BBC Learning English has launched special content for Thai-speaking learners. BBC Learning English – Thai is now live on the BBC Learning English website as well as Facebook and Instagram channels. BBC Thai features selected material on its Facebook page and other social-media channels.

BBC Learning English – Thai includes weekly video and audio clips for learners at beginner and intermediate levels. Beginners can try Essential English Conversation, while English on the Street and English in the News – featuring the most popular stories from the BBC Thai website – are aimed at those at intermediate level.

BBC Learning English – Thai is delivered via the BBC Learning English website and social-media channels. Selected content features on BBC Thai Facebook page, Instagram and YouTube channels.

BBC Learning English Editor, Paul Scott, says: “We are looking forward to engaging and interacting with Thai-speaking learners of English. Our new free series will help them on their language-learning journeys as the starting point for conversations and for sharing views, ideas and culture.”

BBC Learning English is a world leader in using international broadcasting to teach English. Millions of users connect with BBC Learning English via the website bbclearningenglish.com, its partner sites, as well as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. BBC Learning English is part of the BBC World Service.

-Ends-

For more information please contact:
BBC World Service Group Communications – Lala Najafova lala.najafova@bbc.co.uk

SINGAPORE, 15 JUNE 2017 – HBO Asia is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Jessica Kam (甘蕙茵) as their new Senior Vice President for HBO Asia Original Productions where she will be responsible for all aspects of the network’s productions of all HBO Asia Originals. A senior TV executive and film producer with over twenty years of experience in film, TV, music, news and digital media, Jessica brings with her a wealth of media experience that spans across three continents and joins HBO Asia with a deep understanding of the industry in Asia.

“We welcome Jessica into our HBO family and trust that she will elevate our offerings and presence here in Asia through the creation of more Asian content,” says Jonathan Spink, CEO of HBO Asia. He further adds, “HBO Asia was one of the first in the region to produce Asian Original content and there has been a growing interest in Asian productions which is encouraging for us as we ramp up HBO Asia Original productions under Jessica’s leadership and wealth of experience in the region – creating content for viewers not only in Asia, but also across the globe.”

Jessica’s appointment follows HBO’s growing position and commitment to produce more original content for Asia. As early as 2012, HBO Asia started producing its Original productions with the action horror film, Dead Mine. Since then, HBO Asia’s repertoire of Asian Original productions have captured the attention of Asian audiences and received acclaim from the industry, evidenced by the accolades it has won and been nominated for prestigious awards internationally.

Over the years, the network’s Originals have grown from strength to strength, attracting potential partnerships and collaborations within the region to create quality content. To date, HBO Asia has produced eight Asian Originals with more slated to premiere later this year. The network’s most recent Asian Original series, The Teenage Psychic, was HBO Asia’s first Mandarin Original series. It received positive feedback and the highest premiere average rating of all HBO Asia Original series in Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan.

Jessica’s understanding of the movie and entertainment industry in Asia stems from her experience in producing 10 feature films in China to date. Some of her notable film credits include the award-winning Chinese feature film The Piano in a Factory (钢的琴) that has received over a dozen international awards, commercial releases such as Kungfu Cyborg (机器侠), Just Another Pandora’s Box (越光宝盒), Bump in the Road (一路顺疯), as well as the upcoming 10-ton Killer (十吨刺客) and East Sea Odyssey (大闹东海). In 2016, she produced two critically-acclaimed films including the Hong Kong documentary She Objects (她非它) and the first official Italian-Chinese co-production Coffee.

Before working as a film producer in China, Jessica had stints with various regional media companies. From 2005 to 2008, Jessica oversaw Celestial Pictures’ marketing and product management teams to drive the distribution of its Shaw Brothers library titles, new films and TV channels. In 1999-2005, she served MTV Asia as head of the MTV China Channel and VP of Network Communications. Prior to MTV, she has also worked for MGM Gold, Dow Jones Newswires and Disney Studios.

Jessica holds an MBA from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, as well as a B.A. in Computer Science from U. C. Berkeley, USA. She was the President of the International Advertising Association (IAA), Hong Kong Chapter (2001-2005).

# # #

About HBO ASIA

Singapore-based HBO Asia brings the best of Hollywood to Asia first through its exclusive licensing deals with major Hollywood and independent studios, including Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, Warner Bros. and Lionsgate. HBO Asia has proprietary and award-winning HBO and HBO Asia Original programmes produced exclusively for HBO viewers. Wholly owned by HBO (a Time Warner company), HBO Asia reaches 23 territories across Asia with six 24-hour commercial-free subscription movie channels: HBO, HBO Signature, HBO Family, HBO Hits and Cinemax, as well as Red by HBO, internet streaming platform, HBO GO, subscription video on demand service, HBO On Demand, and in China, 鼎级剧场 (ding ji ju chang). HBO Asia is also the exclusive distributor of BabyFirst and the DreamWorks channel in the region. Log on to www.hboasia.com for more information.

For more information, please contact:

Karen Lai | Senior Communications Director | HBO Asia
DID +65 6381 1796 | Mobile +65 9111 2655 | Fax +65 6287 2210 | www.hboasia.com

www.startv.com to narrate Star India’s incredible stories of change and elicit bold new ideas

Mumbai, 13 June 2017: Star India, one of the nation’s leading media conglomerates, has been on a mission to not just entertain India, but also bring about social change through its thought-provoking programming. From innovating entertainment, promoting gender equality, creating a multi-sport culture to shaping the digital landscape, Star has been tireless in its journey to bring alive its mission of ‘Inspiring a Billion Imaginations’. To take this journey forward, Star India has revealed a brand new vehicle – its interactive website, www.startv.com.

An inspiring storytelling platform, the new website adds a fresh dimension, Imagine more… to Star India’s empowering vision. This mobile-first, immersive and engaging storytelling platform is an expression of how Star India is championing change through the power of media. Star India has partnered DesignStudio, a global brand agency, to distill its Chairman & CEO Uday Shankar’s vision of “enabling, empowering and stimulating everyone to find his or her own answers; answers shaped by their own imagination.” The idea influences the website’s search filters, structure, content and photography – every aspect of the digital experience was created to make people Imagine more… Engaging user experience, interactive content, rich vivid stories and an open-to-all ‘Pitch Your Idea’ initiative, form some of the pillars of www.startv.com.

To bring Star India’s stories to life, DesignStudio travelled to India for a photoshoot that spanned the country. It went behind the scenes and beyond the shows to capture the impact of Star India’s work in everything from transforming the village game of Kabaddi into an elite sporting league, to its social initiatives tackling violence against women.

Gayatri Yadav, President, Consumer Strategy and Innovation, Star India, said, “At Star, our mission has been to ‘Inspire a Billion Imaginations’ and the website brings this mission to life. It seeks to inspire and instigate each and every individual to unlock their potential of limitless possibilities. Imagine more… articulates how we take this mission forward and creates a powerful new storytelling address. This is a new home for Star’s incredible stories of change, inspiration, and bold ideas.”

James Hurst, Executive Creative Director, DesignStudio, said, “Our role is often to sift for the magic. Star is very unusual, there is magic everywhere! It has been (and continues to be) an absolutely inspiring rollercoaster getting to understand the breadth and depth of their impact on society and their hopes and ambitions for such an exciting and extraordinary future. We are thrilled with the work so far, and can’t wait for what happens next.”

You can also download and print this press release from our website – www.startv.com

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 650 million viewers a month across India and more than 100 other countries. Star generates 20,000 hours of content every year and broadcasts 50+ 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, Life OK, 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, JalshaMovies, 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 StarStudios, 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 10 channel properties (StarSports 1, 2, 3, 4; Star Sports HD1, HD2, HD3, HD4 and Star Sports Select HD1, Select HD2), 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.
For further information:
corporateaffairs@startv.com

Jay Desai / Pavan R Chawla
Adfactors PR
jay.desai@adfactorspr.com / pavan.chawla@adfactorspr.com
+91 22 67574150/67574342
+91 9820060107/9819293932

On 1 June, the Go Jetters jetted to China with their teacher Ubercorn to celebrate Children’s Day. As part of the Children’s Day Gala 2017 organised by state broadcaster China Central Television’s children’s channel (CCTV-14), the four plucky heroes Xuli, Kyan, Lars and Foz and mentor Ubercorn danced in a character parade and took part in a live-stream interview. The Gala was broadcast to an audience of 110 million, and saw over 200 million streams on mobile streaming platforms in China like iQIYI in one evening – triple the viewership record of the previous year.

Our intrepid Go Jetters also climbed the Great Wall of China to inspect the wonderful world famous landmark that they had previously saved from the mischievous Grandmaster Glitch in series one, episode 11.

In China, besides state children’s channel CCTV-14, Go Jetters is available to young audiences in China on IPTV platform BesTV and on the online platform iQIYI. The show will also be available to watch on digital platforms Tencent and Youku at the end of August.

Go Jetters follows the adventures of four plucky heroes, Xuli, Kyan, Lars and Foz, as they travel the world with their teacher, mentor and friend, Ubercorn, a funky disco-grooving unicorn. A comedy, action adventure for 4-6 year olds, Go Jetters combines music, cool gadgets and disco-dancing to introduce the audience to geography and culture. Filled with comedy, teamwork, awesome sights, and funky facts, each episode offers older pre-schoolers a fun-filled and action packed exploration of their wider world.

Go Jetters has become a huge hit with boys and girls across the globe, with series one selling to over 90 territories and a second series of the animation is now in production. In the UK, Go Jetters was ranked number one for its pre-school launch on CBeebies in 2015 and has since reached a cumulative audience of 10 million viewers on linear television. New episodes on CBeebies in February 2017 peaked with an impressive 630,500 viewers. Overseas, Go Jetters consistently ranks in top 5 children’s titles for ABC2 in Australia and is also a top performing brand for France 5 outperforming its slot average share by 7% (A4+) in first two weeks, as well as rating as the number one show for children 4 to 10. Ratings in Canada have been particularly strong with the series jetting off to a very promising start on Treehouse with the show rating as number one for children between 2 and 11.

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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

NOTES TO EDITORS

About BBC Worldwide
BBC Worldwide is the main commercial arm and a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Its vision is to build the BBC’s brands, audiences, commercial returns and reputation across the world. This is achieved through investing in, commercialising and showcasing content from the BBC around the world, in a way that is consistent with BBC standards and values. The business also champions British creativity globally.

In 2015/16 BBC Worldwide generated headline profits of £133.8m and headline sales of £1,029.4m and returned £222.2m to the BBC.

For more detailed performance information please see our Annual Review webpage: bbcworldwide.com/annual-review/.

bbcworldwide.com
twitter.com/bbcwpress

JV Co to focus on creating and monetising content verticals in Malaysia and Nusantara

9 June 2017, Kuala Lumpur – Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad (“Astro”) and Kumpulan Media Karangkraf Sdn Bhd (‘Karangkraf”) today entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (“MoU”) to form a joint venture company (“JV Co”) for the creation and monetisation of content verticals in Malaysia and the Nusantara region.

Dato’ Rohana Rozhan, Group Chief Executive Officer of Astro said, “At core of this collaboration, we aim to pursue co-creation of a comprehensive line up of content IPs across Malay and Islamic verticals. The on-going trend of digital media consumption, paid or ads-supported, has expanded Astro’s addressable audience base in Malaysia considerably from households to individuals. Serving this diverse audience across a range of windows from theatrical, to TV, to digital and commerce, requires a wider breadth of IPs in order to satisfy the unique needs of each consumer segment. Ownership of these IPs allows us to maximise monetisation potential from licensing, Adex, subscriptions and commerce, while at the same time anchor a long-term sustainable role for us in the media value chain.

We also see a rising demand for fresh and differentiated vernacular content across the Nusantara region, partly due to the proliferation of direct-to-consumer OTT platforms. In order to position ourselves as a key player in this space we are strengthening our investments in signature vernacular and ASEAN IPs, to be more relevant to a regional audience. Karangkraf is an established leading creative force amongst the Malay speaking community across its media assets and we are pleased to announce our partnership with Karangkraf to develop a strong line-up of content IPs and brands jointly together. This partnership brings together two entities with like-minded vision, leveraging on each other’s strength to unlock new business opportunities to create Nusantara IPs that can travel not only in Malaysia but regionally.”

Dato’ Hussamuddin Hj. Yaacub, Chief Executive Officer of Karangkraf said, “The Karangkraf Group looks forward to a deeper cooperation with Astro, having worked on many campaigns previously, such as Projek Ngaji, Quran Hour and so on. With our combined reach, Astro is the right strategic partner to position our content IPs across multi platforms of TV, OTT and digital in Malaysia and beyond. The JV Co will enable our group to have an equity in a Malay content powerhouse with regional aspiration as well as diversify into new businesses and accelerate digital innovation.”

Today, the content industry in in the Nusantara region command a total addressable market of RM48 billion, which makes local vernacular and ASEAN content IPs, the new premium. Astro and Karangkraf hope its win-win collaboration will bring together complementary strengths in creating a content IP pipeline as well as a culture of innovation and distribution to tap on the growing industry.

The Astro-Karangkraf partnership is consistent with Astro’s strategic imperative of co-owning content IPs that have regional appeal, and towards the group’s aspiration of becoming a leading Asean content creator, aggregator and distributor. Today, Astro is in 71% of Malaysian households, serving 21 million individuals on all screens, at home, live, on the go and on demand while Karangkraf has 15 million readers across its print, magazine publications and online media assets.

###

Media Contact:
Tammy Toh
Vice President, Group Communications
Astro
Mobile: +6012 322 5184
Email: tammy_toh@astro.com.my

Producers Of The Action-Packed Series Include Taiwanese-American Justin Lin (The Fast And The Furious movies) and Shannon Lee, daughter of Bruce Lee

SINGAPORE, 12 JUNE 2017 – CINEMAX has picked up the straight-to-series drama WARRIOR. Starting production on its ten-episode season this fall in Cape Town, South Africa, the action-packed series will premiere on CINEMAX in Asia. The show is inspired by an idea from Bruce Lee and created and executive produced by Jonathan Tropper (creator of CINEMAX’s “Banshee”) under Tropper Ink Productions. Justin Lin and Danielle Woodrow will executive produce on behalf of Perfect Storm Entertainment, and Shannon Lee will executive produce for Bruce Lee Entertainment.

“WARRIOR follows in the spirit of the tradition of adrenalized CINEMAX dramas that we established with STRIKE BACK and BANSHEE,” said Kary Antholis, President, HBO Miniseries and CINEMAX Programming. He further adds, “We are brimming with excitement for this unique martial arts series combining Bruce Lee’s inspired conception with the immense storytelling talents of Jonathan Tropper and Justin Lin.”

WARRIOR is a gritty, action-packed crime drama set during the brutal Tong Wars of San Francisco’s Chinatown in the second half of the 19th century. The series follows Ah Sahm, a martial arts prodigy who immigrates from China to San Francisco under mysterious circumstances, and becomes a hatchet man for one of Chinatown’s most powerful tongs – a Chinese organized crime family.

“As a show that proudly bears the imprimatur of Bruce Lee, it’s our intention to deliver not only explosive martial arts action – which we will – but also a powerful and complex immigration drama that is as relevant today as it was in the 1870s,” says Tropper.

“I’ve always admired Bruce Lee for his trailblazing efforts opening doors for Asians in entertainment and beyond,” notes Lin. “So I was intrigued when Danielle (Woodrow) told me about the urban legend of his never-produced idea for a TV show and suggested we bring it to life. Then, when Shannon shared with us her father’s writings – rich with Lee’s unique philosophies on life, and through a point of view rarely depicted on screen – Danielle and I knew that Perfect Storm had to make it.”

“Partnering with CINEMAX has led to a wonderful collaboration with Jonathan Tropper, who has created a fantastic series inspired by Lee’s writings. We are all honored to continue what he started,” he adds.

WARRIOR is produced for CINEMAX by Perfect Storm Entertainment, Tropper Ink Productions and Bruce Lee Entertainment.

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About HBO ASIA
Singapore-based HBO Asia brings the best of Hollywood to Asia first through its exclusive licensing deals with major Hollywood and independent studios, including Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, Warner Bros. and Lionsgate. HBO Asia has proprietary and award-winning HBO and HBO Asia Original programmes produced exclusively for HBO viewers. Wholly owned by HBO (a Time Warner company), HBO Asia reaches 23 territories across Asia with six 24-hour commercial-free subscription movie channels: HBO, HBO Signature, HBO Family, HBO Hits and Cinemax, as well as Red by HBO, internet streaming platform, HBO GO, subscription video on demand service, HBO On Demand, and in China, 鼎级剧场 (ding ji ju chang). HBO Asia is also the exclusive distributor of BabyFirst and the DreamWorks channel in the region. Log on to www.hboasia.com for more information.

For more information, please contact HBO Asia:

Karen Lai
Senior Director, Communications
Tel: (65) 6381 1796
Email: karen.lai@hboasia.com

Cheryl Foong
Manager, Communications
Tel: (65) 6381 1838
Email: cheryl.foong@hboasia.com

Chan Zi Ning
Executive, Communications
Tel: (65) 6381 1746
Email: zining.chan@hboasia.com

CNN International Commercial announces two new appointments in the Asia Pacific region, welcoming Delilah Chan as Sales Director, Southeast Asia, and Zab Ali as Digital Director, North Asia.

With 18 years of experience working and leading teams across South East Asia, Chan will oversee CNN’s Advertising Sales team based in Singapore. In this role, she will develop strategic partnerships and manage relationships with key clients and agencies to drive CNNIC’s business goals through multi-platform strategies that are industry-leading and innovative. Meanwhile, bringing his digital expertise to the CNNIC team, Ali will be based in Hong Kong and his primary role will be to engage with a greater number of brands on digital campaigns and enable brand integration through innovative adverting solutions. These include building and strengthening partnerships with advertising technologies, while promoting CNN’s data strategy and business development.

Commenting on the team expansions, Sunita Rajan, Senior Vice President, Advertising Sales, Asia Pacific, CNN International Commercial, said “These appointments are a crucial addition to the sales leadership team, which is focused on delivering best in class multi-platform solutions powered by data, content, insights and creativity which enable CNN’s growth in key markets such as Southeast Asia. I am pleased to have Delilah on our team as she has a proven track record of driving growth in media, content and technology sectors in the fast-paced and evolving SEA region. She brings a wealth of experience with her and I am certain that her contribution will further enable us to achieve CNNIC’s goals.”

Rob Bradley, Vice President, Digital Commercial Strategy & Revenue, ‎CNN International Commercial, added “In a world where a marketer’s role has never been more complex, CNN is offering a host of smart and truly cross-platform solutions that allow brands to reach local, regional and global audiences with impact from a single point. We are thrilled to welcome Zab, whose deep experience on the client as well as agency side and passion for digital will no doubt continue to forge these innovative solutions that enable brands to meet their marketing and business goals.”

Prior to joining CNN International Commercial, Chan was the Head of Sales in APAC for SuperAwesome, the largest kids-focused digital media platform in the world. Before that, she held positions such as Head of Business for Twitter in SEA, and led the BBC Advertising Sales team in Singapore.

Ali has worked in both the UK and Hong Kong before joining CNN International Commercial. He was most recently with Havas Media. Prior to that, he worked at agencies such as MRM//McCann, iProspect and Carat.