Dated: 18 December 2007
Two-week long Festival surpassed expectations in programming
The Asia Media Festival (AMF) 2007 closed on a high note with a record number of participants and deals, cementing once again Singapore’s position as the region’s premier media exchange for the trading, financing and making of global media content.
Significantly, AMF saw a 63 per cent increase in sales and deals announced worth a total value of US$76.7 million. In all, 5,293 trade participants from more than 50 countries, took part in the festival, which was hosted by the Media Development Authority (MDA) and organised by Reed Exhibitions from 14 Nov – 4 Dec. Landmark collaborations were also established between MDA and William Morris Agency (WMA) and the Festival saw unprecedented participation in its three major award events, notably the Asian Festival of 1st Films (AFFF) and Asian Television Awards (ATA).
Facilitating International Deals and Partnerships
Major deals signed at the Asia Television Forum (ATF) included the licensing of Katakune by Singapore's Character Farm and distributor Six-Six-Eight. Six-Six-Eight has also sold the series into China (CCTV) and 22 territories throughout the Middle East. Disney-ABC International Television (DAIT) Asia Pacific sealed deals at ATF 2007 with new drama and comedy series deals with 13 broadcasters in the region, along with its first Southeast Asian agreement on The View and Good Morning America. An additional US$60 million is expected over the next 12 months, as buyers and sellers close negotiations that began at the three-day market.
AMF also saw the signing of two Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with the Philippines and Canal-France International (CFI). The two agreements aim to promote media policy and information exchange, training and human resource development, co-productions, and cultural exchanges. MDA and CFI also announced two key projects in 2008. The first is a digital broadcasting workshop aimed at providing technical and policy training to support the collective effort of ASEAN countries to adopt a common digital TV broadcasting standard. The second is a co-production networking session that brings together TV, film and animation producers from Singapore and France to discuss potential collaborations.
Encouraging the Sharing of Best Practices
At the opening ceremony for AMF/ATF 2007, the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, Dr Lee Boon Yang, announced the collaboration between MDA and WMA with a Masterclass Series in 2008, aimed at internationalising local capabilities and nurturing the next generation of Singapore media executives and talent. Leveraging WMA’s extensive global network and resources, the WMA-MDA Masterclass Series will provide a platform for Singapore executives and talents to learn from industry virtuosos, and facilitate exchange between Singapore and the Hollywood creative community. WMA is the largest and most diversified talent and literary agency in the world, with principal offices in New York, Beverly Hills, Nashville, London, Miami Beach and Shanghai.
"This series is a unique opportunity for WMA to bring our entertainment relationships to Singapore in a very tangible way. WMA's commitment to the region will extend beyond these initial classes, but this is an integral first step in the process," said Grace Chen, Managing Director, William Morris Asia.
The Media Financing Forum (MFF), an AMF staple, featured a distinguished speaker line-up of 12 international distributors and financiers, almost double that of the previous year and attendance by 213 delegates. A total of 25 projects from six countries were submitted for financing consideration with 73 meetings being facilitated during one-on-one sessions with the financiers.
The region’s first factual and documentary event, Asia Factual Forum (AFF), attracted approximately 120 delegates from 15 countries around the globe, comprising 90 independent producers and 30 local and international producers. The event spawned enthusiastic discussions on everything, from the viability of formats to opportunities through co-production. Demonstrating the collaborative nature of the event, Singapore creative house Upside Down Concepts and LIC Australia announced an MOU valued at an estimated US$4 million. Involving LIC’s German co-production partner, Kick Films of Munich, this MOU will lead to 20 hours of documentaries for the international TV market. AFF also served as the platform to launch a call for submissions for the CROSS-MEDIA CHALLENGE – SINGAPORE, a competition open to all Singapore production companies to develop innovative, interactive and globally engaging factual content that harnesses new technologies such as mobile and broadband. This initiative follows the MOU signed by the National Film Board (NFB) of Canada and MDA last year to encourage co-productions in film and new media between Canada and Singapore.
The two-week long AMF 2007, which ended on 4 December, also saw the launch of Centre for Content Protection (CCP) in Singapore. Established by the Motion Picture Association Asia Pacific with support from MDA, the Centre is Asia’s first technical organisation devoted to content protection technologies, policies and standards. The CCP is a clearinghouse of information for all aspects and information regarding digital distribution and content protection.
Honouring the Best Asian Talents
In honouring the best talents in Asia, the AFFF continued to grow from strength to strength in its pursuit of excellence with more than 500 entries across 53 countries this year. This year, Dharm (India) and Lucky Miles (Australia) both received the honours for Best Film. And garnering a record 1,374 submissions, up from 1,331 entries in 2006, the prestigious ATA has grown to encompass 16 countries, for the first time including companies from Australia and New Zealand. Discovery Networks took home “Cable / Satellite Network of the Year” while Mediacorp took the honours for “Terrestrial Broadcaster of the Year”.
Hosted by MDA and organised by Reed Exhibitions, in collaboration with key industry partners, AMF 2007 encompasses the whole value chain of the media business – from media financing to content creation, production and distribution within the entire media ecosystem, including TV, film, animation, documentaries and mobile broadcasting.
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About Asia Media Festival 2007
The Asia Media Festival (AMF) 2007 is a media fiesta, held from 14 November to 4 December 2007, comprising events for both trade professionals and consumers. Hosted by the Media Development Authority (MDA), the Festival offers opportunities for the media industry to share best practices, forge strong business networks and foster international collaborations under its line-up of premier trade events, namely: Promax BDA Asia, Asia Factual Forum, Media Financing Forum, Asia Television Forum, Asia Film Market &Conference, Asia Animation Conference, Asian Festival of 1st Films, Apollo Awards and Asian Television Awards. Running parallel to the trade events is MediAction!, an outreach initiative organised by MDA to inspire the general public to discover the benefits and possibilities that media can offer for work, learning and play. More information on AMF 2007 can be found at
www.asiamediafestival.com.
About Media Development Authority of Singapore
Formed in 2003, the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) plays a vital role in transforming Singapore into a Global Media City and positioning it at the forefront of the digital media age. MDA spearheads initiatives that promote developments in film, video, television, radio, publishing, music, games, animation, media services and Interactive Digital Media. At the same time, in ensuring clear and consistent regulatory policies and guidelines, MDA helps to foster a pro-business environment for industry players and increase media choices for consumers. For more information, visit
www.mda.gov.sg
About Singapore Media Fusion (SMF)
The Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) has developed the “Singapore Media Fusion” (SMF) strategic positioning which encapsulates the attributes of the media industry in showcasing Singapore as a global media city. SMF is a mark of the quality of our products and services and the collective richness and diversity of the media industry. The positioning not only lends consistency in the manner to which the Singapore media industry is represented and promoted, it is also intended to enhance the image of Singapore media at an international level, in a compelling and coherent manner. For more information, visit
www.smf.sg
For media enquiries, please contact:
Genevieve Chow
Burson-Marsteller for Asia Media Festival
Tel. : +65 6829 9321
Mobile : +65 9431 9811
Email :
genevieve.chow@bm.com
Selena Sheikh
Burson-Marsteller for Asia Media Festival
Tel. : +65 6829 9304
Mobile : +65 9746 8519
Email :
selena.sheikh@bm.com
Sharon Tan
Manager, Communications
Media Development Authority
Tel. : +65 6837 9011
Mobile : +65 9185 7882
Email :
sharon_tan@imda.gov.sg
Joyce Liong
Senior Marketing Manager
Reed Exhibitions Singapore
Tel. : +65 6780 4668
Email :
joyce.liong@reedexpo.com.sg
Annex
For high-resolution photographs of Asia Media Festival 2007, please contact Monica Sham at +65 6837 9956 or email
monica_sham@imda.gov.sg.
Dr Lee Boon Yang, Minister For Information, Communications And The Arts, at the opening Of Asia Media Festival 2007 / Asia Television Forum (ATF) 2007 on 28 November 2007
Dr Lee visiting buyer/seller suites at ATF 2007
Dr Lee, accompanied by Dr Christopher Chia, Chief Executive Officer of Media Development Authority, viewing one of the latest 3D technologies during ATF
Mr Edward R. Pressman, producer of “Wall Street”, “American Psycho”, “Thank You for Smoking” and “The Cooler” giving a speech during Media Financing Forum on 27 November 2007
Hosts Utt and Sonia Couling add glitz during the 12th Asian Television Awards (ATA)
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister For Community Development Youth &Sports and Second Minister For Information, Communications And The Arts giving the opening address at ATA
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