Hong Kong, (July 28, 2015) – Celestial Tiger Entertainment (CTE), operator of the largest bouquet of pan-Asian channels dedicated to Asian entertainment, announced today the renewal of its exclusive, multi-year output deals with renowned Hong Kong movie studios – Emperor Motion Pictures (EMP), Mega-Vision Project Workshop Limited (MVPW) and Universe Entertainment Limited (Universe). The deals secure first and exclusive pay TV rights, as well as pay-per-view (PPV), video-on-demand (VOD) and over-the-top (OTT) rights to each studio’s upcoming slate of movies for CTE’s flagship channel, Celestial Movies, in Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.
“We are delighted to continue our long-standing partnerships with Emperor Motion Pictures, Mega-Vision Project Workshop and Universe Entertainment. These three studios are responsible for some of the biggest Chinese movie hits and critically-acclaimed films of recent years and it is wonderful that their movies will continue to premiere only on Celestial Movies,” said Ofanny Choi, Executive Vice President, TV Networks, Celestial Tiger Entertainment. “Our commitment to our viewers and platform partners is to bring them the biggest Chinese blockbusters, and that is why we continue to invest in big productions from Hong Kong-based studios and why we have the most exclusive output deals among the regional Chinese movie channels.”
Upcoming productions from EMP include Heaven in the Dark, a drama reuniting superstar Jacky Cheung and acclaimed actress Karena Lam 13 years after their hit film July Rhapsody; Kill Time, a suspense thriller based on one of the best-selling novels in China starring idols Ethan Ruan and Angelababy, and directed by Fruit Chan; and The Mobfathers, a gangster movie featuring a highly-anticipated reunion between acclaimed actor Anthony Wong and comedy king Chapman To.
MVPW’s film slate will include the third film of the blockbuster franchise From Vegas to Macau. The first two movies of the franchise have already grossed over US$241 million in China. The third installment will add Andy Lau to the superstar pairing of Chow Yun Fat and Nick Cheung. MVPW is also in pre-production on The Invincible 12, a mystery project marking the 100th film by the legendary director Wong Jing.
Projects coming soon from Universe include Paris Holiday, a romantic drama starring Louis Koo, Kuo Tsai Chieh, Alex Fong and Janice Man; and the highly-anticipated epic action movie The Deadly Reclaim from blockbuster director Benny Chan and action director Sammo Hung, with an all-star ensemble cast including Sean Lau, Louis Koo and Eddie Peng.
With five exclusive output deals, strong brand awareness and a deep focus on localization, Celestial Movies dominates its core markets in Southeast Asia. In Malaysia, CTE’s Chinese movie channels – Celestial Movies, Celestial Movies HD and Celestial Classic Movies – are the top three most-watched regional movie channels among Astro’s Chinese 4+ subscribers this year*. In Indonesia, Celestial Movies remains one of the top three regional movie channels among the pay TV audience in terms of reach**.
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*Source: Nielsen Malaysia
Jan-Jun, 2015, Astro Chinese 4+, ranked by average audience of individual channel basis, across regional movie channels on Astro (Celestial Classic Movies, Celestial Movies, Celestial Movies HD, Cinemax, Fox Action Movies HD, Fox Family Movies HD, Fox Movies Premium, Fox Movies Premium HD, HBO, HBO HD and Sundance HD)
**Source: Nielsen Indonesia Pay TV
Jan-Jun, 2015, Pay TV 5+, ranked by average daily reach, across regional movie channels (AMC/MGM, Celestial Movies, Cinemax, Fox Family Movies, Fox Movies Premium, HBO, HBO Family Movies, HBO Hits, HBO Signature)
Media Contact:
Pauline Poon
Celestial Tiger Entertainment
T: 852 2239 6131
E: pauline.poon@celestialtiger.com
About Celestial Tiger Entertainment
CELESTIAL TIGER ENTERTAINMENT (CTE) is a diversified media company dedicated to entertaining audiences in Asia and beyond. The company focuses on the operation of branded pay television channels, content creation and content distribution targeted at Asian consumers.
CTE operates a powerful bouquet of distinct pay television channels including: CELESTIAL MOVIES, the premier 24-hour first-run Chinese movie service in Asia and beyond; CELESTIAL CLASSIC MOVIES, the gateway to an unparalleled array of Chinese movie masterpieces; cHK, a one-stop channel for cool, chic, and contemporary celebrity-powered Hong Kong entertainment; KIX, the ultimate destination for action entertainment; and THRILL, Asia’s only regional horror and suspense movie channel.
As one of Asia’s largest vertically integrated independent entertainment companies, CTE produces original content which complements its channels business. CTE is also the exclusive sales agent for Hollywood studio Lionsgate in Greater China and Southeast Asia, and represents Lionsgate’s television content and vast feature film library in Japan and Korea as well.
Headquartered in Hong Kong, CTE’s majority shareholders are Saban Capital Group, a leading private investment firm specializing in the media, entertainment and communications industries; Celestial Pictures, a major Asian entertainment company wholly-owned by Astro Overseas Limited; and Lionsgate, the world’s largest independent filmed entertainment studio.
For more information, please visit www.celestialtiger.com