Jointly Celebrates a Merit Award with Saipo Baby (Hong Kong) Limited for “Best Licensee” at the Hong Kong Licensing Awards 2017

HONG KONG, 10 January 2018 – Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) Asia today announced that Nickelodeon’s preschool hit property “PAW Patrol” produced by Spin Master Entertainment, celebrated its win in two award programs – Gold Award for “Best Young Property in Asia” at the Asian Licensing Awards 2017 and jointly celebrated a Merit Award with Saipo Baby (Hong Kong) Limited for “Best Licensee” at the Hong Kong Licensing Awards 2017. Both Award programs were held together in Hong Kong last night in conjunction with the Hong Kong International Licensing Show this week.

“Already in its fourth season globally, PAW Patrol is on fire and is gaining the attention of kids and parents everywhere. Receiving both wins is a testament to PAW Patrol’s popularity amongst our young fans and to the strong collaboration and support we have of our licensee partners in Asia,” said Claire O’Connor, Vice President, Consumer Products, Asia Pacific, Viacom International Media Networks. “PAW Patrol is a reflection of Nickelodeon’s preschool content, which has always been both smart and fun, powered by great stories, relatable characters and a meaningful curriculum that has been our hallmark.”

The CG-Animated Preschool Series Stars A Pack Of Six Heroic Rescue Pups – Chase, Marshall, Rocky, Rubble, Zuma And Skye – Who Are Led By A Tech-Savvy Boy Named Ryder. Together, They Work Hard To Protect The Adventure Bay Community Believing, “No Job Is Too Big, No Pup Is Too Small!” The Series Features A Curriculum That Focuses On Citizenship, Social Skills And Problem-Solving As The Characters Use Their Unique Skills And Teamwork.

Building On The Incredible Success Of The Top-Rated Global Preschool Franchise, Nickelodeon Held A Number Of PAW Patrol Themed Mall Shows And Events, Which Have Included Mall Shows, Character Meet And Greets, Merchandising, Screenings And More Across China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore And Taiwan. Through Its Collaboration With Life Like Touring, Nickelodeon Also Brought PAW Patrol Live! “Race To The Rescue”, Its First PAW Patrol Live Show, To Tour Australia, New Zealand And Singapore Last Year. The Live Show Will Continue To Tour Across Asia Pacific This Year.

With 2018 Being The Year Of The Dog This Chinese New Year, Consumers Across Asia Can Look Forward To A Limited Edition PAW Patrol Chinese New Year Plush Collection, And Chinese New Year Celebrations And Mall Promotions Featuring The Pups Across Asia*. Organized By The Asian Licensing Association, The Asian Licensing Awards, Recognizes The Outstanding Achievements Of Licensed Properties, Licensing Companies, Licensing Agents, Advertising And Promotional Firms For Their Development, Launch And Promotion Of Licensed Properties And Trademarks Throughout Asia For The Preceding Year. The Asian Licensing Awards Celebrate Excellence, Innovation And Creativity Across The Licensing Spectrum. Separately, The Hong Kong Licensing Awards Is A Dedicated Licensing Award Scheme For Creative Industries In Hong Kong.

Irdeto Cloaked CA and Middleware enables Tata Sky to securely deliver content on their satellite pay TV platform in India

LAS VEGAS, CES – 10 January 2018 – Irdeto, the world leader in digital platform security, has announced that it has expanded its long-term security partnership with Tata Sky, India’s leading content distribution platform providing satellite pay TV services. The highly competitive satellite pay TV market in India requires operators like Tata Sky to continue innovating in order to meet consumer demand for premium solutions and services. With Irdeto, Tata Sky has a reliable and trustworthy security partner to ensure the secure delivery of content onto any device across its satellite and OTT platforms in India.

Tata Sky will implement Irdeto Cloaked CA and Middleware to deliver an improved customer experience while ensuring that its valuable content remains secure. In addition, Tata Sky recently selected Irdeto to enhance its end-to-end solution for OTT services. Irdeto’s OTT solutions simplify the operations and workflow of supporting multiple digital rights management (DRM) systems.

“At Tata Sky, we are committed to providing our customers with the most innovative video services across satellite and online platforms in India,” said Harit Nagpal, MD & CEO, Tata Sky. “To provide consumers with greater choice and convenience, we need a security partner that gives us the freedom to innovate without fear. In Irdeto, we are working with a strong security partner with a forward-looking approach and future-proof solutions. This enables us to continue innovating our solutions and services while giving us the peace of mind that our content is secure.”

Irdeto Cloaked CA, the mostly widely deployed software CA in pay TV globally, and Irdeto Middleware will provide Tata Sky with the flexibility to easily evolve their service and business models to meet changing demands. As Tata Sky’s trusted security partner, Irdeto manages the planning and deployment of the project for Tata Sky to ensure the seamless integration of both Irdeto security technology and third-party solutions.

“We are honored to be selected by Tata Sky as their long-term security partner for Conditional Access and Middleware,” said Doug Lowther, CEO, Irdeto. “This deal further reinforces Irdeto’s commitment to the dynamic and fast-growing media market in India and we are excited to continue working with Tata Sky to help them meet their business goals.”

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About Irdeto
Irdeto is the world leader in digital platform security, protecting platforms and applications for media & entertainment, automotive and IoT connected industries. Our solutions and services enable customers to protect their revenue, create new offerings and fight cybercrime. With nearly 50 years of expertise in security, Irdeto’s software security technology and cyber services protect over 5 billion devices and applications for some of the world’s best-known brands. Our unique heritage as a subsidiary of multinational media group Naspers (JSE: NPN) means that we are a well-established and reliable partner to help build a more secure future. Please visit Irdeto at www.irdeto.com.

For further information, please contact:
Stephen Russell
Global Manager, Public Relations, Irdeto
Mobile: +1 774 273 3890
Email: Stephen.Russell@irdeto.com

Crystal Kung
Senior Account Manager, WE Communications
P: +65 6303 8472
Email: ckung@we-worldwide.com

Xiaochu Wang, Chairman of China Unicom with Rodolphe Belmer, CEO of Eutelsat

Beijing, Paris, 9 January 2018 – On the occasion of French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to China, Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with China United Network Communications Co., Ltd. (China Unicom) that is aimed at addressing the fast-growing satellite communications market in Asia-Pacific in the framework of the “Belt and Road” initiative.

The MoU, which was signed on 9 January, by Rodolphe Belmer, CEO of Eutelsat and Xiaochu Wang, Chairman of China Unicom, aims in particular to leverage resources on the EUTELSAT 172B satellite to enhance inflight connectivity services across an area stretching from the West coast of North America to Asia, and down to Australia. Cooperation to further develop satellite communication services across the globe is also under consideration.

Commenting on the cooperation agreement, Rodolphe Belmer said: “China Unicom is an ideal partner for promoting satellite communications in Belt and Road regions. This agreement builds on the cooperation that started in 2008, when Eutelsat provided satellite transmission services to China Unicom during the Beijing Olympic Games. This cooperation also highlights the quality and reach of Eutelsat’s in-orbit resources, in particular at the 172° East orbital position. This reinforced partnership will allow both companies to leverage on their own strengths in order to address future opportunities in the connectivity markets.”

About Eutelsat Communications
Founded in 1977, Eutelsat Communications is one of the world’s leading satellite operators. With a global fleet of satellites and associated ground infrastructure, Eutelsat enables clients across Video, Data, Government, Fixed and Mobile Broadband markets to communicate effectively to their customers, irrespective of their location. Over 6,700 television channels operated by leading media groups are broadcast by Eutelsat to one billion viewers equipped for DTH reception or connected to terrestrial networks. Headquartered in Paris, with offices and teleports around the globe, Eutelsat assembles 1,000 men and women from 44 countries who are dedicated to delivering the highest quality of service.

Eutelsat Communications is listed on the Euronext Paris Stock Exchange (ticker: ETL).
For more about Eutelsat go to www.eutelsat.com

Press
Marie-Sophie Ecuer Tel: + 33 1 53 98 37 91 mecuer@eutelsat.com

Investors and analysts
Joanna Darlington Tel. : +33 1 53 98 35 30 jdarlington@eutelsat.com
Cédric Pugni Tel. : +33 1 53 98 35 30 cpugni@eutelsat.com

CES® 2018, Las Vegas, January 4th, 2017: Conax, part of the Kudelski Group (SIX:KUD.S) and a leader in total service protection for digital entertainment services worldwide via broadcast, broadband and connected devices, launches TVkey at CES® 2018. Leveraging technology jointly developed by the Kudelski Group and Samsung, the market leader in home entertainment, Conax TVkey enables consumers to discover a richer world of premium pay-TV content quickly and easily, including 4K Ultra HD and HDR, delivered directly to their TV set.

As competition for new subscribers intensifies, Conax TVkey provides pay-TV operators with a cost-optimised route-to-market for their services and gives consumers the ability to enjoy premium content, including 4K Ultra HD and HDR, directly on smart TV sets through a simple USB dongle.

Through an easy sign-up process similar to many popular OTT services, Conax TVkey delivers a compelling user experience to consumers that can be fully defined by the TV operator leveraging HbbTV and HTML5 frameworks.

Conax TVkey integrates all the latest advancements in content security. It utilizes a secure media path and the TVkey hardware root of trust as part of TVkey-compatible TVs. It also fully complies with MovieLabs requirements for Enhanced Content Protection of premium 4K Ultra HD/HDR content with watermarking by NexGuard, another Kudelski Group company.

Conax TVkey is currently supported on Samsung Smart TV models, including all Ultra HD and most Full HD TVs shipping worldwide. The creation of a joint TVkey Trust Authority in 2018, as planned by the Kudelski Group and Samsung, will also enable the Conax TVkey to support additional TV brands and CAS vendors. In this respect, TV chipset vendors Novatek and Mstar have already started supporting the TVkey hardware root of trust in their TV chipsets for leading TV brands.

A CES 2017 Innovation Awards Honoree, TVkey also received the award for “Best Content Protection Technology” at the 15th annual CSI Awards at IBC 2017, recognizing the value TVkey brings to the CE industry, pay-TV operators and consumers alike.

Conax TVKey is integrated with Conax Contego, a unified content security hub which includes a cloud-based installation option and supports DVB, IPTV and OTT content delivery, as well as all major DRM technologies. Conax Contego provides pay-TV operators with a highly sustainable growth model through modular, scalable solutions and pre-integrated world-class partner technologies, offering fast time-to-market of new services. Conax Contego fulfils MovieLabs’ specifications for premium 4K and UHD content by integrating Forensic Watermarking technology from NexGuard.

Conax TVkey will be delivered to operators starting in 2018. Several Conax operator-customers are currently evaluating the solution.

For more information on Conax TVkey and to meet with Conax product experts at CES, stop by the Kudelski Group exhibition suite located in the Venetian Meeting Rooms, Level 3, San Polo 3501A or pre-book a meeting at info@conax.com.

– –

About Conax
Conax, a part of the Kudelski Group, is a leading global specialist in total service protection for digital TV and entertainment services via broadcast, broadband and connected devices. The Conax Contego unified security hub provides telcos, cable, satellite, IP, mobile, terrestrial and broadband operations with an innovative portfolio of flexible and cost-efficient solutions to deliver premium content securely – all in an advanced, single back-end reducing operational complexity and cost. Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, Conax technology enables secure content revenues for 425 operators in 85 countries globally. For more information, please visit www.conax.com and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook to join the conversation. #CES2018

Conax media contact
Elisabeth Nordang
Corporate Marketing Director
Mob: +47 958 06 457
Email: elisabeth.nordang@conax.com

Mumbai December 27, 2017: STAR INDIA Managing Director Sanjay Gupta, announced the appointment of Gautam Thakar as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Star Sports. In his new role, Gautam will lead the sports broadcast business as its Chief Executive Officer. His appointment is effective January 2018.

Sanjay Gupta commented “We are happy to welcome Gautam into the Star India family to lead our next paradigm in sports broadcasting. He brings to the table a wealth of knowledge and proven strategic capabilities. We at Star have always set ourselves a bold growth agenda and we are confident that Gautam will contribute in taking the multi-sports culture that Star has pioneered in India, to the next level.”

Gautam brings over 20 years of deep operating and leadership experience. He started his career as a brand manager with P&G in India, then led baazee.com as a founding management team member to become the No. 1 e-commerce company in India (acquired by eBay in 2004).

He spent 10 years at eBay in a variety of leadership roles (Country Manager for eBay India, global marketing leader for eBay’s International markets as well as leader of eBay’s multi-billion dollar cross border business, CEO of shopping.com (an eBay acquisition) and general manager responsible for building a multi hundred million dollar Adtech business) before leading the turnaround at LivingSocial (acquired by Groupon).

Gautam has an MBA from IIM, Lucknow and prior to that a Bachelor’s in Commerce from Sydenham College, Mumbai.

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About Star India:

Star India has defined the Indian media landscape since 1991 and today is one of the country’s leading media conglomerates, reaching approximately 700+ million viewers a month across India and more than 100 other countries. Star generates 30,000+ hours of content every year and broadcasts 60+ channels in 8 different languages, reaching 9 out of 10 C&S TV homes in India.

The network’s entertainment channel portfolio includes Star Gold, Channel V, Star World, Star World Premiere HD, Star Movies, Star Movies Select HD, Star Utsav, Star Utsav Movies, Star Bharat, Movies OK and Star Plus, India’s No. 1 Hindi General Entertainment Channel. It has a leading presence in regional broadcasting as well, through a bouquet of channels which include Star Jalsha, Jalsha Movies, Star Pravah, Maa channels and affiliate channels Asianet, Asianet Plus, Asianet Movies, Suvarna, Suvarna Plus and Vijay. It is also present in the Indian movie production and distribution space through Fox Star Studios, an affiliate joint venture company.

Star India is making quantum leaps in transforming sports in the country by leveraging the group’s strengths in superior content and audience engagement. Star’s sports business has grown rapidly to 12 channel properties (Star Sports 1, 2, Star Sports Select 1, Star Sports Select 2, Star Sports Hindi 1; Star Sports HD1, HD2, Star Sports Select 1 HD, Star Sports Select 2 HD, Star Sports Hindi 1 HD; India’s first Tamil Sports channel Star Sports Tamil 1 and India’s first private FTA sports channel Star Sports First), making it the leading sports network in the country.

Star is set to drive the agenda on digital content consumption in the country with Hotstar, Star’s revolutionary digital platform that brings your favourite TV shows, movies and sports in one destination.

Star India is a fully owned subsidiary of 21st Century Fox.

Follow us on http://www.startv.com/

BBC Worldwide announced today new third party acquisition deals that will see even more drama content becoming available on SVOD services BBC First and BBC Player in Asia for the first time. Award-winning and highly rated titles from all3media international and ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVS GE) will premiere on BBC First and BBC Player by the first quarter of 2018.

The titles from distributor, all3media international include:
• Agatha Christie’s Partners in Crime: A spy drama based on Agatha Christie’s novels, in which husband and wife team Tommy (David Walliams) and Tuppence Beresford (Jessica Raine) are amateur sleuths who foil plots in 1950s Cold War Britain.
• Hawking: A biographical film about Stephen Hawking’s early years as a PhD student at Cambridge University, following his search for the beginning of time, and his struggle against motor neuron disease. It stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Hawking. The series was nominated for a BAFTA TV Award for Best Single Drama in 2005.
• Inspector George Gently (series five to eight): A crime drama, set in the 1960s, about an old-school detective (Martin Shaw) trying to come to terms with a time when the lines between the police and criminals have become blurred.
• Liar (series one): A psychological thriller in which a schoolteacher (Joanne Froggatt) and parent (Ioan Gruffudd) go on a date, and neither realises the consequences that their meeting will have on each other or their families. The series finale was a huge hit in the UK, drawing an audience of 6.5 million.
• Midsomer Murders (series 19 and 20): This long-running detective drama, set in the fictional but deadly county of Midsomer, stars Neil Dudgeon as DCI John Barnaby.

Titles from ITVS GE include:
• Poldark (series one to three): The series follows Captain Ross Poldark (Aidan Turner) as he returns to Cornwall after the American War of Independence in the late 18th century. It won the BAFTA Radio Times Audience Award in 2016 and a Satellite Award for Best Ensemble 2017. It debuted on BBC First and BBC Player on 15 December 2017.
• Victoria (series one and two): Set in the mid-19th century, the series depicts the reign of Queen Victoria (Jenna Coleman) after the death of her uncle King William IV. The show was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards and won an RTS Yorkshire Programme Award in 2017. Series one and two premiered on 22 December 2017, and the 2017 Christmas special premieres on 26 December 2017 within 24 hours of its UK telecast.

All titles will have premiered by the first quarter of 2018.

Commenting on the deal, Ryan Shiotani, VP, Content in Asia, said: “We are very pleased to work with all3media international and ITVS GE for premium dramas. The partnerships with the two distributors allow us to grow the breadth of our offering, to deliver the best of British content to our viewers.”

The deals with all3media international and ITVS GE will bring the highly-rated and award-winning British shows to BBC First viewers in Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia, and BBC Player which is available to StarHub and TMNet subscribers in Singapore and Malaysia.

– Ends –

For more information, please contact:
Jeanne Leong
BBC Worldwide
Tel: +65 6849 5292
Email: jeanne.leong@bbc.com

Jessie Lim
BBC Worldwide
Tel: +65 6849 5295
Email: jessie.lim@bbc.com

Washington, DC, 21st December 2017, ABS announced the new appointment of Jim Simpson as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Jim, reporting to the Board of Directors, will lead the management team to drive changes to enhance shareholder value and continue to partner with ABS customers and vendors to deliver unparalleled business results.

Jim Frownfelter, Chairman of ABS said, “We are very excited to welcome Jim to the ABS family! His extensive experience, leadership, and knowledge of the business will create significant value for the company as ABS transitions to the next phase of our long term growth strategy. The board and I are delighted that Jim Simpson as the new Chief Executive Officer will lead the executive team to effect the company’s continuing expansion.”

Prior to joining ABS, Jim Simpson spent 35 years at The Boeing Company in various leadership positions in the Satellite and Launch Business. After retirement from Boeing, he served 2 years as the Senior Vice President for Strategy and Business Development and was an Officer of Aerojet Rocketdyne focused on propulsion and power systems for satellites, rockets and defense productions. Jim holds B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, an M.B.A. from the University of Southern California and a graduate certificate in Program Management from California Institute of Technology.

“I am very excited to join ABS and its impressive senior leadership team. ABS has established itself as a leader of innovation and creativity. I was part of the historical purchase of the all-electric 702SP satellites that are now key assets for our current and future growth. I want to build upon and extend the legacy that the company has created as we move into the next chapter of ABS. I look forward to leading our efforts to further strengthen and grow ABS through a focus on greater execution, creation of strategic partnerships, and further penetration into new markets and products,” commented Jim Simpson, CEO of ABS.

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About ABS

ABS is one of the fastest growing global satellite operators in the world. ABS offers a complete range of tailored solutions including broadcasting, data and telecommunication services to broadcasters, service providers, enterprises and government organizations.

ABS operates a fleet of satellites: ABS-2, ABS-2A, ABS-3A, ABS-4/Mobisat-1, ABS-6, and ABS-7. The satellite fleet covers over 93% of the world’s population across the Americas, Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, CIS and Russia.

Headquartered in Bermuda, ABS has offices in the United States, United Arab Emirates, South Africa and Asia. ABS is majority owned by funds managed by the European Private Equity firm Permira.

For more information, visit: www.absatellite.com

SINGAPORE (December 19, 2017) Asia’s Got Talent Season 2 took the regional spotlight as the top-rated original production in 2017, securing AXN as the number one channel in its timeslot among all regional pay-TV channels collectively in Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore.

The highly anticipated series, which crowned Indonesia’s spooky illusionist The Scared Riana as the winner in a sizzling Results Show episode last week, reached 9.3 million viewers during its 10-week run across the three markets. Asia’s Got Talent Season 2 consistently dominated the 8:30pm premiere timeslot every Thursday night garnering a whopping 73 per cent share of the English general entertainment genre for the season.*

Virginia Lim, Senior Vice President and Head of Content, Production and Marketing, Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia said, “AXN has yet again set the benchmark for high quality original productions in Asia that viewers live, breathe and crave. The strong ratings and huge social amplification speak volumes about the emotional chord that Asia’s Got Talent struck with fans as they followed the dreams of the contestants each week. I congratulate The Sacred Riana and all who competed this season, and hope that they leverage the power of AXN and Asia’s Got Talent to further their aspirations.”

Viewers in Malaysia were obsessed with the world’s biggest talent show, helping to secure Asia’s Got Talent Season 2 as the highest rated program across the English general entertainment channels in that market.**

In the Philippines, Asia’s Got Talent Season 2 was the top-rated regular program on English general entertainment channels since 2016.*** In Singapore, the premiere timeslot of Asia’s Got
Talent Season 2 more than doubled the lead-in program rating and grew the timeslot average rating by 156 per cent. #

Across the three markets, Asia’s Got Talent Season 2 helped AXN post significant viewership gains. AXN’s rating for the period spanning October 12 to December 16 grew by 28 per cent and 25 per cent for 6pm-1am primetime and full day respectively, as compared to the same period last year.

In the digital sphere, tremendous buzz was generated across Asia’s Got Talent social platforms. Based on Facebook analytics, 290 million impressions were generated on the Asia’s Got Talent Facebook page, with more than 26 million video views and over 2.5 million engagements. The Asia’s Got Talent Facebook community grew by 24 per cent since the October 12 series premiere and has a fan following of 2.2 million to date.

On YouTube, more than 990,000 subscribers of the Asia’s Got Talent channel relived the on-air moments with over 115 million views and 1.1 million likes over the period spanning October 12 to December 16, 2017.

Viral sensation and winner, The Scared Riana, clocked over 70 million social views for her three performances on Asia’s Got Talent, making her clips the most popular of the season.

Asia’s Got Talent is the 67th adaptation of the Guinness-World-Record-breaking hit “Got Talent” format, which was created by Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment and is co-produced by FremantleMedia. The “Got Talent” format is officially the most successful reality TV format in history and currently airs in 186 countries.

Asia’s Got Talent is supported by presenting sponsor Traveloka, the leading travel booking app for all flight and hotel needs; sponsoring partner Great Eastern Life, the market leader in the conventional life insurance business and the largest life insurer in Malaysia by asset size; GoDaddy, the world’s largest cloud platform dedicated to small, independent ventures and 100Plus, the number one isotonic drink. Marina Bay Sands, Asia’s leading business, leisure and entertainment destination, is the official venue partner of Asia’s Got Talent.

@AsiasGotTalent / #AXNAsia / #AsiasGotTalent / #AsiasGotTalentAuditions
www.AXN-Asia.com/AsiasGotTalent

[Editors’ note: Hi-res images, judges’ information and press releases are available to download via www.AXN-Asia.com/AGT2Press]

-ENDS-

About AXN
AXN is Asia’s leading general entertainment channel featuring exclusive top-rated drama series, blockbuster features, reality programs and ground-breaking original productions. The channel appeals to a discerning audience seeking content that is smart, intriguing and unexpected, all delivered close to U.S telecasts. From SEAL Team and MacGyver, to The Amazing Race Asia and Asia’s Got Talent, AXN is defined not by a genre, but by an attitude that truly redefines action.

Launched first in Asia in 1997, AXN is a global channel brand with a presence in Latin America, Africa and Europe. In Asia, the channel is enjoyed in 126 million households across 19 territories and is available in both SD and HD.

AXN Asia is wholly owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment and managed by Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia, which also operates leading channels including Animax, Sony Channel, ONE and GEM.

About Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia
Sony Pictures Television (SPT) Networks, Asia is a leading operator of ad-supported channels including English general entertainment powerhouses AXN and Sony Channel; and Asian content giants Animax, GEM and ONE. SPT Networks’ portfolio collectively features the biggest and best titles from Korea, Japan and the U.S that are first run, exclusive and aired close to the original telecast. Taking the content beyond the screen, SPT Networks immerses viewers in its premium entertainment via large-scale festivals, celebrity fan meets and social platform conversations. In Asia, SPT Networks’ portfolio is available across 19 territories and in over 42 million homes.

www.SonyPicturesTelevision.com

For further information, please contact:
Jarieul Wong
Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia
Jarieul_Wong@spe.sony.com
+65 9188 3227

Source: Kantar Media Malaysia Astro DTAM (consolidated activities). Kantar Media Philippines TAM Service, all urban panels. Singapore StarHub SmarTAM (consolidated viewing). Target: Pay TV 4+. Data period: October 12 – December 16 2017.
* English general entertainment channels: AMC, AXN, Channel [V], Comedy Central, DIVA, E!, FOX, FOXlife, FOXCRIME, FX, HITS, KIX, Lifetime, MTV, RTL CBS Entertainment, RTL CBS Extreme, SONY Channel, truTV, Warner TV
** Program crosstab analysis January 1 2015 ~ December 16 2017.
*** Program crosstab analysis January 1 2016 ~ December 16 2017.
# timeslot average is based on Thursday 2030-2229 rating of August 3-October 5 2017

BELLATOR FINDS NEW HOME ON PARAMOUNT CHANNEL IN SOUTHEAST ASIA STARTING JANUARY 2018

SINGAPORE, 19 December 2017 – Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) today announced that they have acquired the rights from Electus International to air the popular mixed martial arts franchise, Bellator MMA, in a multi-market pan-Asia deal starting January 2018. Owned and operated by Viacom, Bellator MMA is available to nearly 1 billion people in over 160 countries featuring many of the world’s best and most recognizable combat sports stars.

With MMA’s growing popularity in the region, Paramount Channel will be the exclusive new home to Bellator starting January 2018. Subscribers spanning Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Taiwan to the Pacific Islands can soon enjoy exclusive linear broadcast transmission of Bellator’s world championship events from venues around the world. There is also the potential of further collaboration with Bellator to stage fight events in Asia in future.

“The introduction of Bellator MMA on Paramount Channel is significant as we are amplifying Paramount’s focus on distinctive high-quality programming, offering viewers exclusive fight sports entertainment in addition to movies of various genres. More importantly, with the flourishing MMA scene and appetite for fight content in Southeast Asia, this addition can’t be more timely as we bring the pure adrenaline of Bellator to many MMA fans in the region,” said Paras Sharma, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Southeast Asia.

The first fight card of 2018 season, “Bellator 192: Lima vs MacDonald” from The Forum in Los Angeles, features an action-packed lineup showcasing the biggest names in the sport. The highly-anticipated event includes a world welterweight title bout between Rory MacDonald and Douglas Lima and the first round of the Heavyweight Grand Prix between two MMA icons, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Chael Sonnen. Along with major LIVE events, Bellator fans can also look forward to “best-of” specials highlighting the most exciting scenes and iconic moments from the Bellator franchise to date. To cater to MMA fans around the region, MTV Asia will also carry selected Bellator content during Paramount-branded blocks while Paramount Channel rolls out further in Southeast Asia.

In 2018, Bellator MMA will present 24 live, exclusive, prime time combat sports events from venues in the US and across the globe. Sixteen of the fights will be in the US, and eight will be international, with more events to be scheduled.

The inclusion of Bellator makes Paramount Channel a premium entertainment destination not only offering great movies from Paramount studios, but fight sports entertainment in its programming lineup. From iconic box-office hits to heart-pumping tournaments, Paramount Channel integrates creative curation and thematic programming to provide a unique and entertaining viewing experience for audiences of all ages.

About Bellator
Bellator is a leading mixed martial arts and kickboxing organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 1 billion people worldwide in over 160 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on SPIKE, the combat sports television leader. Bellator is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Hollywood, Calif. and owned by entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.

About Viacom International Media Networks
Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN), a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), is comprised of many of the world’s most popular multimedia entertainment brands, including MTV, MTV LIVE HD, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Comedy Central, Paramount Channel, and more. Viacom brands reach more than 3.8 billion cumulative subscribers in 180+ countries and territories via more than 200 locally programmed and operated TV channels and more than 550 digital media and mobile TV properties, in 40 languages. Keep up with VIMN news by visiting the VIMN PR Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/VIMN_PR. For more information about Viacom and its businesses, visit www.viacom.com, blog.viacom.com and the Viacom Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/Viacom.

Media Contact:
Yvette Yeo
Senior Manager, Communications, Southeast Asia Viacom International Media Networks
T: +65 6420 7154
e: yvette.yeo@vimn.com

Harveen Ahluwalia

Live Mint

19 December 2017

In what could be a blow to sports and entertainment channels, the government has imposed a fee of Rs 50,000 (on regional channels) and Rs 1 lakh (on national channels) per day for temporary uplinking of live events.

This essentially means that broadcasters of every live event, from the T20 cricket tournament Indian Premiere League to football and kabaddi leagues to other programmes that may be shown live on entertainment channels, will now have to pay Rs 50,000 or Rs 1 lakh per day, in line with recent order from the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry.

According to temporary uplinking guidelines, all non-news and current affairs channels are required to have temporary uplinking permission “for any live coverage/footage collection and transmission on case-to-case basis.” Up until now, the channels have not been paying any fee to the government.

“A simple permission was required till now to air live events. The imposition of this fee is a big overhead cost, which no channel accounted for while planning the future events,” said an executive at a broadcasting company, who did not want to be named.

The order, which came into effect on 13 December, will impact sports channels the most.

Television broadcaster Sony Pictures Network, which operates 11 sports channels, said that the move “could act as a deterrent to broadening viewership.”

“While the rationale for the new fee structure for temporary uplinking of live events is not clear, for example a sports channel uplinking a live sporting event ought not to be considered current affairs, there will be a financial cost, which could be significant if carried across several channels in different languages,” the company said in an emailed response to a query from Mint.

Another industry executive, who did not want to be identified, said: “It’s big blow to the sports broadcasters and not at all in line with government’s efforts to promote ease of doing business. This is a discouragement to smaller sports broadcasters, sports leagues and tournaments.”

“It is surprising that the ministry is creating such roadblocks to live telecast sporting events when the Prime Minister has made a clarion call to promote sports in India through Khelo India programme,” this person added.

India has five sports broadcasters—Star India, Sony Pictures Network, Discovery Communications, Nimbus Communications Ltd and state-owned Doordarshan.

Star India and Sony Pictures Network are the two dominant players with rights to popular sporting events. Star did not respond to a query from Mintseeking comment on the impact of the order.

While industry executives are sceptical of the government’s move, they also point to grey areas in the order.

First, the order doesn’t define the terms ‘regional channels’ and ‘national channels.’ According to the television uplinking and downlinking guidelines, there are only two categories of channels—news and current affairs, and non-news and current affairs channels.

“The uplinking and downlinking permissions of I&B ministry are pan-India licences. There is no clarity as to which channels will qualify as regional channels and on what basis. For instance, a Gujarati channel, though broadcast in Gujarati may be available nationally,” said the executive cited earlier.

Secondly, “the ministry only provides in-principle approval for live events coverage but the operational approvals are granted by WPC (Wireless Planning and Co-ordination wing) and NOCC (Networks Operation Control Centre) of DOT (Department of Telecommunications). The broadcasters already pay licence and royalty fee to WPC. The purpose of charging more money and the coordination between the three departments is not clear,” the person added.

The I&B ministry did not respond to an emailed query seeking clarifications on the order.

Meanwhile, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) is working on a consultation paper on promoting ease of doing business in the broadcast sector and is expected to come out with its recommendations in a few weeks.

Star India
Tel: 0124 6654643
Email: aravamudhan.k@startv.com
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