In support of the Disney Plus streaming service, Disney has expanded its involvement in local production in Asia-Pacific. The company’s APAC head of content and development, Jessica Kam-Engle, gives the keynote presentation on the first day of Hong Kong FilMart.
Ahead of her speech she gave a few pointers to Variety readers.
Variety: What are the objectives of Disney’s local production operations in Asia?
Jessica Kam-Engle: From our extensive research, consumers across most Asian markets have a strong preference for local language entertainment content. In recent years, demand for Korean content in particular has experienced phenomenal growth across the region. Our local production operations in APAC was set up with the goal of producing premium original content from this region to complement global branded content from our iconic suite of franchises, including Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, Nat Geo and Star.
Anchored on quality storytelling, we aim to offer a diversified portfolio of entertainment content on Disney Plus that will resonate with and beyond our core audiences. We also aspire to showcase creative excellence from Asia Pacific to global audiences.
How content investment decision defined: by volume of shows? By nationality? By investment commitment?
We have a long-term and very exciting content plan in place, with a broad range of genres, across markets and languages to cater to different audiences. Our new content lineup from APAC will be part of the best of global storytelling that The Walt Disney Company is known for.
Our strategic focus for local production is not centered on the volume of content (as we have a treasure trove of content across our brand franchises and a vast library across decades) but on quality storytelling. We are working with the best content creators and talent in the region to tell their authentic stories to worldwide audiences.
What is the time frame for achieving these goals? How far has they got, so far?
We have ambitious goals and hope to greenlight over 50 APAC originals by 2023. Over the last six months, we have launched several titles including “Grid,” “Rookie Cops,” “Blackpink The Movie” and “Snowdrop” from South Korea; “Anita: Director’s Cut” from Greater China; “Susah Sinyal The Series” and “Virgin The Series” from Indonesia. This year alone, we plan to release over 20 Korean titles including at least 12 Korean originals on Disney Plus.
The consumer response towards our APAC content slate has been positive and encouraging. Korean drama “Snowdrop” secured a spot in the top five most watched titles in the majority of APAC markets on Disney Plus.
Please explain the differentiation between ‘originals’ and co-productions (such as the recent Nippon TV deal)?
Our APAC content slate includes local originals which we commission and develop– such as “Grid,” “Rookie Cops,” “Gannibal” and “Teluh Darah.” It also includes co-productions with our broadcasting and studio partners leveraging their local expertise – such as “Snowdrop” or “The Files of Young Kindaichi.”
Our strategic collaboration with Nippon TV Holdings includes co-production efforts on local language content for the global streaming audience. That’s very exciting as it offers us long-term collaborative opportunities with strategic partners and Japanese creators, and allows us to bring authentic and high quality Japanese series (like the “Files of Young Kindaichi”) to the world stage.
Which are the priority territories for local production and how does this relate to the penetration of Disney Plus?
We have local production efforts in Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia/Indonesia, Australia and Greater China. This is based on market priorities for our direct-to-consumer business, as well as local production needs and expertise available. From these production hubs, we have a steady supply of Korean, Japanese, Chinese and Bahasa content which addresses the most popular local language content demands from the region.
Hollywood studios have repeatedly failed at local film and TV production in Asia, often citing differences in business culture as a prime reason for withdrawal. What is different this time around?
There are always lessons to be learnt from the past for us to continue to break new ground in the creative industry. Our aspiration is to create locally relevant and the most authentic content that will resonate with consumers. We are confident that this is the right time for us to make such a significant commitment to local content production.
The environment has changed dramatically in recent years with OTT going mainstream, more and more world-class content emerging from Asia Pacific, and consumers’ tremendous appetite for local language content. Streaming has offered a platform for local productions from this region to be distributed to and viewed by global mainstream audiences.
With our new focus on APAC content production, we have set up local production teams across the region. Our teams are market driven and empowered to create and curate premium quality content that is locally relevant.
The Walt Disney Company is here to build long-lasting relationships with the local creative community, to open new doors for APAC storytellers through creative collaboration, so their stories can be showcased on the world stage.