Taiwan, HK, South Korea enterprises set up investment fund for film, TV

[rikayla.livejournal.com]

Asian trio launch fund to break into China market
Dragon Tiger fund set to expand to $100 million

HONG KONG – A trio of Asian companies has launched a film and TV production investment fund and committed to working together to break in to the China market.

Hong Kong’s Media Asia, South Korean music and talent management giant SM Entertainment and Taiwan cable TV network operator Kbro signed the deal Wednesday in the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing.

Initial capital for the Dragon Tiger fund is some $20 million, but is expected to increase to $100 million. SM and Media Asia are designated as co-managers, and Fubon, a diversified financial group that is Kbro’s parent, is named as co-founder.

The fund will invest jointly in film and TV productions, that are either made in China, or are specifically targeted at Chinese-language audiences.

The deal strengthens the connections between Media Asia and Fubon. In February this year Fubon and Kbro bought a 14% stake in Hong Stock Exchange-listed Media Asia. That puts it’s the Taiwanese pair as junior partners to Hong Hong property tycoon Peter Lam and a fund controlled by billionaire Alibaba boss Jack Ma. Media Asia CEO, Jeffrey Soong is also a former advisor to Fubon.

Since his arrival at Media Asia two years ago, Soong has aimed to create discreet slates of films that can be securitized and packaged for investors.

In addition to the production deal struck Wednesday, Media Asia will serve as the exclusive Chinese agent for SM’s talent. These include, including the bands Super Junior, f(x) and EXO.


Source: Variety Asia

Zhang Liyin was there too!! But Variety didn't mention her, hahahah. I'm so excited for this! Media Asia is a huge company, and this can only mean good things for SM China.

Mods: I think there's an image max-width resize CSS line added to the Omona theme. That's why I didn't resize it originally because in the preview, the post looked fine.

Comments

[rikayla.livejournal.com]

OP would have been faster because this was submitted about 12 hours ago ~__~

[pinkwingsblack.livejournal.com]

a little ot but seeing chanyeol with suho instead of suho alone ... makes it feel like chanyeol is the new kris? i mean, obviously not, let's not get into that, but that feeling of 'leader'.
because it's obvious why the others are there but not so much chanyeol.

[klauses.livejournal.com]

i was actually wondering who would be M's new leader (ofc not chan because he's in K)

i've seen some rumours that lay picked up the role?? nothing official of course

[leighbee333.livejournal.com]

Would you reckon that someone like Luhan has crossed over into mainstream popularity or is it just that his kpop otakus are super intense and devoted?

I'm interested in what Korean actors/idol/singers have mainstream recognition (if any).

[rikayla.livejournal.com]

Victoria and Siwon imho. This Weibo post listed only Siwon, Victoria and Leon Lai as relevant celebrities at the event lol. http://m.weibo.cn/2512591982/3751031621915368?sourceType=sms&from=1045595010&wm=4260_0001

[cuizy.livejournal.com]

I don't think any of the current (or former) k-idols have much fans outside the kpop fandom.

The ones with lots of weibo follows are obviously more well known.

And yeah Chinese market is so hard to break into I think even their own actors have trouble with that lol. (Actors only become big or famous after 30..... but then they get roles where they act as early 20s and it's so displeasing to me)

[leighbee333.livejournal.com]

And yeah Chinese market is so hard to break into I think even their own actors have trouble with that lol. (Actors only become big or famous after 30..... but then they get roles where they act as early 20s and it's so displeasing to me)

LOL one of my pet peeves too. American television shows are particularly flagrant offenders on that front, except they do it mostly with teenage characters not early twenty-something ones. I still wish the U.S. could get its own Skins-type show (different of course, NOT a remake or some thinly-veiled copycat) that cast a slew of exciting new, teenage talent....but age-appropriate casting of teenage-centered shows seem to only happen on Disney/Nickelodeon.

[cuizy.livejournal.com]

yup..... It bothered me a lot more when I was younger (when I was that age like teens, and could obviously tell they're not my age) Although sometimes it works out like in glee, because the gap isn't THAT large. But having 30+ or even 35+ acting as early 20s is so unacceptable for me (and why I'm really rooting for ppl like exo acting in cdramas!)

[bebetama.livejournal.com]

SM you better step up in 2015, you have all the cards in your hand now! You made a deal with Baidu and Asian group. All I want is more M activities in China, plus more solo gigs for Layhantao. I wasn't a fan in 2012 so I missed all their China shows. I want to see the five of them in variety, I want to see them sing and dance with their new dynamic. Fancams of TLP do not cut it anymore. I sound selfish but I do not care, I want what was promised to us this year.

[tag-traumer.livejournal.com]

I am excited and hopeful now for Liyin's career in light of this partnership. I hope she'll get a lot of benefit out of this and not being abandoned again in SME dungeon.

[torontok.livejournal.com]

Surveying SM for not sending any of China line to this.
sm needs all the help they can get, they're hopeless.within the Chinese market mainly encase of terrible mismanagement.
I've been lurking on forums and some are saying Chinese ent companies aren't taking too kindly to this nees

[rikayla.livejournal.com]

Because the companies feel threatened?

[torontok.livejournal.com]

It seemed more of a "foreigners on our turf" thing.
Idt c ent.companies need to be scared just yet given sm's lack of presence there right now

[rikayla.livejournal.com]

They see Hong Kong's Media Asia and Taiwan's Fubon as foreigners? LOL.

I think these Chinese entertainment companies will always feel SM is a foreigner. Because that's what SM is, and that's how they've been marketing their artists. Until that changes, they'll always feel that way. The general Chinese audience has felt that way towards SM China artists too. /shrug/ I'm not worried.

[torontok.livejournal.com]

I think the foreigner comments were aimed more at SM. IDK, the poster translating from weibo had some vague english.

SM needs to accept that Chinese market is different from Korea and cater to cpop fans and listeners. so many of EXO M's song (i know them best so theyre my example) have shoddily translated lyrics or just dont fit the sound China likes. And theyre terrible at utilizing the popularity of their arists (Luhan, Victoria etc)

I sometimes ponder where EXO-M might've been if SM had kept them in China. Chen and Xiumin's mandarin would probably be far better, thats for certain

[rikayla.livejournal.com]

I think they've started to realize that China is different than Korea tbh. They have C-Pop lyricists and producers working on some of SJM's old songs and ZLY's songs. It's also what this partnership is all about, handing over agency management to a Chinese company. They should have done it earlier, like last year imho, and sent EXO-M to live in China permanently like yoh said but Kris suing them properly forced them to change their plans LOL.

[hipployta.livejournal.com]

Suho and Chanyeol...and no M members...hmm

[jaerotic.livejournal.com]

forever confused as to why chanyeol was in this instead of a chinese member.

[the-erotomanic.livejournal.com]

i think sme just doesn't want to make a statement about exo-m's leadership role. to them, this is just sending two exo members in behalf of the group.

[jaerotic.livejournal.com]

ignoring exo m and esp the chinese members sends a more problematic message to me than a statement abt exo m's leadership role wld. it just doesnt look good. they cld have sent tao who obvsly is not candidate for leadership and it wldnt have looked off as this does.

[asnindie.livejournal.com]

Why are there no M members here though

Suho's face is looking well weird here.