combined (GMA/GTV) average number of more than 13 million viewers per episode in Total Philippines.

The combined (GMA/GTV) people rating in National Urban TV Audience Measurement overnight ratings on Tues, 23 Aug, was 18%, rising to a record 18.3% on Wed, 24 Aug.

“Lolong” airs on GMA at 8pm after 24 Oras, and at 9pm on GTV.
 

India’s “Dancing with the Stars” returns on 4 Sept in new Colors-BBC Studios deal

The Indian adaptation of BBC Studios’ “Dancing with the Stars”/”Strictly Come Dancing” non-scripted format, “Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa”, returns to Viacom 18’s entertainment channel, Colors, on 4 September after a five-year break.

The decision to return the series for a 10th season strengthens Colors non-fiction line-up at a time when channels and streaming platforms in India scramble for premium drama titles.

Maniesh Paul returns to host the latest series, along with Madhuri Dixit Nene, Karan Johar and Nora Fatehi as judges.

Participants this year include Dheeraj Dhoopar, Paras Kalnawat, Nia Sharma, Niti Taylor, Gashmeer Mahajani, chef Zorawar Kalra and Shilpa Shinde.

Choreographers include Sneha Singh, Shweta Sharda, Tarun Nihlani, Akash Thapa, Romsha Singh and Suchitra Sawant Sangare.

“Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa” will air Saturdays and Sundays at 6pm local time.

The new season is produced by BBC Studios India Production.
 

ContentAsia Summit 2022’s sessions are now available on-demand at www.contentasiasummit.com

When a child has to walk two and a half hours to get to school, chances are learning will suffer. No laptops? Another serious disadvantage. In a RM126-million investment over the past 12 years, Malaysia’s media giant Astro has, among other initiatives, made it possible for five million students across the country to access previously inaccessible educational facilities. Ten years ago, Astro Kasih added sports, believing that the values of sportsmanship, determination and discipline are a key part of eduction. Today, 68% of Malaysian’s junior National Team have come through the Astro Kem Badminton project. Astro’s Group CEO, Henry Tan, talks about Astro’s commitment to contributing to a better world. The link to the full session is here

In the past few months, Indonesian streaming platform Vidio has smashed one viewing record after another with original productions about everything from “Suami-Suami Masa Kini”, a comedy from MVP Pictures about four middle-aged men, to teen investigative drama “My Nerd Girl” and YA romance “Married with Senior” from Screenplay Films, to blockbuster sports properties like the Premiere League. It’s all part of a super-sized drive for a content offering that spans premium TV series and sports, movies, animation, kids, new, music, lifestyle, education... The platform's managing director, Monika Rudijono, takes us through Vidio’s evolving content mix, its rights priorities, what it would like its relationships with content partners to look like, and what its latest plans and ambitions are. The link to the full session is here

Paramount+ rolled out in Korea in June this year in partnership with domestic platform TVing, kicking off a new era in Asia for the U.S.-based global streamer. Other markets in Asia will follow. The company is also counting down to the premiere of Korean science-fiction original, "Yonder", a co-production with CJ ENM that is part of a global partnership announced at the end of 2021. And there's a whole lot more coming... Paramount's Senior Vice President, Head of Office & Streaming for Asia, Catherine Park, talks about content priorities, local collaborations, and plans for the rest of the region. The link to the full session is here

Viu debuts its latest four Asia originals this month – two from Korea, one from Thailand and Malay drama "AI.5YA". The regional streamer also continues to build out it production alliances with regional greats, such as ABS-CBN Entertainment/Dreamscape out of the Philippines, that put titles such as the Philippines adaptation of Korean thriller "Flower of Evil" on the platform in June this year. Coming up to the first anniversary of his arrival at Viu, head of originals Felix To talks about his plans and priorities. The link to the full session is here

The “House of the Dragon” trailer famously says: “History does not remember blood, it remembers names”. We talk to Jay Roewe, who began his career in production and is now SVP for HBO/HBO MAX/Warner Bros Discovery’s Incentives & Production Planning, about the things to know and remember in making world class TV, the balance between business & creativity, Asia’s advantages & disadvantages in attracting international productions, and, because we couldn’t resist, his most memorable moments from the production of “Game of Thrones”. The link to the full session is here

LGBTQ+ storylines continue to evolve in Asia, gaining ground on platforms and channels outside of traditional Boys Love (BL) markets in Thailand and the Philippines, tracking legislative shifts in Taiwan with a broader and more diverse range of plots and characters, and coming up against old prejudices and new barriers in some markets. This conversation covers the gains that have been made, goes behind the scenes of a few of the latest originals, and looks at the challenges and opportunities in the mission to expand what goes on screen to reflect more accurately communities on the ground. The link to the full session is here

AND MANY OTHERS, INCLUDING (In order of appearance)

Nik Emir Din Co-CEO, Bitsmedia (Muslim Pro)
Dinesh Ratnam Country Manager - Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei, iQiyi
Parnsuk "Poppy" Tongrob Thailand Content Lead, iQiyi
Virginia Lim Chief Content Officer, Mediacorp
Nini Yusof Deputy CEO, Media Prima TV Networks & Primeworks Studios
Nuttapong Mongkolsawas Senior Content Production Director, GMMTV
Agnes Rozario Director, Content, Astro (Malaysia)
Ongart Singlumpong Managing Director, JKN Best Life (JKN18)
Sirirat Kositanonda AVP, Head of Rights Management, Mono Streaming
Apicha Honghirunruang President, BEC Studio
Ari Arijitsatien CEO (Co), True CJ Creations
Thawatvongse (Oh) Silamanonda GM – Thailand, PCCW Media/Viu
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
Anthony Buncio SVP Streaming, Screenplay Films
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
Concepcion (Connie) Macatuno Director, "The Broken Marriage Vow"
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

FEATURES

Beyond the headlines

CNN’s Ellana Lee celebrates her 25th anniversary at the global news network this year. Vanita Kohli-Khandekar spoke to her about the milestone, a career journey that started in 1997 with hand-scrolling the teleprompter for news anchors, and using her position for the greater good.  Read more here
 

Formats Outlook: 2022

The beginning of a recovery is creeping across Asia’s format business, with a rise of about 30% in the number of formats on air or commissioned in the first six months of 2022 compared to the first half of 2021. But there’s a long way to go to a return to 2017’s high of 285, ContentAsia’s latest Formats Outlook shows.  Read more here
 

You can access ContentAsia's latest magazine here and also browse back issues of all our publications at www.contentasia.tv           

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