OverviewAETN All Asia Networks is a joint venture between A&E Television Networks (AETN) and ASTRO All Asia Entertainment Networks Limited, a subsidiary of ASTRO All Asia Networks plc (ASTRO). Formed in April 2007, the international media company was established to launch and operate branded channels and services across South East Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.AETN All Asia Networks (AAAN) launched The History Channel and Crime & Investigation Network in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Brunei and Thailand (The History Channel only) on June 15, 2007. The channels are in the process of launching in The Philippines with additional territory launches planned in 2008. The History Channel and Crime & Investigation Network are fully language-versioned in Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Indonesia, Thai and Chinese. AETN All Asia Networks also plans to launch The Biography Channel in the region in 2008, and to deploy its brands and programming via VOD, mobile, broadband and HD in the near future.Headquartered in Singapore, AETN All Asia Networks also has operations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.Creative AgenciesDuring the launch phase of The History Channel and Crime & Investigation Network in South East Asia, the marketing and onair teams at AAAN worked closely with their counterparts at A&E Television Networks (AETN) in New York to develop campaigns and materials. With a new team and two channels launching simultaneously in multiple markets, a decision was made to focus primarily on The History Channel for launch, with a more aggressive marketing campaign for Crime & Investigation Network planned for SE Asia early 2008.Prior to entering the South East Asia markets, AETN and AAAN consulted with local agencies to ensure the existing launch campaigns made sense for, and could be adapted for the region. The basis for The History Channel print campaign selected for launch in SEA was an existing 'Split Image' campaign, a series of ads which blend an ancient and a modern image – for example, the Louvre Museum glass pyramid is combined withan ancient Egyptian pyramid.While the existing Split Image ads worked for the SEA market, AETN's in-house design team augmented the series with imagery specific to Asia. Three new versions were developed for the SEA launch – blending the Great Wall of China with a modern road in Asia; the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur with a space ship; and a Korean football player with an athlete on an ancient Greek vase. The tagline: "We Bring History to Life – Your Life."A similar approach was used for Crime & Investigation Network (CI). AETN used an agency in Boston to develop print and on-air launch materials for the channel which have been used in Europe, Africa and Australia.The channel has a very distinct look and feel, using mysterious, iconic imagery, music and colors in all materials. For SEA, AAAN chose to extend the existing campaign with Asian imagery, using a local agency to develop materials that stay true to the overall look and feel of existing marketing and on-air materials.And AETN has existing on-air packages for both channels, designed by international agencies to be easily adaptable in local markets. The on-air tool kits clearly lay out the design language that should be used for the channel. In SEA, the channel on-air teams augmented the campaigns using locallybased agencies that developed localized elements.Media Buying AgenciesAETN and AAAN marketing executives met with a number of media agencies during the launch preparation phase. At launch, local media agencies were used in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, however, negotiations for ad space are now being handled by the in-house marketing team at AAAN. While the media buying strategy was regional, the plans were executed locally. Negotiations were – and continue to be – handled market by market, not panregionally. In addition to paid media, AAAN complements its buys with media partnerships. Further launch support was provided by AAAN's distribution partners, ASTRO (Malaysia) and StarHub (Singapore), across their respective platforms with extensive cross-promotional onair campaigns.Public Relations AgenciesPublic relations are also handled by a combination of in-house resources and local agencies in each market. The AAAN team worked closely with PR staff from AETN to develop press materials and positioning, with the launch strategy developed regionally and implemented locally.Current marketing activityFor launch in June 2007, marketing efforts were targeted to consumers and affiliates, with ad sales marketing efforts beginning to roll out in Fall 2007. Initially, channel branding campaigns are being utilized for both The History Channel and Crime & Investigation Network in order to raise awareness of the networks in the regions.To affi liate:With the support of local platform teams in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, AAAN focused initial affiliate marketing activities on raising awareness of both channel brands with customer service reps (CSRs) and retail reps from the platforms. Since the CSRs are courted by a number of different channel brands, AAAN realized it was necessary to make the channel introductions memorable. An actor was secured to bring the channel propositions to life; he entertained the CSRs with quizzes and prizes before the AAAN marketing staff delivered a more formal – although still entertaining – presentation and video. The strategy paid off; the platform teams in all three territories received very positive feedbackTo consumer:A combination of advertising, on-air, PR and guerilla activities were undertaken for consumer outreach during launch, with a stronger focus on The History Channel.The strategy across all mediums is to bring the brand to life and make history personal, relevant and accessible to everyone; to erase the viewer's preconceived notions that history is something you look at in a museum or read in a text book. This is illustrated by the local launch tagline: "We Bring History to Life – Your Life."Some guerilla activities, with a programming tie-in, were undertaken in Singapore. To tie in with True Caribbean Pirates, a special timed with the theatrical release of Pirates of the Caribbean (3), a treasure hunt theme was used and brochures were distributed on the street. Historical figures roamed the streets with leaflets giving some background on The History Channel and where to find it on StarHub.On-air:Localized on-air spots introducing THC and CI to SEA markets were produced by local agencies with the support of the AETN on-air team. Prior to launch, the strategy was to air teaser spots for each channel via cross platform promotions on StarHub and ASTRO. When the channels debuted, the campaign transitioned to launch spots which described each channel. Both the teaser and launch spots were developed specifically for Asia.PRPublic relations proved one of the most cost effective ways to get the word out to viewers about new channels and programs. Two weeks prior to launch, press screenings were held in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong to introduce the brands and programming to the local consumer and trade media. Segments of programs scheduled to air on both channels during the first few weeks post launch were screened, followed by a Q&A session with channel executives. Press kits with channel and programming background, DVDs of the complete episodes of the programs that were screened, and premiums were distributed to all attendees.Since launch, AAAN has worked closely with local market PR agencies and AETN PR staff to place feature stories on programs in daily newspapers, monthly programming guidesand magazines.AAAN also participated in a global press conference organized by The History Channel in September to promote the new series, Cities of the Underworld. The press conference was held in Naples, Italy and featured a screening and presentation by the producers of the series and local experts who appear in an episode. Following the presentation, the journalists were given customized tours of locations in Naples that were featured in the series, making the program – and history –experiential for the media. The results of the press trip have been very positive: Cities of the Underworld garnered significant feature stories in important daily newspapers in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, AAAN staff was able to build close relationships with journalists who attended the trip, and the journalists saw first hand the global nature of The History Channel brand. Future global and local "experiential" press conferences will be an important strategic marketing tool for AAAN.Ad-salesAd sales marketing efforts are just getting off the ground in SEA. Shortly after launch, AAAN appointed Press Start Media, to represent panregional ad sales for The History Channel and Crime & Investigation Network. While representatives from Press Start have been meeting with agencies throughout the region since the summer, the first significant marketing events targeted to the ad sales community were held following CASBAA.Presentation and screening luncheons were held in Hong Kong and Singapore with representatives from AAAN and AETN introducing the channel brands and programming to local media agencies and ad agencies. As momentum continues to build for both channels throughout SEA, AAAN and Press Start are increasing outreach towards this audience, exploring ways to develop customized advertising solutions.Anticipated changes in marketing focus?The focus of the launch campaigns for both channels has been on branding, and will remain so for the first year. After year one, campaign focus will slowly transition to more programming and localization, though branding elements will continue to be strong.In the coming months, marketing strategy for both THC and CI will evolve to include the introduction of comprehensive multimedia branding campaigns comprising on-air, print and web elements that engage viewers. As with the launch materials, the multimedia campaigns will be based upon concepts developed by global agencies and the in-house AETN team, but will be localized by AAAN for the SEA markets. Specifics will be announced in 2008.Despite the focus on branding during year one, AAAN does plan to place some marketing support behind the premiere of select marquee programming specials and series launches. While these campaigns will have tune-in message, there will also be a strong branding focus. An example of this is the campaign for a new THC series, The Universe, launching in December 2007. AAAN is taking a global campaign and adapting it for the SEA markets locally, incorporating the local tagline 'We Bring History to Life -Your Life'.In Singapore, plans call for outdoor advertising on trains and at bus stops for the campaign. Screenings with selections from episodes of series are being held in Singapore, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur for consumers, schools and press. AAAN has created Galaxy Guides to be used as give-aways at the screenings. The Galaxy Guides are also being used as for prizes in newspaper contests, along with Solar Packs.For the launch campaigns, resources were devoted to support distribution and consumer awareness. Specific plans were developed to kickstart and build relationships with the local affiliate management teams and, more importantly, with the sales and on ground teams from the platforms.As the brands mature in the SEA markets, program offerings and marketing campaigns will evolve to focus more strongly on local productions. One of the benefits of working with a global brand is that a blueprint develops which can be applied to locally in every market. For both The History Channel and Crime & Investigation Network, it is clear that local-themed programs deliver strong ratings and "buzz."The one SEA market where THC was airing prior to the formation of AAAN was Thailand. In June, AAAN re-launched the network on TrueVision with Thai subtitles and increased marketing, on-air and PR support, resulting in positive feedback from both affiliate representatives and viewers. Case Study – Adaptation for AsiaWhen AETN launches channels in new international markets, it is always in partnership with a local platform or content company with experience in building channels locally. While The History Channel brand is available in most markets worldwide, there was a gap in South East Asia. AETN had been looking for the right opportunity and partnership in the region, and finally found such a partner in ASTRO All Asia Networks, its joint venture partner in AETN All Asia Networks.Initial groundwork for the channel launches was first laid out in Q4 2006, with early planning handled by AETN from New York and ASTRO from Kuala Lumpur. Working with a 12-hour time difference madefor a challenging launch, with late night and early morning marathon conference calls involving both teams several times a week – and sometimes twice daily. As staff were hired for AAAN in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, the three companies continued working in this manner until launch. All three companies continue to collaborate.Research:AETN and ASTRO conducted on the ground research with local TV experts, platforms, agencies and marketing experts.Branding:Materials created by AETN, were localized by agencies in the SEA markets. The agencies also augmented the print and on-air packages with elements created specifically for the SEA market. Content:At launch, both The History Channel and Crime & Investigation Network are programmed predominantly with international content from AETN's programming catalogues. While there is some Asianthemed programming in the library, AAAN recognizes the importance of localizing the channels for Asian viewersand is aggressively looking to acquire and commission local programming. Localization efforts began prior to launch and have focused initially on short form interstitial content using locally based production companies. Local interstitial production continues, and AAAN expects to announce the acquisition of local long form productions at the beginning of 2008.However, while there is a need to localize, viewers like global topics, and the mix of global and local programming makes both channels appealing.There were many similarities between the SEA launch and previous launches in other markets. The programming, marketing and on-air teams at AETN are able to leverage the successes from previous launches and work with the team from AAAN to implement best practices from other markets. This includes developing programming launch grids, customizing marketing and on-air materials, and even suggesting marketing or guerilla campaigns that other local teams developed. Ultimately aggressive marketing campaigns were executed both above the line and below the line with activities engaging the distribution platforms, consumers and ad sales communities.Pan-regional marketing and PR strategies were developed and implemented locally in Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong, all of which possess very similar consumer market characteristics. AAAN also worked closely with the teams from the distribution platforms, which ensured a successful and smooth launch.StarHub had expressed interest in carrying The History Channel to AETN executives prior to the formation of AETN's partnership with ASTRO. The platform extended programming, marketing and cross platform promotional support for both channel brands resulting in a well supported launch campaign.Due to the partnership between AETN and ASTRO, The History Channel and Crime & Investigation Network were also well supported in Malaysia. ASTRO was also able to extend support to other media outlets beyond its television distribution platform (i.e., print and radio)which ensured a faster foothold into the Malaysian market. The support from ASTRO's management and ground staff has continued to grow and plays an important role in the growth phase for both channels during year one. In Hong Kong, the contract with PCCW was signed two weeks prior to launch in June. However since launch, increased marketing and programming support has been provided to The History Channel and Crime & Investigation Network from nowTV via advertising support to drive subscriptions as well as through incentives for the sales team. The close working relationship that has evolved between AAAN and PCCW has also served to further build affiliate relations.At the end of year one AETN will finance a comprehensive consumer market research study on the performance of both channels. AETN executes these omnibus studies annually for its channels around the world to measure and track channel performance, brand recognition, appeal and demographics. AAAN and AETN are also looking into the purchase of local research tools to help ad sales efforts.

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