China’s iQiyi Says AI Has Transformed Development & Production; Thailand’s Mono Streaming Signs MOU With Korea’s KT Studio Genie — ATF

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Liam Neeson-starring “Honest Thief” has secured a multi-platform streaming release in mainland China. It launches on SVOD platforms on Christmas Day (Dec.

Similar to how Daniel Craig was vocal on his press tours for recent 007 films that No Time to Die was his swan song as James Bond, Jason Momoa has been casting great doubt that he’s coming back as the fishy superhero, Aquaman.

Refresh for latest…: After opening early in 37 international box office markets last weekend, Warner Bros/Village Roadshow/Heyday Films’ Wonka expanded its release this session to the rest of the world (save Korea which goes in late January). The results are sweet.

The White Lotus star Natasha Rothwell has teased what fans can expect from the show’s third season.The actress is due to return for the HBO show’s next season, which is expected in 2025, having appeared as spa manager Belinda Lindsey in the show’s first.Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Rothwell revealed she has read the upcoming season’s scripts, teasing: “I can’t say anything but I will say it’s going to blow people’s minds.“I gasped out loud no less than five times and that was just reading them, so people are in for a treat,” she added, further saying that filming is expected to begin “definitely in the next calendar year”.It comes after creator Mike White said last month that production on the long-awaited third season should commence “at the beginning of the year” and that he was “finishing scripts”.White went on to tease to Entertainment Weekly: “It’s going to be supersized White Lotus. It’s going to be longer, bigger, crazier.

Charlie Dimmock revealed she had 'no regrets' about her controversial affair with co-star during her time one-third presenting Ground Force.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Thailand’s broadcast and streaming group Mono Next and Korea’s Studio Genie have struck a deal to collaborate on content creation and distribution. Production of a Thai remake of a Korean series is on the cards, but has not been finalized. The memorandum was announced on stage at the Asia Television Forum in Singapore on Wednesday, with streaming unit Mono Streaming signing on behalf of the Thai group.

Naman Ramachandran Singapore’s MediaCorp and Taiwanese production company Mission International have signed a memorandum of understanding for content development at the Asia TV Forum and Market (ATF). Mission International is led by producer Angie Chai, best known for hit teen idol drama “Meteor Garden” and forming successful boyband F4.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief China’s Linmon Media celebrated its tenth anniversary this week by unveiling 16 new shows for its 2024 production and release slate. The roster included seven Chinese period drama series, five contemporary shows and two more being made in Thailand. “We are not just a producer, we are a studio,” Zhou Yuan, co-founder and EVP of Linmon, told Variety on the sidelines of the company’s predominantly English-language presentation at the Asia Television Forum & Market in Singapore.

EXCLUSIVE: Lighthouse Management + Media has signed buzzy writer-director Laura Kosann for representation in all areas.

Banijay Asia Unveils Leadership Team Following Endemol Acquisition

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Universal Music Greater China has signed a strategic partnership with Mandarin-language music superstar Jay Chou and his record label JVR Music. The agreement secures global marketing and distribution rights for Chou’s extensive music catalogue and for future projects. It also supports rising talent from his label, including artists Patrick Brasca and Young (aka Cao Yang) through JVR. Nicknamed the ‘King of Mandopop’ Chou has a two decade career that spans 15 studio albums, eight world tours and 378 concerts in Asia, America, Europe, and Australia.

Naman Ramachandran Singapore‘s Mediacorp has begun introducing virtual sets into its scripted content, starting with two Chinese drama series, it was revealed during the ongoing Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF). “Strangers in the Dark” is about an outcast in school, who uses her vivid imagination to help solve various mysteries.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Webtoons, the vertical-scrolling iteration of digital comics that emerged some twenty years ago in Korea, along with the smartphone, are now a global medium. But they are only at the beginning of their global journey, says Charlie Park, CEO of Kakao Entertainment-owned Tapas. Park was speaking Tuesday at the Asia Television Forum in Singapore in a session moderated by industry consultant Jimmy Kim. Park explained that the webtoon segment was for several years a niche fan-driven activity with few opportunities for monetization.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Macau casino operator, Sands China entered into a strategic partnership with Chinese streaming company Tencent Video and Chinese cinema ticketing firm Maoyan Entertainment. The three parties will team up to host large-scale offline events, content creation of lifestyle and entertainment programs and online marketing and promotion. Operating The Venetian Macao, The Parisian Macao and The Londoner Macao casino resorts, Sands runs several large entertainment facilities in Macau, including the 15,000-seat Cotai Arena, the 1,800-seat Venetian Theatre, the 6,000-seat The Londoner Arena, the 1,200-seat The Parisian Theatre, and the 1,700-seat Londoner Theatre. The three will co-organize events in Macau including live performances, concerts, films, TV series, variety shows, sports and cultural activities.

Major media agency GroupM says global ad revenue in 2023 will come in at about $889 billion, with year-over-year growth of 5.8% matching the company’s mid-year estimates.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Full River Red,” the Zhang Yimou-directed period comedy-drama that released in January this year has earned its producer Huanxi Media Beijing the 2023 Asia Pacific Box Office Achievement Award at the CineAsia convention. The convention gets under way Monday in Bangkok and will run till Thursday (Dec. 4-7).

Refresh for latest…: New global entry Queen Bey’s concert movie/documentary Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé put a ring on a $27.4M global debut this weekend. Included in that is $6.4M from 2,621 overseas cinemas.

Tubi Hires Endeavor Exec For International Expansion

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor TikTok users in Big Sky Country are free — for now — to keep watching short-form videos on the app in the new year. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction Thursday blocking Montana’s first-of-its-kind U.S. ban of TikTok in the state, ruling that the law set to take effect Jan.

K-pop girl group (G)I-DLE will be releasing their second studio album in January 2024, their label has confirmed.Today (December 1), South Korean news outlet News1 reported that (G)I-DLE would be making a comeback with their second studio album in January 2024. The report was later confirmed by their agency CUBE Entertainment in a statement to XsportsNews.The upcoming record will arrive about eight months after their sixth mini-album ‘I Feel’, which was released in May and features the hit song ‘Queencard’.