Markets

The Asia TV Forum and Market (ATF) announced 2 new pitches in partnership with Vidio, looking at the Indonesian market, and with Warner Bros. Discovery as global sponsor in search for drama concepts for the Thai market. The additions have beefed up ATF’s stable of pitches that currently includes the Animation Pitch, Formats Pitch, Chinese Pitch, and the IP Accelerator, all of which were curated with industry partners and commissioners to source for fresh ideas for development of originals.

Vidio's inaugural launch of the ATF Indonesian Pitch 2022 has successfully opened up opportunities for all creators and producers from across the world to pitch their fresh and original scripts/ideas for production across platforms inside the Vidio group company, Emtek. Additionally, as Indonesia's “Leading Home of Originals”, Vidio is also open to all types of stories and genres, provided that it will be accepted by Indonesian audiences.

Monika Rudijono, Managing Director, Vidio, said, "This unprecedented relationship with ATF allows strategic commercial and cultural exchanges between Indonesia and the rest of the world. Moreover, this might also fulfill the desires of local watchers who might be longing for exposure to stories from diverse parts of the world, each with its own uniqueness. As the video streaming business expands and millennials become more interested in fresh content, bringing the best ideas to Indonesia is indeed a natural progression."

Thai dramas are gaining considerable popularity throughout the Asian region over the last few years and have demonstrated its ability to win over sizable audiences at home and abroad. Interest for Thai dramas has been trending high among the buyers at recent editions of ATF.

In line with this salient swerve, Warner Bros. Discovery, home to a portfolio of global brands, including HBO, Discovery, Cartoon Network and CNN, invites regional production companies to pitch their best ideas for a Thai language drama series (of either 6 or 8 episodes) in any dramatic genre, which they believe possesses that elusive international appeal.

On top of discovering the next big Thai drama, Warner Bros. Discovery is also demonstrating its commitment to nurture local talents by providing mentorship sessions to winning participants, undertaken by members of its regional production team.

“We know that Thailand is a hotbed for storytelling excellence and creativity. Through this initiative, we’re looking to unearth some of this homegrown talent to develop stories that move local audiences but that can also travel,” emphasised Magdalene Ew, Head of Content – Entertainment, Southeast Asia, Taiwan & Hong Kong at Warner Bros. Discovery.

Finalists of both pitches will be pitching their ideas to industry veterans during ATF 2022, which will take place from 7 to 9 December at Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre, as part of the Singapore Media Festival (SMF) hosted by the Infocomm Media Development Authority. SMF celebrates the best of Asian storytelling and showcases the vibrant diversity of talent, filmmakers, and showrunners of Asia.

ATF’s Group Project Director, Yeow Hui Leng said, “As the leading gateway into Asia, each edition of ATF offers new possibilities. We are very privileged to have the support from industry partners to join hands with us to encourage content creators to put forth their best ideas and celebrate the best-in-class content made for Asia and beyond.”