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Netflix adds more Asian content offerings; HBO launching 5 originals in Asia

In this biweekly Asia video spotlight feature, S&P Global Market Intelligence provides a roundup of news related to over-the-top, video-on-demand and other online video initiatives in different Asian markets.

Top news

* Netflix Inc. entered into a distribution deal with China's Baidu Inc.-controlled iQiyi for some of the latter's drama series, Screen reported Dec. 4. Meanwhile, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.'s Youku also inked a distribution pact with Netflix for a 32-episode detective drama called "Day and Night." Netflix, in partnership with CJ E&M, is also adding South Korean TV series "A Korean Odyssey," "Prison Playbook" and "Argon" to its global offering. The streaming giant also struck a deal for its first mainstream production from India to be exclusively available on the platform; "Love per Square Foot" will be available in early 2018.

* Home Box Office Inc. is ramping up its original content output in Asia, TBI Vision reported Nov. 30. The Time Warner Inc. unit's regional subsidiary, HBO Asia, unveiled three new original series and two original films, which include Japanese-language drama series "Miss Sherlock," a co-production with Hulu Japan.

* Southeast Asian subscription video-on-demand service iflix commissioned its first Malaysian original drama series, "KL Gangster: Underworld," to be produced by Skop Productions. It will be shot entirely in Malaysia and will premiere on iflix in mid-2018.

Content and carriage deals

* South Korea's KT Skylife will pre-install YouTube LLC's YouTube Kids and Pinkfong TV apps on their Android TV set-top boxes to increase access to kids' content, ZDNet Korea reported Dec. 5.

* Hong Kong-based telco PCCW Ltd. bought the exclusive Hong Kong broadcasting rights to the 2018 Russia FIFA World Cup from LeTV for nearly US$30 million, Tencent News reported Nov. 30. Now TV, PCCW's pay TV service, will broadcast all 64 matches live, while Viu TV, PCCW's free TV arm, will show 19 selected matches live.

* Sony Pictures Networks India's video-on-demand platform SonyLIV partnered with independent digital content producer Fabform Mediaworks to give SonyLIV users access to curated comedy content by Fabform, Television Post reported Nov. 30.

* Malaysia-based streaming service dimsum is licensing content from several Asian distributors, World Screen reported Nov. 30. Dimsum struck a deal with Thailand's GMM Grammy for titles "Club Friday To Be Continued: Rak Long Jai," "Home… Stay," "Slam Dance" and "My Lil Boy 2." In a deal with Hong Kong-based channel Ani-One, dimsum scored anime series "Infini-T Force" and "ALL OUT !!" Dimsum also inked a pact to offer the Mandarin-language preschool edutainment channel Miao Mi.

* Singapore's MediaCorp Pte. Ltd., in its first partnership with Hong Kong-based Cantonese language entertainment TV channel ViuTV, will co-produce "Blue Tick," a 20-episode Toggle Originals suspense thriller, Channel News Asia reported Nov. 29.

* STAR India Pvt. Ltd. partnered with National Geographic to add infotainment content to its video-on-demand service Hotstar, Television Post reported Nov. 28.

* SK Broadband added kids video-on-demand content channel Pororo Tube to its IPTV service B TV, ZDNet Korea reported Nov. 27.

* Amazon.com Inc.'s Prime Video in India inked a deal with Lyca Productions for streaming rights to S. Shankar's "2.0," a sequel to the 2010 blockbuster "Enthiran," Variety reported Nov. 26.

* YuppTV secured digital and satellite rights for Telugu movie "Mental Madhilo," Television Post reported Nov. 25.

Service launches

* Amazon.com said Dec. 6 that it launched the Prime Video app on Apple TV 4K and previous generations of Apple TV in more than 100 countries.

* NVIDIA Corp. launched Shield, its streaming box for TV, video and games, in China and has teamed up with Nintendo Co. Ltd. to bring select Wii and GameCube games to the device, Engadget reported Dec. 6, citing Nvidia.

* Blue Ant Media Inc.'s wildlife and nature streaming service Love Nature said Dec. 4 launched in New Zealand on Vodafone NZ's Vodafone TV.

* The Nickelodeon Play app is launching in Indonesia through Telkomsel's VideoMAX, World Screen reported Nov. 30.

* Turner Japan K.K., the Japanese unit of Turner Broadcasting System Inc., on Nov. 28 announced it will launch three new channels in Japan over dTV Channel, the streaming service of NTT DOCOMO. Turner's global kids channel Boomerang and two new services — mah-jong channel MONDO Mah-jong TV and travel channel Tabi Tele — will launch in Japan in January 2018.

Other news

* Meitu-operated short video service Meipai banned minors from using its live-streaming service after a "bug" was found in its system that allowed "inappropriate video" to be inserted in a live-stream, the South China Morning Post reported Dec. 6.

* Hong Kong's Television Broadcasts Ltd., or TVB, went to federal court in a bid to block the online streaming of its content through internet-connected set-top boxes in Australia, Computerworld reported Dec. 6.