Shrek and his friends are taking on Asia. Deadline reports that Dreamworks Animation has revealed plans to roll out a TV channel in 19 Asian countries in 2015.
Dreamworks Animation, or DWA, known mainly for its big-screen movies such as Kung Fu Panda, has created a 24/7 network targeted at children. Content will consist of series based on its successful movies such as How To Train Your Dragon and a new preschool program VeggieTales in the House. Over 2,000 hours of content has already been produced, with 1,200 on the way.
DWA announced HBO Asia will be handling the tech duties, marketing, and sales for the network, which at this point is only airing in countries where Netflix is not available. These include Taiwan, Macao, South Korea, Tahiti, Palau, Mongolia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Burma, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Laos. Eric Ellenbogen, co-chief of DWA International, said simply that, “audiences in the region have always embraced our content.”
The New York Times backs up his statement, reporting that Kung Fu Panda 2 took in $41.1 million in South Korea in 2011. The NYT speculates that the most notable absence on the list of countries, mainland China, is due to DWA’s difficulty in managing the governmental controls on media. The article also postulates that the move is designed to stabilize DWA’s financial wellbeing, as its blockbuster movies have not been consistent box office winners and it has recently had 2 failed merger attempts.
The channel could be hitting Asian airwaves as soon as June of 2015.
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