Middle East
HEADLINES FROM ASIA: Amazon, Okja, YuppTV & Alibaba
Amazon unveils first India original, Netflix's Okja shut out of Korean cinemas, plus latest news from Alibaba, YuppTV, Youku and iQiyi.
Middle East
Asia’s Original Content Wars Heat Up
While Netflix and Amazon are pouring investment into local-language content across Asia, several regional platforms are entering the fray with a slew of announcements in recent months.
Korea & Japan
Amazon Checks In To Sion Sono’s 'Tokyo Vampire Hotel'
Amazon Prime Video Japan is working with maverick Japanese director Sion Sono on original series Tokyo Vampire Hotel, which is scheduled to stream from June 16.
Korea & Japan
Netflix Boards Second Original Korean Series 'Kingdom'
Netflix has announced its second Korean original series, Kingdom, to be directed by Kim Seong-hun, whose last film Tunnel was a top five movie in Korea last year.
Chinese-Speaking Markets
Alibaba Invests $200m In South Korea’s Kakao
Alibaba’s payment affiliate Ant Financial is investing $200m in South Korean messaging service Kakao, as part of the Chinese tech giant’s move to build out online payment systems around the world.
Middle East
FilmDoo Scoops Up Slate Of 19 Asian Titles
UK-based streaming platform FilmDoo has acquired TVOD rights to 19 Asian films from distributors including Asian Shadows and Stardust Pictures.
Festivals
FESTIVALS: Osaka Asian Unveils 16-Strong Competition Line-up
Wong Chun’s Mad World, Dain Said’s Interchange and Vijay Jayapal’s Revelations are among the 16 competition films at this year’s Osaka Asian Film Festival.
Korea & Japan
Netflix To Produce 'Love Alarm' As First Korean Drama
Netflix has unveiled its first Korean original series, Love Alarm, based on the webtoon by Kye Young Chon, one of Korea’s most popular comic authors.
Korea & Japan
Netflix Acquires Korean Disaster Drama 'Pandora'
Netflix has acquired worldwide rights to South Korean nuclear disaster movie Pandora, directed by Park Jung-Woo and financed by Next Entertainment World (N.E.W.).
Korea & Japan
INTERVIEW: Viki's Tammy H. Nam On Building An Army Of Fansubbers
Tammy H. Nam, CEO of global streaming service Viki.com, explains how the site’s avid community of subtitling fans is helping content to travel and break emerging talent.
Korea & Japan
Amazon To Produce Japanese Version Of 'The Bachelor'
Amazon is producing a Japanese version of popular romantic reality series The Bachelor, which will stream exclusively on its Japanese platform from spring 2017.
Korea & Japan
Crunchyroll, Funimation To Share Anime Content
Crunchyroll and Funimation, both major distributors of Japanese anime, have signed a partnership to share titles across streaming, home video and electronic sell-through.