Videoage International January 2019

4 World January 2019 V I D E O A G E permission from producers to edit films for censorship. They often find it easier to acquire titles that likely won’t require changes. For theatrical distribution, En- glish-language titles have the hi- ghest market share at 75 percent (the majority of which are major studio films from the U.S.). In 2017, local films only accounted for 5.9 percent of all box office revenue. Regional Asian films account for the remaining mar- ket share, including Chinese, Hong Kong, Thai, Japanese, and Indian titles. Action/adventu- re films are the most popular, especially when locally produ- ced and starring recognizable talent. Action films are also imported, generally from India and the U.S. Animated films are high earners, as well, as are hor- ror movies and thrillers, whe- reas films based on true events often perform poorly. Major studio films from the U.S. open on approximately 250 screens — with 900 screens for blockbuster titles. Local films open on 25 to 50 screens, but can be released on as many as 130 screens. Imported independent title releases range greatly — from 50 to 100 (mostly horror/ thriller films) to as low as five to 10 screens (typically dramas or arthouse fare). The number of screens can drop as much as 50 percent by the second week of exhibition. The most common languages for TV programming inMalaysia are Malay, Chinese, Tamil, and Hindi because the population of Malaysia is so diverse. This makes it difficult to please the entire television audience, which has given rise to niche channels serving specific ethnicities and languages. Free-TV networks produce a large portion of their own pro- gramming. These in-house pro- ductions are usually TV format programs, reality shows, and soapoperas. Pay-TVhas a greater amount of foreign-produced pro- gramming than free-TV. Thema- jority of pay-TV channels availa- ble inMalaysia aremultinational networks that broadcast to and acquire programming for the en- tire region. Malaysian broadcast and pay-TV service provider, Astro, however, will buy Malay- sian pay-TV rights separately. For independent films, local pay-TV prices depend largely on a film’s U.S. box office performance. SVoD rights are often included in Malaysian pay-TV deals. A ccording to the Los Angeles-based Independent Film and TV Alliance (IFTA), by the year 2020 Malaysia will become what the World Bank calls a “high income country,” meaning one that boasts a gross national income in excess of U.S.$12,236 per capita. While this bodes well for the entertainment sector, the country must still grapple with insufficient infrastructure and censorship that presents a significant challenge for content sellers. Malaysia is known for having some of the toughest censorship laws in the world, with all films being vetted by the Film Censorship Board. While restrictions have loosened slightly, allowing movies with violence and profanity to be screened, nudity and sex remain banned. The rating system permits some films to pass the censorship board without edits or with minor edits. Inconsistent standards make passing censorship challenging —while an element may be allowed in one film, it does not guarantee it will be allowed in another. Local buyers find it difficult to get IFTA Sees Censorship as Malaysian Film and TV Markets’ Main Issue JANUARY 2019 JUNIOR PAGE _ 7.284”x 9.055” VIDEO AGE www.grbtv.com • sales @ grbtv.com 18 x 60’ 6 x 60’ 52 x 30’ 9 x 60’ NA T P E BOO T H 5 1 5 NEW SEASON NEW SEASON NEW RELEASE