Welcome to News Views, CASBAA’s news round-up culled from sources across the industry for the week ending Mar 3th. Curated by CASBAA, News Views keeps you in the loop. We always value your feedback, so tell us what you think!
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SINGAPORE (March 3, 2017) – Sony Pictures Television (SPT) Networks, Asia announced today its partnership with Imagine Group, a leading TV production company, to deliver a pipeline of original series for AXN and Sony Channel.
The first series to premiere as part of the agreement will be The Apartment: Rising Stars Edition, which is slated to run on Sony Channel, SPT Networks’ female-skewing, companion channel to AXN. Other series to follow include popular reality series The Challenger and Fit for Fashion.
“SPT Networks, Asia has a proven track record in producing highly rated, locally relevant original productions for AXN so we are pleased to further strengthen our capabilities via our partnership with Imagine Group. We look forward to leveraging Imagine’s expertise to premiere content that resonates with our viewers and encourages social engagement for both AXN and Sony Channel,” said Virginia Lim, Senior Vice President and Head of Content, Production and Marketing, Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia.
President and Founder of Imagine Group, Riaz Mehta added, “We are delighted to be partnering with SPT Networks, Asia to create a slate of original content which is relevant to Asian audiences and that raises the bar for local productions. Imagine Group has produced a series of hit TV shows over the last 10 years and is the leading production company for unscripted TV content in Asia. We have worked closely with SPT Networks over the last decade and are now pleased to be building a deeper strategic partnership for the coming years.”
Premiering Thursday, March 16, Asia’s biggest and best design show, The Apartment: Rising Stars Edition will draw Sony Channel viewers into the cut-throat world of interior design where 12 up-and-coming designers will compete to become the next superstar with a grand prize of $100,000. The series will also include a second telecast on AXN as part of the channel’s Saturday programming line-up.
Set in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, The Apartment: Rising Stars Edition will feature celebrity judges Jamie Durie, an International award winning designer and author, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, an interior design business mogul with a lucrative international business portfolio and American design superstar Genevieve Gorder.
The Apartment: Rising Stars Edition is presented by Dulux and supported by UMLand and Kohler.
www.SonyChannelAsia.com/TheApartment
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 20 territories and in over 45 million homes.
About Sony Pictures Television Networks
Sony Pictures Television Networks operates branded entertainment channels reaching over one billion households around the world. Based in Culver City, Amsterdam, Budapest, London, Madrid, Miami, Milan, Moscow, Mumbai, Munich, Singapore and Tokyo, Sony’s linear and digital networks offer high quality film and television content from Sony Pictures and third-parties, as well as original content commissioned globally and locally. Sony Pictures Television Networks is a division of Sony Pictures Television Inc., a Sony Pictures Entertainment company.www.SonyPicturesTelevision.com
About Imagine Group
Imagine Group (“Imagine”) is a leading international TV Production company headquartered in Singapore. Amongst its hit TV productions are Fit for Fashion, The Contender Asia, The Biggest Loser Asia, The Challenger and The Apartment. Imagine’s shows have achieved success not just in Asia but also the USA, Australia, UK and Europe with distribution to over 40 countries worldwide and have received multiple accolades from industry and media, including an International Emmy Award nomination.
Currently the ONLY production company in Asia that produces large scale ORIGINAL reality TV shows to an American production standard that are sold and formatted worldwide, Imagine has shows in production and development across a variety of genres including Music, Sport, Fashion, Lifestyle, Design, Magic and kids’ content.
For more information, please visit www.imaginegroup.tv
Media Contact
Jennifer Doig / Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia
Jennifer_doig@spe.sony.com / +65 6622 4278
National, 2 March, 2017: Leading QSR chain of India, Pizza Hut, announced a three-day #HollywoodAtHome contest in partnership with Tata Sky, India’s leading content distribution platform providing Pay TV and OTT services. It is a popular sentiment amongst consumers that movies are best enjoyed in the comfort of one’s homes, amongst friends and most importantly with great food. Capturing this emotion of comfort, delight and excitement, Pizza Hut along with Tata Sky is offering consumers an opportunity to enjoy Oscar-winning and nominated movies along with their friends, on Tata Sky Hollywood Winners while relishing pizzas from Pizza Hut, free-of-cost.
To participate in the contest and stand a chance to win, participants have to invite and tag three of their friends on the event page created by the brands on popular social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram). The tagged friends then need to respond to the invite by confirming their presence using #HollywoodAtHome and tagging Pizza Hut India. After receiving all entries, both the brands will pick 50 lucky winners, at random, across different cities of India. The winners will then receive free Pizza Hut treats to enjoy along with binge watching Oscar-winning and nominated movies on Tata Sky Hollywood Winners on 1st, 2nd and 3rd March.
Prashant Gaur, Chief Brand Offer, Pizza Hut India said, “It’s a continuous endeavor at Pizza Hut to find ways to delight & connect with our consumers. Great movies and good food have always gone hand in hand. Watching movies and binging on great pizzas is a plan that all would have made with their friends and families at some point in time and thoroughly enjoyed it too. Dwelling on the same thought, we decided to join hands with Tata Sky to give all a pizzalicious movie watching experience.”
On the launch of this contest, Malay Dikshit, Chief Communications Officer, Tata Sky said, “We are confident that this unique social contest with a leading QSR brand like Pizza Hut will engage and excite all our subscribers to stay hooked on our newly launched service ‘Hollywood Winners’. The victors can thus binge on good food and a unique range of Hollywood titles including The Wolf of Wall Street, The Hurt Locker, Crash, The Reader, American Hustle and many more.”
Available in both SD and HD, Tata Sky Hollywood Winners will be complimentary for all Tata Sky subscribers. Catering to the trend of watching movies ‘On the move’, the service will also be available on the Tata Sky Mobile App. The service will run for a period of one month, up to first week of March. This service will showcase select movies that were winners or nominated for ‘Best Picture’, ‘Best Director’, ‘Best Actor/Actress in a lead role’ in the previous years’ Academy Awards.
About Pizza Hut:
Pizza Hut, the world’s leading affordable casual dining and delivery restaurant brand, has been present in India for 20 years. It made its foray into India with a restaurant in Bangalore in June 1996 and was the first international restaurant chain to pioneer this category. The restaurant brand offers an exciting menu consisting of its signature pizzas, appetizers, pastas, desserts and beverages. Its trademark dining experience has been recognized by Brand Equity to make it the ‘Most Trusted Food Service Brand’ for 11 years in a row. Pizza Hut was recently awarded “Food Service Retailer of the Year 2016” by Franchise India. With over 70,000 footfalls per day across all its restaurants, Pizza Hut is the perfect place to celebrate any occasion in life, small or big. Pizza Hut with presence in over 100 countries is one of the flagship brands of Yum! Brands Inc. which also has KFC and Taco Bell under its umbrella.
About Tata Sky:
Tata Sky Limited (‘Tata Sky’) is a joint venture between the Tata Sons and 21st Century Fox. Incorporated in 2001 and launched services in 2006, Tata Sky is India’s leading content distribution platform providing Pay TV and OTT services. With the objective of connecting to the best content in the world on any budget, any screen, anytime and anywhere, Tata Sky was the first to launch multiple products and services that redefined the subscribers viewing experience in the country.
Tata Sky has been a pioneer in the HD Set top box segment having significant market share in the category. It has been continuously adding new channels and platform services across various genres and languages to beef up its content offering to cater to all segments of the audience. Tata Sky currently has its footprints spread across 1.5 lakh towns with over 15 million connections in India.
For more information on Tata Sky, visit www.tatasky.com
For details contact:
| Nida Paloba – 09821017561 | Aditya Ravi – 09821299550 | |
| Arun Thankappan – 09930860706
arun.thankappan@adfactorspr.com
|
Gaurav Bhat – 09833057592 | |
Tata Sky, India’s leading content distribution platform known for its differentiated offerings has come up with a special thought to thank and delight women for all the love, care and warmth they spread across in the lives of all. Celebrating Women’s Week from March 4-10, Tata Sky will be offering some of their marquee services viz., Tata Sky Cooking, Tata Sky Fitness, Tata Sky Music, Dance Studio and Miniplex at a subscription fee of just Re 1/- per service for the first month.
Each of these unique services will cater to women with tailored programming benefiting or entertaining them in their daily lives. Miniplex will offer movies such as Queen, Befikre, Chalk & Duster, Black, Gippi, Angry Indian Goddess and Life in a Metro. Dance Studio will include choreography sessions of contemporary and Bollywood dance styles from popular peepy tracks such as Tamma Tamma by Madhuri Dixit – Nene, Afghan Jalebi by Meher Malik and Paani da by Mohena Kumari Singh. Tata Sky Fitness will feature content on Zumba, Pilates and anti-ageing from renowned fitness trainers such as Shwetambari Shetty, Yasmin Karachiwala, Nawaz Modi Singhania and many more. Tata Sky Cooking will showcase multiple cuisines and delicious delicacies from renowned celebrity chefs such as Tarla Dalal, Jiggs Kalra, Harpal Singh Sokhi and Nilesh Limaye.
So ladies, gear up to subscribe for these bouquet of content-rich services and pamper yourself through the month.
For further information, please contact:
Gaurav Bhat – 9833057592
Aditya Ravi – 9821299550
About Tata Sky:
Tata Sky Limited (‘Tata Sky’) is a joint venture between the Tata Sons and 21st Century Fox. Incorporated in 2001 and launched services in 2006, Tata Sky is India’s leading content distribution platform providing Pay TV and OTT services. With the objective of connecting to the best content in the world on any budget, any screen, anytime and anywhere, Tata Sky was the first to launch multiple products and services that redefined the subscribers viewing experience in the country.
Tata Sky has been a pioneer in the HD Set top box segment having significant market share in the category. It has been continuously adding new channels and platform services across various genres and languages to beef up its content offering to cater to all segments of the audience. Tata Sky currently has its footprints spread across 1.5 lakh towns with over 15 million connections in India.
For more information on Tata Sky, visit www.tatasky.com
| Kumari Nisha Senior Account Executive – CorporateM +91 09899700597 T +91 22 67574444 Ext 215 E kumari.nisha@adfactorspr.com |
SMV FreeSat TV Launch_S. Rachmat M. Arifin, Vice Chairman of KPI Pusat (left) and Meiditomo Sutyarjoko, Commissioner of SMV FreeSat TV (right).
Jakarta, February 28, 2017, PT Sarana Media Vision (SMV) today announced the launch of its premiere nationwide Free-to-View DTH satellite television service called “SMV FreeSat TV” in Indonesia. The new platform is available across all of Indonesia via the ABS satellites covering Indonesia. SMV FreeSat TV will be free-to-view and will initially feature over 60 domestic and international channels with plans to expand to over 100 channels in the coming months.
With a diverse genre of programming including entertainment, kids, movies, music, religion, news, ethnic and educational content, this service will appeal to every member of the family.
Channels available on SMV FreeSat TV at launch include: Jawapos TV, TVRI Nasional, TV9 Berita, DAAI TV, TV Edukasi, Bali TV, TV One, ANTV, Metro TV, Trans 7, Trans TV, SCTV, Indosiar, Kompas TV, NET TV. H2, CGTN Documentary, Outdoor Channel, Rotana Music, Rotana Cinema, Junior, France 24, Bloomberg TV, CGTN, Al Jazeera English, Russia Today, Channel 8, Channel Music, TRACE Sport Stars, Saudi Qur’an, Deutsche Welle, NHK, Arirang, Cinema 2, Jiangsu TV, K-Drama, Phoenix Chinese channel, B4U Music, B4U Movies, You Man Cartoon, Toonmax TV, TRT World, and many more.
“SMV FreeSat TV is expected to become an integral part of the development of digital television in Indonesia that can reach the entire community economically,” said Meiditomo Sutyarjoko, Commissioner of SMV FreeSat TV. “We want to play an active role to help the government to distribute information, education, and entertainment that positively benefits the society in Indonesia. SMV FreeSat TV has many channels that can be beneficial to viewers in Indonesia, as well as answering the needs of rural areas which often lose the opportunity to get information and entertainment easily received on television.”
To get the free subscription television service, a viewer simply needs to make a one-time purchase of the receiver equipment which includes a set-top-box (STB) and a small parabolic antenna at an affordable price of IDR499,000. The receiver equipment is available from a nationwide distributor – PT. Mitra Media Perkasa (MMP), which have warehouses and distribution outlets throughout Indonesia. MMP is one of the key providers of telecommunications broadcasting equipment in Indonesia.
Tom Choi, CEO of ABS commented: “SMV FreeSat TV sees considerable potential of subscription free TV presence in Indonesia. The goal is to deliver affordable entertainment to everyone in both urban and rural areas. The presence of the platform will also largely help people to become more information literate so as to improve quality of lives and knowledge. We are very excited to work with PT Sarana Media Vision to support this exciting and meaningful project.”
SINGAPORE, 1 MARCH 2017 – Nickelodeon announced today that international music sensation Little Mix will take the stage at the 2017 Kids’ Choice Awards. Nominated in the new category of Favorite Global Music Star, the award-winning group will perform a medley of their hit singles “Shout Out to My Ex” and “Touch.” Little Mix joins previously announced performers Machine Gun Kelly and Camila Cabello, who will be performing their platinum-selling number-one single, “Bad Things.”
The star-studded event will also feature appearances by celebrities including: Nikki & Brie Bella; The Chainsmokers; Nick Cannon; Ellen DeGeneres; Chris Evans; Gal Gadot; Kevin Hart; DJ Khaled; Demi Lovato; Isabela Moner; Chris Pine; Chris Pratt; Rico Rodriguez; Zoe Saldana; JoJo Siwa and Zendaya; plus stars from Nick’s hit series Henry Danger (Jace Norman); Game Shakers (Thomas Kuc, Madisyn Shipman, Benjamin Flores Jr.); Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn (Mace Coronel, Aidan Gallagher, Lizzy Greene, Casey Simpson); The Power Rangers (Becky G., Naomi Scott, RJ Cyler, Ludi Lin, Dacre Montgomery ); The Thundermans (Jack Griffo, Kira Kosarin) and School of Rock (Breanna Yde, Ricardo Hurtado, Jade Pettyjohn, Aidan Miner and Lance Lim).
Hosted by WWE Superstar John Cena, the show will air in Asia on Monday, 13 March at 10.30am (TH/WIB) and 11.30am (HK/MY/PH/SG), with a same-day encore at 4pm (TH/WIB) and 5pm (HK/MY/PH/SG) from USC’s Galen Center in Los Angeles.
Nickelodeon’s 2017 Kids’ Choice Awards is the only event where kids can cast their votes across 28 categories with a brand-new voting experience on Nickelodeon’s digital platforms including Nick-Asia.com and the Nickelodeon Play app (Singapore only) on iPad, iPhone, and Android devices.
While this will be Cena’s first time hosting the global show, he is beloved worldwide by the Nickelodeon family, having previously hosted Australia’s Kids’ Choice Awards in 2008, as well as undergoing a sliming at the first UK Kids’ Choice Awards in 2007.
The presenting international sponsors of the Kids’ Choice Awards 2017 are Heelys and Smurfs: The Lost Village.
Nickelodeon’s 2017 Kids’ Choice Awards is produced by Nickelodeon Productions. Elizabeth Kelly, Michael Dempsey, Shelly Sumpter Gillyard and Jay Schmalholz are executive producers.
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Nickelodeon is one of the most globally recognized and widely distributed multimedia entertainment brands for kids and family. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company’s portfolio includes television programming and production around the world, plus special events, consumer products, digital offerings, recreation, books, feature films and pro-social initiatives. Nickelodeon’s brands reach 1.1 billion cumulative subscribers in more than 160 countries and territories, via more than 80+ locally programmed channels and branded blocks. Outside of the United States, Nickelodeon is part of Viacom International Media Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. For more information about Nickelodeon in Asia, visit www.nick-asia.com.
Media Contact
Loh Bi Feng
Viacom International Media Networks
Manager, Communications, Southeast Asia
t: +65 6420 7154 m: +65 9002 9607 e: loh.bifeng@vimn.com
Twitter: @VIMNAsia_PR
Enters into Mali through a partnership with TNTSAT Africa
Mumbai, India / Johannesburg, South Africa, March 01, 2017: Aiming to further strengthen its presence in Africa, leading Indian content company, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) today announced its entry into the French-speaking country of Mali with the launch of its leading channels, Zee Magic and Zee Cinema on DTT network – TNTSAT Africa in Mali. Additionally, from today, ZEE Africa is partnering with the continent’s largest DTH platform, DStv for the launch of Zee Bollymovies (channel 114), a specially customized, English-dubbed, Bollywood movie channel for the African market.
Speaking on the expansion, Amit Goenka, CEO – International Broadcast Business, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited said: “ZEE will be making further inroads into the vast continent of Africa with our entry into the French-speaking country of Mali. Sharing our existing channels – Zee Magic and Zee Cinema with new audiences is a huge achievement for us and we thank TNTSAT for allowing us to bring the best of Bollywood to all their viewers in Mali.”
Harish Goyal, CEO of Zee TV Africastated: “In another major deal, within just four weeks of its launch, our 24-hour dedicated English-dubbed Bollywood movie channel, Zee Bollymovies will now be available on DStv, the largest DTH platform in Sub-Saharan Africa. ZEE has already witnessed tremendous success over the past two years on DStv with Zee World, its English-dubbed General Entertainment channel and with the addition of Zee Bollymovies on this platform, we hope to further raise the level of entertainment for our dedicated viewers.”
Zee Magic, launched in October 2015, is a General Entertainment channel dubbed in French which brings the best of Bollywood series and food shows to Francophone Africa, while Zee Cinema is a 24-hour Hindi Bollywood Movie channel catering to South Asians on the continent. In Mali, Zee Magic and Zee Cinema will be available on TNTSAT Africa in the ‘Divas offer’, a high standard package that is tailor-made for viewers.
Zee Bollymovies, a 24-hour specially customized movie channel dubbed in English, launched in January 2017 in Africa. DStv will first premiere Zee Bollymovies in South Africa and then take it to the rest of the continent to market Bollywood entertainment to Africa.
With these exciting new additions from ZEE, Africa now has a first-row seat to watch the best of content – Bollywood movies, television series and food shows – that India has to offer!
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Note to Editors
About Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL):
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited, is one of the leading global content companies. With an extensive content library housing over 222,000+ hours of television content and rights to more than 3,818 movie titles from foremost studios and of iconic film stars, ZEE entertains over 1 billion viewers across 171+ countries.
ZEE has a strong presence across the media and entertainment value chain including Broadcasting, Films, Digital, Theatre, LIVE Events & Talent. ZEE also operates multiple digital offerings like Ditto TV, OZEE and India.com.
More information about ZEE and its businesses is available on www.zeetelevision.com.
Official Social Media Platforms:
Twitter: ZEECorporate/Twitter.com
Facebook: ZEECorporate/Facebook.com
Linkedin: Linkedin.com/Company/ZEECorporate
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Media Contact:
Jayshree Kumar / Arantxa Gonsalves
Corporate Brand – Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL)
Mobile: +91 9769286661 /9820336890
Email: jayshree.kumar@zee.esselgroup.com / arantxa.gonsalves@zee.esselgroup.com
Mumbai, March 01, 2017
The much-awaited Sony BBC Earth has been launched in India. It will go live on March 6, 2017 at 20:00 hrs.
Sony BBC Earth is a premium factual entertainment channel brought to you by MSM Worldwide Factual Media – a joint venture between Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) and BBC Worldwide.
The JV partnership combines SPN’s extensive experience and expertise in operating and distributing televised entertainment both to audiences in India and across the globe, with BBC Worldwide’s extensive catalogue of programming and reputation for excellence in premium factual content.
Sony BBC will bring award-winning, premium factual content from BBC Worldwide to over 500 million of SPN’s viewers across India, and will feature some of the world’s foremost factual film-makers and extraordinary storytellers like Sir David Attenborough and other well-known BBC Earth personalities like Bafta-winning English naturalist, writer and television presenter Steve Backshall, author, broadcaster and writer, Ben Fogle, Dr Michael Mosley – a medical doctor and award-winning science journalist as well as award-winning wildlife cameraman, presenter and film maker, Gordon Buchanan.
As a key differentiator in its category, the channel will have defined programming slots – Why, How & What on Earth @ 8:00PM for fun and insightful science, Wild Wild Earth @ 9:00PM for nature and wildlife, and Earth Explorers @ 10:00PM for adventure and human interest stories. Weekends will showcase distinctive stories with a special slot; Earth Specials. Key launch shows include The Hunt, Where The Wild Men Are with Ben Fogle, Trust Me I’m A Doctor, Snow Chick and the iconic, greatly anticipated series, Planet Earth II amongst others.
Sony BBC Earth will be available in both SD and HD in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.
Comments
NP Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Sony Pictures Networks India
“Sony Pictures Networks is known to create compelling and differentiated brands across all genres that it operates in. Nurtured as a JV partnership, Sony BBC Earth, combines the strengths of both partners; including fascinating content, estimable brand equity and superior sales and distribution prowess. This gives Sony BBC Earth a distinct positioning and watchability. I am confident that this channel will be a major player in its category.”
Paul Dempsey, President Global Markets, BBC Worldwide
“This joint venture is a pioneering model for us in global markets. By working with a respected local partner of the caliber of Sony Pictures Networks, we look forward to bringing BBC Earth’s world class content to a new audience who we know has a huge appetite for premium factual programming.”
Saurabh Yagnik, EVP and Business Head, English Cluster, Sony Pictures Networks India
“SPN’s philosophy is to create brands based on deep consumer understanding. We have worked extensively with viewers to sharpen our insights into what they want and have synergised this understanding with our compelling content and storytelling. Our brand positioning of ‘Feel Alive’ captures the emotion of subliminal happiness which viewers experience when they consume our content. This has been brought to life through a clutter-breaking film featuring our ‘Feel Alive’ ambassador, Kareena Kapoor Khan – whose persona embodies positivity, happiness and full of life demeanour that naturally blends with what our channel and its content stands for.”
About Sony Pictures Networks India:
Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN), (formerly Multi Screen Media Private Ltd.), is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation which owns and operates the Sony Entertainment network of television channels.
As a leading television network in India, SPN comprises of 22 channels including Sony Entertainment Television (SET), one of India’s leading Hindi general entertainment television channels; MAX, India’s premium Hindi movies and special events channel; MAX 2, a second Hindi movie channel showcasing great Indian Cinema; MAX HD, a high definition Hindi movie channel airing premium quality films; WAH, the FTA Hindi Movie channel for rural audiences SAB, a family comedy entertainment channel; PIX, the English movie channel; LePlex HD showing critically-acclaimed Hollywood films; AXN, the leader amongst English Entertainment Channels; AATH, the Bangla movie channel; MIX a refreshing Hindi music channel; ROX HD, a channel for contemporary Hindi music; SIX and SONY ESPN – the cluster of sports entertainment channels; SonyLIV – the Digital Entertainment VOD platform and SPN Productions, the networks’ Bollywood film production arm.
Sony Pictures Networks India is in its 22nd year in India.
Contact: Humsa Dhir, +91 22 6461174; humsa.dhir@setindia.com
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, commercializing 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/.
Contact: Gavin Dawson, +44 7730 284611; gavin.dawson@bbc.com
Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) and its affiliates have completed the first phase of a two-phase acquisition of the TEN Sports Network from Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEE) and its subsidiaries.
Following the completion of this phase of the acquisition, SPN’s cluster of nine sports channels will now include:
Certain other operations and assets will be included in the final phase of the acquisition, subject to certain closing conditions, which is expected to be completed in the next few months.
Comments:
NP Singh, CEO, Sony Pictures Networks India
“I am delighted that the teams from SPN and ZEE have completed this core phase of the transaction in good time. SPN is now equipped, better than ever, to offer its viewers premium sporting content with a sports portfolio that includes every major sport and many international as well as domestic leagues. We are now stepping into the integration process to facilitate a seamless transition.”
Punit Goenka, Managing Director, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited
“Great job done by the teams from SPN and ZEE in facilitating the closure of this phase of the transaction. I am confident that the TEN Sports Network will reach new levels of consumer engagement under the nurturing guidance of SPN. I wish them the best. I’ll be tuning in regularly.”
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Note to Editors
About Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN):
Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN), (formerly Multi Screen Media Private Ltd.), is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation which owns and operates the Sony Entertainment network of television channels.
As a leading television network in India, SPN comprises of 22 channels including Sony Entertainment Television (SET), one of India’s leading Hindi general entertainment television channels; MAX, India’s premium Hindi movies and special events channel; MAX 2, a second Hindi movie channel showcasing great Indian Cinema; MAX HD, a high definition Hindi movie channel airing premium quality films; WAH, the FTA Hindi Movie channel for rural audiences SAB, a family comedy entertainment channel; PIX, the English movie channel; Le Plex HD showing critically-acclaimed Hollywood films; AXN, the leader amongst English Entertainment Channels; AATH, the Bangla movie channel; MIX a refreshing Hindi music channel; ROX HD, a channel for contemporary Hindi music; SIX and SONY ESPN – the cluster of sports entertainment channels; SonyLIV – the Digital Entertainment VOD platform and SPN Productions, the networks’ Bollywood film production arm.
Sony Pictures Networks India is in its 22nd year in India.
About Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEE)
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd., is one of the leading global content company. With an extensive content library housing over 222,000+ hours of television content and rights to more than 3,818 movie titles from foremost studios and of iconic film stars, ZEE entertains over 1 billion viewers across 171+ countries.
ZEE has a strong presence across the media and entertainment value chain including Broadcasting, Films, Digital, Theatre, LIVE Events & Talent. ZEE also operates multiple digital offerings like Ditto TV, OZEE and India.com.
More information about ZEE and its businesses is available on www.zeetelevision.com.
Official Social Media Platforms:
Twitter: ZEECorporate/Twitter.com
Facebook: ZEECorporate/Facebook.com
Linkedin: Linkedin.com/Company/ZEECorporate
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Media Contact:
Jayshree Kumar / Arantxa Gonsalves
Corporate Brand – Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL)
Mobile: +91 9769286661 /9820336890
Email: jayshree.kumar@zee.esselgroup.com / arantxa.gonsalves@zee.esselgroup.com
Trailer Of First Co-Production With Taiwan’s Public Television Service Released Today
SINGAPORE, FEBRUARY 28, 2017 – HBO Asia’s first Chinese language original series, THE TEENAGE PSYCHIC (通靈少女), jointly developed with Taiwanese broadcaster, Public Television Service (PTS), and award-winning Singaporean production company, InFocus Asia (IFA), will premiere across Asia on Sunday, April 2, 2017 at 10pm on HBO. Subtitled in English and local language*, the series will also be available on HBO On Demand and HBO Go. New episodes will air every Sunday ending with a two-episode finale on April 30.
Shot on location in Taiwan, the trailer and key art of the HBO Asia Original production was released today along with more images from the series. All six hour-long episodes of the series is directed by 29-year-old rising Taiwanese writer-director, Chen Ho-Yu (陳和榆).
The entire Taiwanese cast include Kuo Shu Yau (郭書瑤) [Step Back To Glory (志氣); The Devil Game (劣人傳之詭計)], Kent Tsai (蔡凡熙) [Mon Mon Mon Monsters (報告老師！怪怪怪怪物！)], Chen Mu Yi (陳慕義) [Comes The Black Dog (黑狗來了)], Alina Cheng (鄭茵聲) [Love At Seventeen (我和我的十七歲)], Nana Lee (李千娜) [Youth Power (哇！陳怡君); One Million Star (超級星光大道)], Michael Huang (黃仲崑) [Wake Up (麻醉風暴)] and Sylvia Hsieh (謝翔雅) [You Light Up My Star (照亮我星球)].
The coming-of-age story revolves around Xiao Zhen (小真), played by Kuo Shu Yau (郭書瑤), a 16-year-old girl who just wants to lead a typical teenage high school life. Born with the ability to see spirits, her life will never be normal. Xiao Zhen must juggle the pressures of teenage life – first love, academic success and peer pressure – with the demands of the spirit world. As Xiao Zhen learns to use her abilities to help the living deal with their loved ones on the other side – spirits who are lost, forgotten, angry or just crying out for help – this teenager finds that fixing other people’s problems gives her the strength she needs to navigate high school and her first major romantic encounter. Xiao Zhen’s powers become a danger for her as others seek to use her abilities for their own greed.
THE TEENAGE PSYCHIC is HBO Asia’s second Original production this year after the second season of HALFWORLDS, the dark action fantasy drama series set in Bangkok which premiered in January. A brand-new comedy series, SENT, set in Singapore will premiere later this year. Follow THE TEENAGE PSYCHIC on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheTeenagePsychicHBO/.
*Local language subtitles available in selected territories.
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, Cinemax and 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.
About Public Television Service (PTS)
With the passage of the Public Television Act by the Legislative Yuan, Taiwan Public Television Service Foundation (PTS Foundation) was established as a non-profit foundation to operate the Public Television Service (PTS), which started broadcast on July 1, 1998. The chief objective of PTS is to establish a public service mass media system. As an independent public service broadcaster trust by the public, PTS aims to provide value-added quality programming services covering a wide range of categories to present the diversity and creativity in Taiwan.
About InFocus Asia (IFA)
IFA Media is one of Asia’s premier content producers, producing award-winning factual and drama that rates across the world. The company is headquartered in Singapore with four offices across the region (Bangkok, Beijing and Taipei).
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HBO, Home Box Office and HBO Asia Originals are service marks of Home Box Office, Inc.
Karen Lai | Communications Director | HBO Asia
DID +65 6381 1796 | Mobile +65 9111 2655 | Fax +65 6287 2210 | www.hboasia.com
