Airin Zainul General Manager, Brand Management Group, 8TV

Our viewers love all international shows, be it from Hollywood or the Asian region. At the same time, locally formatted shows of international franchises are also well received.

However, nothing beats a homegrown programme with local relevance such as our Gol & Gincu, Sky (drama series), Ho Chak! (food magazine), Trippin’, Destinasi Bajet and Go Travel (travelogues). Ugly Betty and Princess Hours did well for syndicated programming and So You Think You Can Dance and Project SuperStar performed well for formatted shows.

8TV is going to MIPCOM and we will be looking for content that will ‘wow’ our viewers!

Ta Thi Bich Loan Managing Director, Vietnam Media Centre for Youth (VTV6), Vietnam Television

Our media market is increasingly specialized to specifically target viewers from the age of 13 – 35. It is also characterized by the high levels of convergence, as well as interactive abilities of media technology, especially of Internet and mobile on TV. VTV6 has been buying a lot of successful programming in the genres of drama, reality series, gameshows and various other programs through agencies. We are concentrating on talk shows which have achieved much success. The company was at MIPTV 2007 in April with Ms. Do Thi Bach Duong as the representative. At MIPCOM 2007, VTV6 will be continue to search for formats, drama series and animation.

Joy Olby-Tan Vice President, Programming (Channel 5), MediaCorp TV

Viewers are drawn to local content above all else as they are relevant and relatable. Blockbuster movies pull in the bigger numbers on the acquired front, while programmes such as America’s Got Talent, CSI and Ghost Whisperer also have high appeal. Deals with our long-term partners such as Disney, Fox and Warner Brothers continue to meet our needs, while the non-scripted America’s Got Talent and Identity are off to a promising start. MIPCOM is a very important market for MediaCorp Channel 5. We will be looking for a whole range of programming in the entertainment arena from movies, drama and comedy to reality, variety and lifestyle programming.

Ross Crowley Executive Vice President, Content, Star

Trends are towards better quality and more variety of programmes but also more fragmented viewing habits. For Star, Heroes has been successful this season and it has resonated very well with our Asian audiences. We expect the series’ second season to generate another sensation in Asia when Star World broadcasts it in January next year. STAR will be skipping MIPCOM this time.

David Gunson Senior Vice-President of Programming and Broadcasting, National Geographic Channel Asia

Our Mega franchise has grown from megastructures, to mega cities, megafactories and mega movers… what’s the next mega? Also for years, NGC has been producing or acquiring programmes on the environment and conservation, but now the viewer has thirst for more as the seriousness of our planet’s condition has become an important issue. We identified a great new series for Nat Geo Adventure. It’s called “Don’t tell my Mum I’m In…”. The journeys are exciting and the presenter is hilarious. The stories are also very natural, capturing real people on real adventures. MIPCOM to me is more than just seeing new content. I like to look for the new and untapped producers. We will always have our relationships with the proven, high quality production companies, but I love to find a company or producer that’s fresh, talented and unique. Unique in the sense that they’re trying something new, either in their story telling or their treatment.

Michele Schofield Director, Content – Programming, Acquisitions & Production, AETN All Asia Networks

The History Channel and the Crime & Investigation Network recently launched in mid-June 2007 so it is still very early to pinpoint viewing trends. In programming the channels, we focus on a primetime of evenings 7pm-1am, and have recently launched key series such as Engineering an Empire on The History Channel, Sunday evenings at 8pm. The channels have launched with much of AETN produced content. Based on the short time since launch, our tent pole programs are, on The History Channel: Digging for the Truth, Engineering an Empire and Cities of the Underworld (launching in Nov) and on Crime & Investigation: Cold Case Files, The First 48 and Crime & Punishment. AETN All Asia Networks is attending MIPCOM and will be on the look-out for documentaries for The History Channel which are Asian in content or relevance. For Crime & Investigation network, real-life crime based series or specials, as well as content fitting within the ‘investigation’ genre by offering in-depth coverage on particular subjects and behind-thescenes etc.

Evelyn “Leng” Raymundo Head, Program Acquisitions, ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation

TV remains the most widely consumed medium in the country followed closely by radio, with the average individual watching 3.7 hours of TV a day. Among all age groups, only M20-34 spend less than 3 hours on TV but the rest tend to hover around the 3.1-3.8 range. Older females are the exception, as they continue to spend the longest time watching TV at over 4 hours daily. Given the tendency of the Filipino family to watch TV together during peak hours of viewing, the challenge is to continuallycook up the right mix of shows with enough familyfriendly elements. In the past 6 months, programs in the top 20 of AGB-NMR’s National TAM indicate that viewers (Mar-Aug 2007) look for programs that have a variety of appeals, from kid-friendly soaps, romance, real-life drama (reality), game shows, to even revivals of previous movie concepts. It is about providing the best possible combination of stories and characters that viewers of all ages can relate to. Based on the Q2 data of AGB-NMR’s National Urban TV Audience Measurement, our highest rated acquired programs are Korean dramas Which Star Are You From (28.8%) and Princess Hours (21.2%) along with telenovela Inocente de Ti (18.9%). ABSCBN is attending MIPCOM and will be looking for good foreign dramas and animation

Sunkey Jo Senior Manager, Contents Planning Department, Hanaromedia

We assume the main viewers of Hana TV are groups who have more time than other segments of the population, which are usually housewives and kids. Pre-school content for children and terrestrial drama series for housewives are therefore the major genres of our service. We observe that consumers watching current movies through VOD service tend to be well educated and they have asked to get movies faster than the present rate. We are thus endeavoring to shorten the holdback of the premiere date. In addition, we have found erotic to be an increasingly popular genre. Prison Break season 1, domestic movies including 200-Pound Beauty as well aspre-school animation Pororo developed by Hana parent company hanarotelecom, Inc. have done well. Hana TV is looking out for foreign movies, drama series, pre-school and educational content for children as well as music concert and sports programs.

Settaporn Kanistanon Senior Manager - Programme Acquisition and Planning, TrueVisions

Football is getting more and more popular, especially the English Premier League, while movies and entertainment programs are still in high demand. Reality show Academy Fantasia is in its 4th season for TrueVisions, but ratings for the show are still climbing. Music is the only genre that has shown a sharp decline in ratings as teenagers are increasingly seeking music-related content from the internet and mobile platforms. The English Premier League has been the acquisition that has done well for us. TrueVisions will be at MIPCOM and will be looking for documentaries, formats, dramas, game shows, and animation.

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