CATCHPLAY is the leading distributor for international movies in Taiwan, with movies such as La La Land, Green Book and Parasite in its recent line-up. Its streaming service, CATCHPLAY+, is one of the few digital content services that have successfully expanded to international markets, having over 6 million users to date across operations in Taiwan, Singapore, and Indonesia. Employing more than a decade of experience in the content industry, CATCHPLAY has had a remarkable slate of film investments, including the financing of Hollywood films The Revenant, Assassin’s Creed and director Martin Scorsese’sSilence in addition to 20 Once Again, a co-production with Korea’s CJ Entertainment. In 2019, CATCHPLAY, in partnership with Warner Media’s HBO Asia, took on the distribution of its first Taiwanese original drama series, The World Between Us, and saw the TV series become the most successful Mandarin-speaking series of the year.
TAICCA Chairperson Hsiao-Ching TING states, “With a proprietary distribution network and experience investing in international productions, CATCHPLAY has been a long-term distributor of international films and television programs. Investing in the development of Taiwanese films, TAICCA hopes to leverage CATCHPLAY’s international distribution channels and reverse long-standing trends by exporting Taiwan-produced films overseas, resonating with the agency’s “internationalization” and “brand creation” strategies TAICCA looks forward to working with CATCHPLAY to establish a foundation for original content from Taiwan to integrate with the global market, empowering Taiwan to become an influential contributor of original content around the globe.
“We used to play by the rules of international content industry rules to bring good international content to the Taiwanese audience. Now, it’s time to leverage our experience from the international market to bring Taiwan’s original works to the world,” said CATCHPLAY CEO Daphne YANG, “It’s an honor that TAICCA favors this concept and our team’s capability. We hope that this partnership can help the Taiwanese film and television industry build a new platform in line with international standards.”
The main focus of SCREENWORKS ASIA will be producing and distributing premium Taiwanese original entertainment content targeting international audiences. SCREENWORKS ASIA selects various topics of international interest for development, focusing mainly on movies, mini-series, and factual entertainment for theatrical releases, TV, or streaming services with creating diversified, cross-industry global IP as its long-term goal.
The first SCREENWORKS ASIA project announced is the sequel to one of the most successful Mandarin-speaking drama series of 2019, The Making of An Ordinary Woman II.The Making of An Ordinary Womanand The World Between US were named the top two Mandarin-speaking shows of 2019, rated 8.6 and 9.2 respectively on IMDb, the leading international content rating service, and reached many hundreds of millions of viewers in Asia and all over the world. Both shows were from Taiwan and introduced to streamers on CATCHPLAY+. Five more projects have also been announced by SCREENWORKS ASIA with principal photography for two of them kicking off this summer.
Since its establishment last year, TAICCA has endeavored to work on IPs with outstanding potential to facilitate their development. Among them, the martial art short film, The Method of Breathingby cutting-edge director Yi LIU, the winning project selected at the end of last year by the Taipei Golden Horse Film Project Promotion, has seen its development accelerated through a TAICCA-established platform and participated in the IP Showcase at this year’s European Film Market in Berlin. SCREENWORKS ASIA will also develop a TV drama and movie of the same name, creating a stage for the content industry and creators to leap into the international market.
TAICCA utilizes the Development Fund to invest in diversified industries and fill in industry gaps, systematically constructing an ecosystem for films with Taiwan-related content. TAICCA will continue to collaborate with the government and private sector to welcome additional co-investors for the promotion and development of Taiwan’s cultural content industry.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 100 points in late-morning trading, helped by strength in base metal and utility stocks, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 103.40 points at 24,542.48.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 192.31 points at 42,932.73. The S&P 500 index was up 7.14 points at 5,822.40, while the Nasdaq composite was down 9.03 points at 18,306.56.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.61 cents US compared with 72.44 cents US on Tuesday.
The November crude oil contract was down 71 cents at US$69.87 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down eight cents at US$2.42 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$7.20 at US$2,686.10 an ounce and the December copper contract was up a penny at US$4.35 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 200 points in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets were also headed higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 205.86 points at 24,508.12.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 336.62 points at 42,790.74. The S&P 500 index was up 34.19 points at 5,814.24, while the Nasdaq composite was up 60.27 points at 18.342.32.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.61 cents US compared with 72.71 cents US on Thursday.
The November crude oil contract was down 15 cents at US$75.70 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down two cents at US$2.65 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was down US$29.60 at US$2,668.90 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents at US$4.47 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was little changed in late-morning trading as the financial sector fell, but energy and base metal stocks moved higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 0.05 of a point at 24,224.95.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 94.31 points at 42,417.69. The S&P 500 index was down 10.91 points at 5,781.13, while the Nasdaq composite was down 29.59 points at 18,262.03.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.71 cents US compared with 73.05 cents US on Wednesday.
The November crude oil contract was up US$1.69 at US$74.93 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was up a penny at US$2.67 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$14.70 at US$2,640.70 an ounce and the December copper contract was up two cents at US$4.42 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 10, 2024.
