HBO Asia movie channels could soon be back
SINGAPORE-BASED HBO Asia’s six movie channels are expected to resume for Thai audiences via a new broadcasting partner within the next month after TrueVisions decided to drop all feeds from the premium channel operator early this month, according to an industry source.
The source said that HBO Asia was negotiating with a local business partner to bring back all six channels – HBO HD, HBO Signature, HBO Family, HBO Hits, Cinemax, and Red by HBO – to the Thai market.
The deal is expected to be finalised in February.
While HBO could not be reached for comment yesterday, it did say in a recent statement that the company remained committed to its subscribers in Thailand and wanted to make sure that its premium Hollywood movie channel and other services would be available here.
Meanwhile, to cope with difficulties regarding the cancelation of HBO’s six movie channels on the TrueVisions cable/satellite TV platforms, HBO Asia yesterday announced that it would offer free-view service of its original series “Halfworlds Season 2” on its official website, starting from January 22 and airing on Sundays at 8pm.
Directed by Ekachai Uekrongtham, the eight-episode “Halfworlds Season 2” was filmed in Thailand, with the majority of its stars talented Thai actors, including Peem Jaiyen, Nicole Theriault, Jeeja Yanin, Myra Malloy and David Asavanond.
The source said the online broadcast of the TV series would the first such airing in Thailand, while audiences in Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore would be able to watch it via the HBO HD channel provided by licensed pay-TV operators in each country.
The first season of the “Halfworld” series was broadcast in Thailand last year by HBO HD via TrueVisions.
In a previous interview, Birathorn Kasemsri Na Ayudhaya, chief content and media officer at True Corp, acknowledged that while HBO Asia had been a strategic content partner of TrueVisions for more than 23 years, and HBO HD was the top channel and key sales driver for his company’s pay-TV business, TrueVisions had had to discontinue its contract with the operator as other movie channels that were bundled under the same contract as HBO HD were far less popular.
Birathorn added that his company wanted to buy the rights to telecast the HBO HD channel alone, but HBO Asia had refused, on the grounds that it did not have a policy to sell the channels separately.
