Korea & Japan
Netflix Announces Plans To Invest $500m In Korean Content In 2021
New original films include BDSM romance Moral Sense, directed by Park Hyun-jin, and action film Carter, directed by Jung Byung-gil (The Villainess).
Liz Shackleton
Korea & Japan
Starzplay Pacts With TV Tokyo For Anime Content
Strategic partnership brings more than a thousand hours of anime, including the iconic Naruto franchise, to viewers in the Middle East.
Chinese-Speaking Markets
Tamil Drama 'Pebbles' Wins Tiger Award At Rotterdam Film Festival
Tamil-language drama Pebbles, directed by Vinothraj P.S. and produced by Rowdy Pictures, won the Tiger Award at this year’s International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR).
Festivals
India’s 'Writing With Fire' Wins Sundance Film Festival Audience Award
Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh’s Writing With Fire won the Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary at this year's Sundance Film Festival.
Chinese-Speaking Markets
Viu To Launch Korean Original Drama 'River Where The Moon Rises'
Produced by Korean production house Victory Contents, the show stars Kim So Hyun (The Tale of Nokdu) and Ji Soo (Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo).
News
Starz To Launch Lionsgate Play OTT Platform In Indonesia
Former HOOQ Indonesia executives Guntur Siboro and Gene Tamesis have been hired to head up operations in the territory.
Korea & Japan
Korean Portal Naver To Acquire Wattpad In $600m Deal
Wattpad will be aligned with Naver’s digitial comics platform, Webtoon, which claims 72 million monthly active users.
News
Amazon Hindi Series 'Tandav' Agrees To Make Changes Following Outcry
Political drama directed by Ali Abbas Zafar is testing issues of OTT regulation and freedom of speech in India.
News
Amazon Prime Video Launches First Mobile-Only Plan In India
Indian telco Bharti Airtel has partnered with Amazon on the plan, which includes an introductory offer of $1.20 a month.
Chinese-Speaking Markets
Asia Pacific SVOD Revenue Increased 34% To $16bn In 2020 - MPA Report
While AVOD revenue was down 3%, the region's online video sector as a whole grew by 14% to reach a combined $30.5bn, according to MPA report.
Chinese-Speaking Markets
Beginner's Guide: Chinese Web Series [Part One]
Suspense thrillers, social issue dramas and a real-time mystery set in the Tang Dynasty: Streamlined explores the disruptors in Chinese-language TV.
Chinese-Speaking Markets
Kuek Yu-Chuang On iQiyi’s International Expansion Plans
Based in Singapore, iQiyi's international chief is expanding the streamer's slate of Chinese, Korean and Southeast Asian dramas.
Korea & Japan
Sony Acquires Crunchyroll From AT&T For $1.2bn
Anime-focused streamer was part of AT&T's WarnerMedia and will now be combined with Sony's rival streaming service Funimation.
Chinese-Speaking Markets
iQiyi International Sets 'My Roommate Is A Gumiho' As First Korean Original
Jang Ki Yong and Hyeri star in romantic horror based on popular Korean webtoon Living Together and co-produced with Studio Dragon and JTBC Studio.
News
WarnerMedia Orders Second Season Of Southeast Asian Horror Anthology 'Folklore'
Singaporean filmmaker Eric Khoo will again oversee the series, which will feature horror tales from seven Asian countries.
News
Randeep Hooda To Star In 'Inspector Avinash' For Jio Studios & Gold Mountain
Neerraj Pathak is directing and producing the series, based on the experiences of real-life Uttar Pradesh cop Avinash Mishra.
Middle East & North Africa
Netflix Strikes Eight-Film Deal With Saudi Digital Studio Telfaz11
Eight new Arabic-language films, produced by rising digital studio Telfaz11, will be aimed at Arab and global audiences.
Festivals
Busan Film Festival Hands New Currents Awards To 'A Balance' & 'Three'
Yujiro Harumoto’s A Balance and Pak Ruslan’s Three were presented with the New Currents Award at this year’s Busan International Film Festival (October 21-30).