By Marcus Goh

With over 661 platforms across 50 markets, Asia has a wealth of content. Over 393,000 unique titles are available in the market, and over 50% of these titles are more than 7 years old. Content acquisitions teams are spoilt for choice—so what are Asian buyers looking for? The session was moderated by Tom Gennari, CEO, BB Media.

Aaron Mascarenhas, AVP, Content Acquisitions & Partnerships, MX Player said they were looking at content that’s cheerful, adventurous, and modern. “We look at [acquiring content] from a qualitative and quantitative standpoint,” he shared. Love stories work brilliantly, followed by sci-fi, thrillers, then action. Outside of India, Turkish, Korean, and Mandarin content form the three pillars of their focus.
 

Jaehee Hong, VP, Content Acquisition & Partnerships, Rakuten Viki, explained that more than 80% of their target audience is young women from their teens to early 40s who are loyal to Asian content. They’re not making active efforts to make in-house original content. Rather, their strategy is to secure exclusive distribution of key titles from key partners.

Kim Hongki, Acquisition & Distribution Group Leader, Wavve and Director, Studio Wavve revealed that their focus is on acquiring content that is relatable to diverse age groups, from teenagers to viewers in their 50s. He observed that relying on star power for the success of content is an outdated idea in Korea, and that focusing on new perspectives is the way to win the heart of acquisition partners like himself.

* ATF 2022 Special—Sessions on Dec 9, 2022