Viu announces eight Viu Original titles and aims to release over 80 titles in 2019 to reinforce its commitment to content creation - APOS 2019
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Viu announces eight Viu Original titles and aims to release over 80 titles
in 2019 to reinforce its commitment to content creation
PCCW (SEHK:0008) – HONG KONG, 24 April 2019 – Viu, a leading pan-regional OTT
video service from PCCW Media Group, has reaffirmed its commitment to creating content
assets with the announcement of a slate of its next eight Viu Original titles in 2019 and its
target to release over 80 titles of scripted and non-scripted series this year.
Viu Original will include productions from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, India,
the Philippines and the Middle East. Viu’s further commitment to Viu Original comes after
encouraging increases in viewership in 2018, which saw monthly active users nearly
doubling to 30 million and video consumption time increasing by close to 120% over the
previous year.
In line with its commitment to bringing Viu-ers the best of Asian content, Viu has expanded
its offering beyond the most current and extensive Korean content which are popular
across its markets in Southeast Asia, to include Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Indonesian and
Arabic content through partnerships such as with GMM and Workpoint in Thailand, Media
Prima in Malaysia and Media 7 in Myanmar, as well as via its own Viu Original.
Following the success of Viu Originals such as The Publicist (Indonesia), The Bridge
(Malaysia), the newly launched No Sleep No FOMO (Singapore/pan-Asia) and 4Freaks
4Fam (Thailand), 2019 is expected to be another exciting year. Today, Viu announces
eight new Viu Original titles including:
Till Death Do Us Part (Hong Kong), starring Sheren Tang, award winning actress
The Gutter (Hong Kong), featuring a cast of film awards winners and nominee: Hanjin
Tan, Michelle Wai and Catherine Chau
Psycho Detective 2 (Hong Kong), reuniting local legendary actor Adam Cheng with
famous TV icon Michael Tao after 26 years
Rewrite (Indonesia), featuring social media star Maxime Bouttier
Baha Don (Malaysia), directed by award-winning director Kye Syed Fariz
Kopitiam (Malaysia), based on a multi-award-winning television sitcom
The Grill (India), a series about the mis-adventures of an engineering college fresher
The Zodiac (Middle East), based on a novel by the renowned author Dr. Ahmed Khalid
Tawfiq
Ms. Janice Lee, Managing Director PCCW Media, said, “Viu Original has become an
important part of our content offering. Learning from what our 30 million Viu-ers enjoy
watching, we have further developed Viu Original portfolios which attracted significant
growth of new users to the service. In 2018, 30% of Viu Original viewers were new to the
platform. We plan to continue investing in original content by working with local talent and
the creative industry in the region with an aim to releasing over 80 titles in 2019. The Viu
Original series also allows us to experiment with different creative formats and push for
more innovation in production and partnerships in the industry.”
cont’d …
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A recent example is the travelogue No Sleep No FOMO, in which 10 Asian celebrities and
social media influencers compete to finish various missions in popular destinations around
the world. Fans participated and helped chart the course of their idols’ adventure via
Instagram interactions during shooting and helped co-create segments of the show.
Leveraging the stars’ social media fans base, the social media posts of No Sleep No
FOMO have generated more than one million social engagement and reached over 14
million users. The success of the show led to a new cooperation with Discovery 1 – a
collaboration that will expand the show’s reach to new quality audiences on a leading
entertainment network.
Ms. Lee said, “We are delighted with our new collaboration with Discovery proving that our
original content is not only made for online consumption, but also having an audience no
matter what platform you are on.”
Aside from developing and launching premium long form original productions, the Viu
Original initiative also aims to support and develop the local creative eco-system and
industry. It does so through development programs such as the Viu Pitching Forum – an
annual event aimed at helping upcoming Indonesian film makers find distribution for their
work. Since the forum, two web series, Halustik and Knock Out Girl, have already been
produced and released to Viu-ers. The recently announced Star Stealer, winner of 2019
Viu Pitching Forum, will be soon in production. The success of the Viu Pitching Forum also
led to the launch of ViuShorts!, a young creator development program aiming to foster
creativity and diversity. High-school and university students learnt how to tell exceptional
stories through film in year-long workshops and competed to win a scholarship at the
Jakarta Institute of Art and a professional internship with the Viu Original production team.
Seventeen short films made by students and aspiring film makers will be released in 2019.
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1
The territories covered include: Afghanistan, Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Macao,
Malaysia, Mongolia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Seychelles Islands, Singapore,
South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor Leste (East Timor), and Vietnam.
To view/download images of the program, please visit https://bit.ly/2VhKXGR
Please credit all content and information to “Viu”.
Ms. Janice Lee, Managing Director of PCCW Media Group, announces Viu’s program
lineup for 2019 at APOS in Bali.
cont’d …
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Viu Original 2019 lineup highlights
No Sleep No FOMO (Pan-Asia) – Available Now
No Sleep No FOMO is a brand-new social
media-driven reality travelogue hosted by
entertainment veteran Paul Foster (Singapore).
He is joined by some of today’s hottest
influencers and stars such as Eric Nam, Kim
Jong Kook (Korea), and many others. In each
episode, Paul and his celebrity guest co-host are
dropped into an amazing city with a list of 60
FOMO missions – the ultimate ‘to-do-, to-see
and to-eat checklist’. They discover new
adventures, explore interesting locations, and
experience local delicacies within 60 hours with
no sleep. Each episode will showcase a familiar
city with a refreshing twist as they take the road
less travelled while being aided by tips and
recommendations from local fans. No Sleep No
FOMO is as real as it gets as fans will see a side
of their favourite stars that they haven’t seen
before!
Till Death Do Us Part (Hong Kong) – Coming
Soon
Ma Suk-sheung (Hong Kong TV award winning
actress Sheren Tang) is a discerning art dealer
and collector who devotes her life to art. Years
ago, she handpicked the artwork of Suen Yat,
who later became her husband. To celebrate the
20th anniversary of their marriage, they entrust
illustrator Hui Wak-yin to create ten paintings to
commemorate the occasion. When Suk-sheung
senses Yat is having an affair with Wak-yin, she
seeks help from her estranged sister. At the
same time, Suk-sheung can’t help but develops
a close relationship with her family doctor who is
secretly in love with her.
The Gutter (Hong Kong) – Coming Soon
Restaurant owner Thomas falls in love with
Joyce, a bride-to-be, and at the same time he
has a childhood sweetheart Sammy. A
complicated relationship is developed over three
decades and triggers a series of rumours and
bewildering incidents. As a restauranteur,
Thomas is always in search of the most delicious
food. But in fact, relationships are just like food
that there is never a best flavour, but only a taste
that suits you most.
cont’d …
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Psycho Detective 2 (Hong Kong) – Coming Soon
In the second season of Psycho Detective, Pang Bak-chuen is a
popular Taoist master in the neighbourhood. He is seen as an elder in
the community and even becomes a famous ghostbuster. Together with
his three young disciples, not only do they help people solve daily life
problems, but they also solve unsolvable cold cases for the police. The
gang of four unveils the legendary stories of Psycho Detective 2. The
drama reunites Hong Kong legendary actor Adam Cheng with famous
TV icon Michael Tao after 26 years.
Rewrite (Indonesia) – Coming Soon
Jakarta, 2024 – Senja and Abiyoga are two people who met 5 years
earlier and were very much in love, but fate dealt them a cruel hand.
Senja had trouble getting over her best friend’s death, while Abi had run
out of ways to make Senja happy anymore. Along the way, they had
both given up on their dreams. When Abi leaves Senja at the altar on
their wedding day, she wishes with all her might that she could go back
to a time before they ever met. The Universe grants Senja’s wish –
transporting both Senja and Abi back to 2019, the very day they first
met. With a second chance at life, Senja is determined to make
everything right this time around - including not getting entangled with
Abi. But of course, fate has other plans in store for our couple…
Baha Don (Malaysia) – Coming Soon
Produced by Anomalous Films and directed by Kye Syed Fariz
(Keluarga Iskandar, Sis Cuba), Keluarga Baha Don follows Jo Don
(Remy Ishak) – an aspiring chef in France who’s abruptly called home
to attend his father’s funeral. The beloved Baha Don (Othman Hafsham)
was a fine dining restauranteur in Kuala Lumpur with a big heart and an
even bigger family. Or so his son thought. In fact, Baha Don was a
notoriously shady mobster with an array of colourful associates hailing
from across Southeast Asia – associates who now lineup to kiss the
ring of their newly minted Godfather: the unsuspecting Jo. Our series
follows this unlikely hero as he leaves his Michelin-starred dream
behind to navigate a whole new world of culinary crazy.
cont’d …
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Devoted (Malaysia) - Available Now
The 10-episode show is a neo-noir thriller centred around Eva, a career-
driven wife and mother, whose life is turned upside-down when her
husband Rizal, and son Mika disappear. She discovers that they have
been recruited by an organisation that is preparing for insurgence
against society. The thought-provoking show highlights the conflicts
faced by the two main opposing characters and how they tackle the
problems faced with catastrophic pressures of family and career.
In production, no image available Kopitiam (Malaysia) – Coming Soon
Double Vision’s Kopitiam is a multi-award-winning television sitcom and
remains one of Malaysia’s most iconic television shows today, with
reruns still being broadcast twenty years on. In the two decades since
Kopitiam last opened its doors, the TV world has been transformed but
Kopitiam remains very much in the hearts and minds of Malaysians with
constant calls from the public for a revival.
As such, it is incredibly exciting to announce that Kopitiam will soon be
re-imagined for the urban Malaysian audience of today – a show that
will not only bring back what audiences loved most about the original
but also where they can see themselves, their families and their friends
reflected back at them.
Kopitiam will be helmed by Douglas Lim, who will head write and direct
the reboot. He is an original cast member who went on to launch a
stellar career as a comedian. Min Lim, Executive Producer of The
Bridge and Head of Production at Double Vision, will produce the reboot
of their format for Viu Malaysia.
4Freaks 4Fam (Thailand) - Available Now
4Freaks 4Fam tells the story of 4 paternal half siblings who are from
different parts of the world and have to share the same roof. Each of
them has a dream and wants to achieve it. The chaotic tension between
the family members gradually change as love grows in their hearts.
cont’d …
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Love, Lust & Confusion 2 (India) – Available
Now
While season one chronicled the character
Paroma Sarkar's journey through her to-do list,
including indecision, physical explorations and
confusion, that every millennial can relate to,
this upcoming season will see her deal with her
‘don’t do list’. Paroma will be seen working on a
graphic novel based on her relationship
escapades creating even more confusion
between love and lust. This second outing
gears up to bring double the drama and
confusion to these love stories.
In production, no image available The Grill (India) – Coming soon
Virat joins engineering college as a fresher, the
moment he joins he is shocked to see that his
ex-girlfriend is his senior. Virat was so in love
with Aradhna that it took him two months to get
over her and as a result he missed his
admission deadline and hence he is behind by
a year.
During his stint at college he gets into all kind of
mad capers with his friends. His life at the
hostel is full of fun, drama, comedy, romance
and regular fights with his seniors.
But one day all hell breaks loose when the grill
that separates the juniors and seniors is
destroyed and another fight ensues. The fight
escalates and leads to Virat and his friends’
suspension from college. This is followed by a
series of events and coincidences.
cont’d …
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Ana Sherry Dot Com (Middle East) – Available Now
Ana Sherry Dot Com is the story of a young Egyptian woman who is
striving for independence and eventually rises from the ashes of failure
as she embarks on an unusual online business opportunity.
Doon (Middle East) – Available Now
The well-known Saudi social celebrity, Bader Saleh, makes his debut in
Saudi drama with the new Viu Original playing the role of Adham, a
loyal childhood friend and accomplice of the protagonist Ahmed played
by young Saudi actor Azzam Al Namry. The story of Doon takes
viewers on an enthralling journey of a poor young man who resorts to
crime with the aim of saving his half-brother who is faced with a death
penalty after being framed for murder. Taking justice into his own
hands, he works with a talented team to prove his brother’s innocence
and bring the truth to light.
Zodiac (Middle East) – Coming Soon
A captivating crime thriller series based on the novel series “Hazak El
Youm” by the late renowned Egyptian author, Dr. Ahmed Khalid Tawfiq.
Zodiac follows the lives of a group of students who encounter a curse
that takes the lives of individuals around them. The curse follows a
pattern determined by the victim’s Zodiac sign. It combines the genres
of drama and supernatural mystery to keep viewers on the edge of their
seats.
cont’d …
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About Viu
Viu is a leading pan-regional over-the-top (OTT) video streaming service operated by
PCCW Media Group. It is available in 17 markets including Hong Kong, Singapore,
Malaysia, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Myanmar in Asia, the Middle East
countries of Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the
newly launched South Africa.
Operating with both an ad-supported tier and a premium subscription tier with more
features, Viu delivers premium Asian content in different genres from top content providers
with local language subtitles as well as original production series under the ‘Viu Original’
initiative.
Viu offers users express delivery of telecast content, streaming and download features,
and localized user interfaces. With the patented Dynamic Adaptive Transcoding
technology, Viu can provide the best viewing experience regardless of device or network
conditions.
The service can be accessed via Viu app (available for free on App Store and Google
Play) on connected devices, e.g. smartphones and tablets, as well as on web by logging
into www.viu.com.
About PCCW Media
The media group of PCCW is a leading, fully integrated multimedia and entertainment
group in Hong Kong.
The media group operates the leading pay-TV service in Hong Kong under the Now TV
brand delivering both self-produced and licensed content to its customers using IPTV
technology. Now TV offers more than 170 linear channels and on demand library of local,
Asian and international programming. Its premium content can also be accessed via the
Now Player app. It is also a leading producer of Chinese language news, financial news
and sports programming in addition to Asian infotainment content which complements its
wide portfolio of licensed movie and international television content. PCCW Media also
offers the Now E entertainment OTT (over-the-top) platform with international and Asian
dramas, movies and world-class sports events, which is designed to meet the needs of
viewers with Millennial lifestyle.
The media group is also engaged in the provision of OTT video service under the Viu
brand in Hong Kong and 16 markets in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and India. In
addition, MOOV is a hugely popular music digital streaming service in Hong Kong.
About PCCW Limited
PCCW Limited (SEHK: 0008) is a global company headquartered in Hong Kong which
holds interests in telecommunications, media, IT solutions, property development and
investment, and other businesses.
cont’d …
-9- The Company holds a majority interest in the HKT Trust and HKT Limited, Hong Kong’s premier telecommunications service provider and leading operator in fixed-line, broadband and mobile communication services. HKT meets the needs of the Hong Kong public and local and international businesses with a wide range of services including local telephony, local data and broadband, international telecommunications, mobile, and other telecommunications businesses such as customer premises equipment sale, outsourcing, consulting, and contact centres. PCCW also owns a fully integrated multimedia and entertainment group in Hong Kong, PCCW Media. PCCW Media operates the largest local pay-TV operation, Now TV, and is engaged in the provision of over-the-top (OTT) video service under the Viu brand in Hong Kong and other places in the region. Through HK Television Entertainment Company Limited, PCCW also operates a domestic free television service in Hong Kong. Also, wholly-owned by the Group, PCCW Solutions is a leading information technology outsourcing and business process outsourcing provider in Hong Kong and mainland China. In addition, PCCW holds a majority interest in Pacific Century Premium Developments Limited, and other overseas investments. To learn more about PCCW, please visit www.pccw.com. For further information, please contact: Ivan Ho Rafaella Lee PCCW Finsbury Tel: +852 2883 8747 Tel: +852 3166 9882 Email: ivan.wy.ho@pccw.com Email: rafaelle.lee@finsbury.com Issued by PCCW Limited.
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