Sky Studios Hires Drama Chief; Edinburgh TV Award Nominees; Two Rivers U.S. Growth; Disney+ Korea Launch — Global Briefs

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefKorea Telecom has unveiled plans to inject $150 million into its media unit allowing it to expand its content production capacity. The move comes at a time when already high competition for Korean content is set to intensify further.KT said that it will buy new shares in KT studio Genie, the unit formed earlier this year to house all its media activities.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefIn its efforts to broaden the range of activities and programming, the Busan International Film Festival has opened its doors to domination by Korean TV and streaming content.The third edition of its Asia Contents Awards see Korean shows “Move To Heaven,” “Sweet Home,” and “Vincenzo” head the nominations list.Netflix, which has become a major force in Korean content, also picks up multiple nomination for Japanese series “Alice in Borderland.” Chinese content

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefLocal thriller “On The Line” held on to top spot at the South Korean box office charts. But its weak total showed that the boost to cinemas from the Chuseok holidays had been short-lived.“On the Line” managed $1.56 million in its second weekend, a score which was only 28% down on its debut, according to data from Kobis, the box office tracking service provided by the Korean Film Council (Kofic).

The second season of Fox’s I Can See Your Voice is expected to air later this year.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefTransparent Arts, an Asian-American talent management firm, has come on board as producer of Korean drama series “Idol: The Coup.”In South Korea, the show will premiere on JTBC this winter. International rights are held by iQiyi, the Chinese streaming platform.The series is a 12-episode drama about a failing K-pop girl group called Cotton Candy.

Naman Ramachandran Sky Deutschland has revealed plans for three new original series, which are part of a wider slate of 60 German and international series that will air in 2022.“Autobahn,” a 10-part series, will follow a pair of police officer brothers as they keep their cool while chasing suspects at high speed. Shot across Bavaria, the series is from producer Action Concept in association with Sky Studios.

meditation on Black artistry “A Little Devil in America” are among the works on the nonfiction longlist for the National Book Awards.On Thursday, the National Book Foundation also announced the poetry longlist, with nominees including Douglas Kearney's “Sho,” Hoa Nguyen's “A Thousand Times You Lose Your Treasure” and Forrest Gander’s “Twice Alive." The foundation has already released longlists of 10 for young people's literature and translation and on Friday will publish the fiction

SEVENTEEN member Jeonghan has surprised fans with the surprise release of a brand-new solo song titled ‘Dream’.The digital single was written and composed by the K-pop idol, and is also his first-ever solo release since he made his debut with SEVENTEEN in 2015.

Cameron Roach, Sky’s outgoing director of drama, is launching Rope Ladder Fiction, a Manchester-based indie production company with a focus on providing training and development opportunities to new talent.

Edinburgh city centre. Mohamed Bouhnika, 36, faced charges of dangerous driving and failing to stop when he appeared in private at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today.

Edinburgh city centre amid a disturbance outside a nightclub. Police were called to Lothian Road in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Angelique Jackson Model and health and wellness entrepreneur Miranda Kerr has signed with WME for representation in all areas.Through the new partnership, the agency will work to will expand her business across media, consumer products and philanthropy.In 2009, Kerr founded and self-funded the certified organic skincare brand KORA Organics in her home country of Australia.

Naman Ramachandran Sky Studios has appointed Preethi Mavahalli to the newly created role of creative director, drama, reporting into chief content officer Jane Millichip. She will join in Jan.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe Disney Plus streaming service will begin operations in South Korea, from Nov. 12, 2021, the company announced Wednesday, firming up a previously trailed launch.The platform was given a soft launch in Japan last year, and will now be upgraded with the addition of Star-branded content from Oct.