Partners team up in Kuala Lumpur for second edition of 1Asia project

Eight ABU members successfully partnered with broadcasters and producers from Japan during a three-day “matching session” of the regional 1Asia 2014 project in Kuala Lumpur this month.

A joint initiative between the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan (MIC), 1Asia encourages co-production and collaboration between Asian broadcasters and Japanese broadcasters/producers through documentaries covering a wide span of topics.

The project, conceived and executive produced by ABU member Bang Singapore, is also supported by Japanese advertising agency Dentsu, representing the MIC.

The organisers say the project is an opportunity for both partners from ABU and Japan to exchange production expertise and collaborate on concepts that incorporate both discovery of unexpected and fascinating aspects of Japan in a manner that is relevant and of interest to each ABU member’s audience.

Six ABU members and counterparts in Japan paired off in 2013, the first year of the scheme, to produce 30-minute programs aired in March this year.

The 2014 1Asia project expanded this year to include eight ABU members and eight Japanese broadcasters and producers, with programs due to air in member countries February 2015.

The project partners are: VTV–Vietnam and UHB Hokkaido, TVK-Cambodia and KHB Sendai, RTM-Malaysia and Mainichi Productions Tokyo, NTV-Nepal and TeNY Niigata, BTV Bangladesh and Far Eastern TV Entertainment Tokyo, TVRI-Indonesia and Mainichi Broadcasting System Osaka, PTV-Philippines and CBC Creation and Attitude Pictures and TV Tokyo Corporation.

The finished programs will be available to ABU members for broadcast free of charge. ABU members wishing to acquire the 1Asia productions can contact ABU’s project manager Ms Hanizah Hamzah at hanizah@abu.org.my