Kuala Lumpur, 29 March 2017, mm2 Entertainment (a wholly-owned subsidiary of mm2 Asia Ltd.) announced today that The Voice, Talpa’s flagship talent format, will be co-produced by mm2, StarHub, and Astro. This is the first time the highly successful format is produced and broadcast for two territories in one version.
The Voice is currently being watched on every continent, attracting more than 500 million viewers. It has over 55 million Facebook fans and more than 10 million Twitter followers. The Voice and The Voice Kids have close to 8 billion YouTube views and over 12 million subscribers worldwide. The Voice differs from other singing reality shows in that it focuses on real talent putting only the quality of the voice on centre stage.
mm2 Entertainment, whose content business has gone beyond making movies, sees the production of the iconic format for Singapore and Malaysia as an exciting prospect to give voice to emerging talent in the two territories.
“There’s a strong cultural and historical link between Singapore and Malaysia, and there have been a constant stream of creative collaborations between the two territories, including movies, over the years,” said Ng Say Yong, Chief Content Officer, mm2 Asia. “We see this co-production as an extension of that positive relationship and a joint effort to uncover new talent and groom them for the North Asian markets including Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China. And with the active involvement of StarHub and Astro as co-producers, the Singapore and Malaysia version of The Voice will be able to reach out to mass audiences across the two territories.”
Astro, leading digital media group in Malaysia and Southeast Asia will make available the programme on Astro AEC via its OTT platform, Astro Go; Astro Pay TV and subscription-free TV service, NJOI.
Wong Siah Ping, Vice President of Chinese Customer Business, Astro said, “In Malaysia, 20.5 million individuals, or 7 in 10 homes enjoy best-in-class content with Astro on any screen, on the go and on demand, be it TV or mobile devices. As a content-centric company, we aspire to provide the freshest and most relevant programmes to our customers. We are pleased to be part of this new collaboration with mm2 and StarHub, in line with our continuous commitment to nurture new talents for the industry.”
StarHub, Singapore’s leading pay TV operator, will broadcast the programme on its self-packaged FreeView channel Hub E City (StarHub TV Channel 111/825) which is complimentary to all StarHub TV customers.
“The Voice has captured hearts all over the world and we are excited to partner mm2 and Astro to bring this global phenomenon to our shores. As a broadcaster, we also look forward to taking our customers on our search for the next voice of Singapore and Malaysia. There is plenty of raw talent just waiting for the opportunity to shine and The Voice (Sin/Mal) will give them a proven platform across not just one, but two countries,” said Ms Lee Soo Hui, Head of Content Business Unit, StarHub.
“We’re thrilled that The Voice will be produced as one version for Malaysia & Singapore, proving the format’s global appeal,” said Maarten Meijs, Managing Director of Talpa Global. “Together with MM2, StarHub, and Astro, we’re confident the positive nature of The Voice will be a great hit among the Malaysian and Singaporean audience.”
The Voice (Sin/Mal) is scheduled to roll out from the second quarter of 2017.
About mm2 Asia Ltd.
Headquartered in Singapore, mm2 Asia is a producer of films and TV/online content. As a producer, mm2 Asia provides services that cover the entire filmmaking process, including securing financing, producing and distributing as well as securing advertising and sponsorship.
mm2 Asia further strengthened its competitive advantage through acquiring a majority stake in local 3D animation company, Vividthree Productions, and event and concert production company, UnUsUaL Group of Companies. The Group also established its own cinema chain, mm2 Cineplexes, through the ownership of five cineplexes in Malaysia.
In addition to Singapore, mm2 Asia also has a presence in Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the PRC through its group of companies and/or strategic working partnerships. mm2 Asia has co-produced and/or distributed over 50 films across Asia since 2008 including co-producing well-known films such as the ‘Ah Boys to Men’ and ‘Long Long Time Ago’ series; and distributing titles such as Malaysia’s ‘The Journey’ and Taiwan’s ‘Café.Waiting.Love’. In 2014, mm2 Asia made its debut on the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (SGX stock code: 1B0), becoming the first Singapore film production company to achieve this.
For more information, please visit www.mm2asia.com
About Astro
Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad (Astro) is a Malaysian and ASEAN digital-first content and consumer company in the Digital, TV, Radio and eCommerce space. It is Malaysia’s No. 1 online media company with 5.4 million unique visitors per month across the digital platforms of its entertainment and lifestyle brands. The company serves 20.5 million individuals, or 70% of Malaysian households, who are able to watch Astro content on all screens, on the go and on demand, be it TV, laptop, tablet and phone.
NJOI, the company’s subscription-free TV service, offers all Malaysians free access to 28 TV and 20 radio channels on TV and mobile devices. With its subscription-free model, NJOI has been well-received, with over 1.6 million Malaysian households enjoying the service. NJOI will continue to drive the company’s market reach.
Astro Radio includes Malaysia’s highest rated stations across key languages and there are available on both terrestrial and digital channels, reaching over 15 million weekly listeners.
Astro holds the distinction of the ‘Gold’ award in the Media and Entertainment category at the Putra Brand Awards for 7 consecutive years from 2010 to 2016, including the ‘Brand of the Year’ award in 2012, the ‘Brand Icon’ award in 2013 and the ‘Malaysian Marketer of the Year’ award in 2016. Astro Kasih is the company’s CSR arm, whose award winning programmes have been recognised for its innovation and life-changing impact on the community it aspires to serve.
About StarHub
StarHub is Singapore’s fully-integrated info-communications company, offering a full range of information, communications and entertainment services for both consumer and corporate markets. StarHub operates a mobile network that provides 4G, 3G and 2G services. It also manages an islandwide HFC network that delivers multi-channel pay TV services (including HDTV, Internet TV and on-demand services) as well as ultra-high speed residential broadband services. StarHub operates an extensive fixed business network that provides a wide range of data, voice and wholesale services. Over Singapore’s fibre-based Nationwide Broadband Network, StarHub offers a broad range of home and business broadband plans, as well as commercial and residential IPTV services.
Launched in 2000, StarHub has become one of Singapore’s most innovative infocommunications providers, and the pioneer in ‘hubbing’ – the ability to deliver unique integrated and converged services to all its customers. StarHub, listed on the main board of the Singapore Exchange since October 2004, is a component stock of the Straits Times Index, MSCI Singapore Free Index and SGX Sustainability Leaders Index.
About Talpa Media (www.talpa.tv)
Talpa Media comprises Talpa Netherlands and Talpa Global. Talpa Netherlands consists of Talpa Content, the group’s in-house creative development unit for television formats and connected concepts, and Talpa Productions, the group’s TV production unit that produces the shows for The Netherlands. Talpa Fiction, the company’s scripted arm, and MasMedia are separate production units focused on the development and production of formats.
Talpa Media’s global network includes production companies Talpa Media USA, the division of the Talpa Media based in Los Angeles, Talpa Middle East, headquartered in Dubai, as well as Talpa Germany with offices in Berlin and Hamburg. Other Talpa partnerships are vested in the UK, Australia, France, Italy, the Nordic region, Sub Saharan Africa and Portugal. Talpa Media is a separate business unit within ITV Studios.
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