Mr Luke Rattigan, CEO of Reed Business Information Asia,
Ms June Tan, Organiser of ATA and Publisher of TV &Entertainment Group, Reed Business Information Asia,
Dr Christopher Chia, Chief Executive Officer, Media Development Authority of Singapore
Distinguished judges of the 14th Asian Television Awards,
Ladies and gentlemen,
1 Good evening. The Asian Television Awards, or ATA, has honoured the achievements of notable talents in the television industry and launched the careers of many in the region over the past 13 years. It is as an important platform to recognise and reward programming and production excellence in the Asia Pacific region, spur industry progress, and enhance the international standing of regional media.
2 This year, the ATA received 1,020 entries from 16 Asian countries. From these entries, 204 have been short listed to vie for 31 awards in categories such as Terrestrial Channel of the Year, Cable/Satellite Channel of the Year. For the first time this year, two new award categories have been introduced, and they are: Best Cross-Platform Content and Best Achievement in High Definition.
3 The participants this year include leading industry players like CNN International, National Geographic Channel Asia, NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), Mediacorp Singapore, Korean Broadcasting System and Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific.
4 For me, it is heartening to see that Singapore has garnered 22 nominations through Public Service Broadcast programmes competing in various categories. Ranging from social commentaries and documentaries, to situational dramas and educational content, these programmes bear strong testimony to how our multi-cultural and cosmopolitan society is able to produce original content which has an impact beyond our shores.
GLOBAL CONTENT FOR A GLOBAL AUDIENCE
5 This year’s nominees are a reflection of how far the Asian media landscape has grown over the years. Possessing both cultural diversity and growing affluence, Asia is well placed as a rich source and major consumer of media content. The programmes which you see before you are proof. However, there is still much potential for more growth. There has been a growing trend of co-productions and collaborations with media companies in the region coming together as well as working with counterparts from afar. Recently, Southern Star Singapore, Endemol Worldwide Distribution and NDR (Germany) launched their US$9 million international co-production, A gURLs wURLd. A children’s live-action series, A gURLs wURLd is supported by the Media Development Authority of Singapore and Screen Australia.
6 Such partnerships will pave the way for Asian countries to make even greater strides forward in the years to come. Whether in music, documentaries, dramas or sitcoms, we are positioned strongly to bring together financing, technical know-how, attractive ideas and appealing narrative abilities that will excite regional and international audiences.
CONCLUSION
7 To this year’s nominees, I congratulate each and every one of you for making it this far. You are the pride of Asian television and should feel proud of this achievement. I would also like to thank the panel of judges, for their time and effort in selecting this year’s winners.
8 Good luck to all nominees and enjoy the evening’s programme.
9 Thank you.
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