HBO: A partner in home viewing

MANILA, Philippines - HBO is celebrating its 20th year of gracing Asian television screens.

The American cable network opened its Asian headquarters in Singapore in 1992, then launched in Manila one year after.

According to HBO Asia’s senior vice president for sales and marketing Jacelyn Kek, who was there from the start of its operations, she has seen how much the “Asian appetite for HBO originals has grown” in addition to the patronage for the channel’s roster of blockbusters.

Kek said that among HBO’s biggest original mini-series in Asia throughout the 20-year span are the World War II-themed Band of Brothers, the comedy-drama about single women Sex and the City and the medieval fantasy Game of Thrones, which is currently airing.

Another HBO-produced series was Taxicab Confessions, but never got to the Asian small screen because it was “too risqué.”

Like in the case of Sex & The City, which saw broadcast in the Singapore only several years later (even as it was being shown in other Asian countries), as the channel complied with state regulations. 

In terms of movies, Kek said, citing ratings from Kantar Media, HBO is the No. 1 English movie channel in Mega Manila, with 17 out of the Top 20 most-watched English movies coming from HBO.

Kek also said that HBO takes pride in producing original movies, several of which virtually launched the careers of some of today’s biggest Hollywood names like Gia featuring Angelina Jolie and Introducing Dorothy Dandridge starring Halle Berry.

Interestingly, there’s also current trend of A-listers working on HBO-produced shows such as Nicole Kidman and Clive Owen in Hemingway & Gellhorn, Kate Winslet in Mildred Pierce and Dustin Hoffman in Luck. Boardwalk Empire is being helmed by Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese.

Meanwhile, HBO Asia is also releasing its first original film titled Dead Mine this “milestone year,” which is a co-production with the Singapore-based Infinite Studios. The action-horror was shot in Infinite’s new facility in Indonesia and revolves around the legend of the Yamashita gold.

Kek said HBO Asia is very aware of the film talents of the Philippines, and with Dead Mine as the first step, they are open to more local productions as long as the material is right. “Going into local productions is our way of adding value to HBO viewers,” she said.

Other plans in the offing include introducing HBO On Demand to the Philippine market.

(Catch HBO Asia’s ongoing Billion Dollar Month in celebration of its 20th year, wherein a line-up of Hollywood blockbusters that grossed billions at the box-office airs every night at 10 until July 1.)