DreamWorks Channel rolls into Asia

DreamWorks Animation (DWA) has begun the roll-out of its first branded TV network, which arrived in Thailand at the weekend.

Jeffrey Katzenberg

DWA revealed plans to launch a branded TV network in 19 Asian countries last year, heralding the US studio’s long-awaited entry into the channels business.

An English-language version of DreamWorks Channel began broadcasting in Thailand on Saturday, carried by Thai cable TV company HTC. A Thai-language version is due to arrive on September 1.

Singapore-based HBO Asia manages affiliate sales and marketing as well as technical services for the new channel, which is fully programmed and distributed by DWA.

DWA and HBO Asia will roll out the channel in other key Asian markets in the coming months.

It features series such as All Hail King Julien, The Adventures of Puss in Boots and Raa Raa the Noisy Lion, while it will also draw on the estimated 1,200 half-hours of original animation that the company currently has in production.

DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg first revealed plans for a DreamWorks TV channel in 2012, shortly after its US$155m takeover of Classic Media.

A branded channel launch via Fox in the US was on the cards, but the crowded US kids’ TV market, as well as the entry of subscription VoD players like Netflix and Amazon into the genre, may have stalled the plans.

Katzenberg told delegates at Mipcom in 2013 that he was “still interested” in launching the channel but that DreamWorks’ output deal with Netflix made it unlikely anytime soon.