HBO Asia

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
HBO South Asia
)

HBO
CountrySingapore
Broadcast area
Network
Serangoon Gardens, Singapore
Programming
Language(s)English
Chinese
Japanese
Malay
Filipino
Indonesian
Thai
Vietnamese
Picture format1080i HDTV
Ownership
OwnerWarner Bros. Discovery Asia-Pacific
ParentHome Box Office, Inc.
History
Launched1 May 1992; 31 years ago (1992-05-01)[3]
ReplacedRed by HBO (SatLite Only, Philippines)
Former namesMovieVision (1992–1995)
Links
WebsiteOfficial website (Archive)

HBO Asia is the Asian division of HBO, based out of Singapore. It was originally launched on 1 May 1992 as MovieVision, later rebranding on 1 June 1995 to its current name after being purchased by Home Box Office, Inc. The Singapore-based broadcast network offers channels and services with no advertisements– HBO, HBO Signature, HBO Family, HBO Hits and Cinemax – as well as HBO Go and HBO on Demand. HBO Asia is also the exclusive distributor of BabyFirst in Asia.[4]

HBO was the first American television network to set up its bases in Singapore in 1992, with its 20,000 square feet (1,900 m2) production facility based at New Tech Park in Lorong Chuan.[5]

HBO signed an agreement with Singapore Telecom in June 1992 in order to deliver its output to Singapore CableVision's MovieVision channel, as well as other broadcasters in the region.[6]

HBO Asia began 24 hour broadcasts on 1 March 1994 to cater to travellers who come to hotels. It also increased the number of programmes to 70 a month.[7]

HBO Asia was originally a

Universal Studios. On 16 January 2008 Sony and NBC sold their stakes to Time Warner.[8]

Programming

HBO Asia has licensing deals with 5 major Hollywood conglomerate film studios:

HBO Central is a monthly program giving information about which movies and series will be shown in the coming month.

New seasons of HBO's Original Series or Original Productions air on Sunday nights/Monday mornings.

Original programming

HBO also aired their Original Series or Original Films from Asian creators which aired on Sunday nights. Some other Asian original title may also simultaneously release in other platform, for example Catchplay, which has co-produce some HBO Asian titles.

TV series

Drama
Title Genre Premiere Seasons Runtime Language(s) Status
Grace[9]
Horror drama
17 October 2014 4 episodes Un­known
  • English
  • Mandarin
Miniseries
Halfworlds Dark fantasy thriller 29 November 2015 2 seasons, 16 episodes Un­known
  • English
  • Indonesian (season 1)
  • Thai (season 2)
Renewed[10]
Folklore
Horror anthology
7 October 2018 2 seasons, 12 episodes 60 min various languages Ended
Grisse[11]
Epic Western
6 March 2019 1 season, 8 episodes Un­known
  • English
  • Indonesian
Ended
Food Lore[12] Slice of life anthology 3 November 2019 1 season, 8 episodes Un­known Various languages Ended
Invisible Stories[13] Psychological drama/Anthology 5 January 2020 1 season, 6 episodes Un­known
  • English
  • Mandarin
  • Thai
Ended
Dream Raider[14] Science fiction mystery drama 16 August 2020 1 season, 8 episodes Un­known
  • Mandarin
  • Japanese
Ended
Miss S[a]
action drama
5 October 2020 30 episodes Un­known Mandarin Miniseries
On The Job
Action thriller
13 September 2021 6 episodes 45-63 min Filipino Miniseries
Who's By Your Side[15]
Family thriller
3 October 2021 10 episodes 50 min
  • Mandarin
  • Hokkien
Ended
Scent of Time[b] 13 October 2023 30 episodes Un­known Mandarin Miniseries
Comedy
Title Genre Premiere Seasons Runtime Language(s) Status
Sent[16] Comedy drama 17 September 2017 1 season, 8 episodes Un­known English Ended
Adventure of the Ring[17]
comedy-drama
13 December 2020 8 episodes Un­known Mandarin Miniseries
Call My Manager![18] Comedy drama TBA TBA TBA Filipino Upcoming
Unscripted
Title Genre Premiere Seasons Runtime Language(s) Status
Traffickers: Inside the Golden Triangle[19]
docuseries
23 July 2021 3 episodes Un­known English Ended
Co-productions

These shows have been commissioned by HBO Asia with a partner network.

Title Genre Partner/Country Premiere Seasons Runtime Language Status
Serangoon Road
Period drama
ABC/Australia 22 September 2013 1 season, 10 episodes 55 min English Ended
The Teenage Psychic Supernatural coming-of-age drama PTS/Taiwan 2 April 2017 2 seasons, 14 episodes 50 min
Ended
The Talwars: Behind Closed Doors
docuseries
Star World/India 26 November 2017 4 episodes Un­known English Miniseries
Miss Sherlock
Crime drama
Hulu Japan/Japan 27 April 2018 1 season, 8 episodes 45-50 min Japanese Ended
The Bridge
Crime drama
26 November 2018 2 seasons, 20 episodes 60 min
  • English
  • Malay
  • Indonesian
Ended
The World Between Us Psychological drama PTS and Catchplay/Taiwan 24 March 2019 1 season, 10 episodes 50 min Mandarin Renewed[20]
Workers[21]
comedy-drama
myVideo/Taiwan 10 May 2020 6 episodes Un­known
  • Hokkien
  • Mandarin
Miniseries
The Head Mystery thriller
12 June 2020 1 season, 6 episodes 47–65 min.
  • English
  • Danish
  • Swedish
  • Spanish
Season 2 ongoing[22]
Trinity of Shadows[23]
Crime drama
13 June 2021 1 season, 15 episodes Un­known Mandarin Ended[citation needed]
Twisted Strings[24] Comedy thriller/Anthology 27 March 2022 7 episodes ~60 min. Mandarin Ended

Films

Title Genre Release Date Runtime Language(s)
Dead Mine
Action horror
27 September 2012 1 hour, 27 min. English
Master of the Drunken Fist: Beggar So
Action drama
25 December 2016 1 hour, 33 min. Mandarin
Master of the Shadowless Kick: Wong Kei-Ying 26 December 2016 1 hour, 40 min.
Master of the White Crane Fist: Wong Yam-Lam 20 February 2019 Un­known
The Garden of Evening Mists
period drama
13 September 2020 2 hour English
Gensan Punch
biopic
27 September 2021 1 hour, 40 min.
  • English
  • Filipino
  • Japanese

Censorship

HBO Asia was heavily censored in some Asian countries, with many series such as Sex and the City,[25] The Sopranos,[26] Entourage,[27] The Wire, Hung,[28] Girls,[29] True Blood, Game of Thrones,[30] Boardwalk Empire,[31] True Detective,[32] Westworld,[33] Insecure,[34] Big Little Lies,[35] The Deuce,[36] Succession,[37] Euphoria,[38][39][40][41] I May Destroy You,[42] Perry Mason,[43] Lovecraft Country,[44] Industry,[45] The White Lotus,[46] House of the Dragon,[47] The Last of Us,[48] and The Idol[49] aired in edited versions; certain programmes are not shown in some territories at all.

Typically, movies showcasing gestures like the

middle finger, nudity, intense intimacy and vulgar language are edited out. Scenes revealing attire or exposed skin near private areas are commonly censored, especially in predominantly Muslim regions of Southeast Asia (excluding Vietnam). Additionally, depictions of alcohol or pork are often blurred as they are considered haram
in Islam.

The HBO-made series Entourage was taken off-air for three weeks by one cable operator in the Philippines, pending clearance by the MTRCB.[citation needed] The entire series continued to air without disruption on all other Philippines cable operators.

In Vietnam, programs broadcast on HBO Asia undergo censorship overseen by Vietnam News Agency. Any film that is judged to contradict or misrepresent the Vietnam War (such as depicting the US as heroes, which contradicts the state's official stance), or critical of the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam, or to contain explicit sexual or gruesome content deemed inconsistent with Vietnamese societal norms, will not be aired. Instead, it will be replaced with another film, accompanied by an on-screen disclaimer indicating that it is a substitute feature replacing a film with sensitive content.[50] Additionally, scenes depicting nudity, violence, or mild profanity are typically toned down.[51]

In China, due to Western product restrictions, and the

China-United States trade war, HBO was blocked and restricted, and the replacement is currently Tencent Video and iQIYI.[52][53]

Channels

Network Description Website
HBO Hollywood films and HBO original series Official site[c]
HBO Hits Hits and blockbuster films Official site[c]
HBO Family Family oriented films and series Official site[c]
HBO Signature Critically acclaimed and original productions Official site[c]
Cinemax Action and suspense movies Official site[c]
HBO On Demand The best Hollywood films and outstanding HBO originals at your control Official site[c]
BabyFirst 24-hour channel for babies and infants distributed by HBO Asia Official site

The live channels remain available on selected pay TV providers as HBO GO not longer provide the live channels in-app and online starting 25 May 2023.[54]

HBO South Asia

HBO South Asia
CountryIndia
Broadcast area
Programming
Language(s)English
Picture format
Turner International India
(earlier)
Sister channels
History
Launched22 March 2000
Closed15 December 2020
Links
WebsiteOfficial website (Archive)

HBO formerly provided a separate feed with commercial breaks for audiences in South Asia, namely India, Bangladesh, and the Maldives. All movie promos in this beam are according to IST. A timeshifted feed for Pakistan was launched in the mid-2000s in partnership with ARY Digital Network.[56] The schedule was same as the Indian feed with the difference being the commercial breaks and timings in PST.

Before the launch of HBO South Asia, HBO tried replicating the premium model in India. But then HBO decided it wasn't commercially viable so the South Asia channel was launched in India and also in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Maldives.[57]

HBO Asia and

HBO Original Programming. When the channels launched, the main HBO channel stopped airing original series.[58]

In 2015, HBO had decided to exit the Indian market and license the channel to

Star India has the rights to HBO Original Programming which are available on Star World and Disney+ Hotstar.[63]

WarnerMedia International announced on 15 October 2020 that HBO South Asia and WB Channel would close down on 15 December 2020. The HBO channel would no longer be available in India and Pakistan, while WB Channel ceased to exist in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Maldives.[64]

HBO India had closed down at midnight with the last movie on the SD channel being Mad Max: Fury Road (completed 1 hour before the shutdown) and the last movie on the HD channel being Memoirs of a Geisha. HBO Pakistan was also closed down at midnight.[citation needed]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Acquired by HBO Asia from Tencent Video
  2. ^ Acquired by HBO Asia from Youku
  3. ^ a b c d e f The link has been archived at the Wayback Machine

References

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External links