Data Is Driving Content and Business Decisions in Asian TV, Streaming and Sports

Keanu Reeves is opening up about his racial identity.

Carlos Marín, one-fourth of the vocal group Il Divo, has sadly passed away. He was just 53.

BEIJING -- An Asian American who is one of the biggest pop stars in China apologized to his family and fans on Monday and said he will take a break from performing after a public dispute on social media with his ex-wife, who accused him of infidelity and hiring prostitutes.The dayslong back-and-forth has riveted fans of Wang Leehom, who is popular across the Chinese-speaking world and has acted in movies including “Lust, Caution” in 2007.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe Bangkok ASEAN Film Festival kicked off on Wednesday evening with the screening of “One Second” Zhang Yimou’s homage to cinema and veiled critique of China’s Cultural Revolution.The festival runs Dec 8-13 and is one of the first major cultural showcases to take place in person after Thailand has opened its borders to welcome visitors.

Red Dead Online will soon add “four weeks of seasonal cheer”, with a range of events and weather changes set to make the Western sandbox more festive.Starting from next week, Red Dead Online players will notice a lot more wintery content around the game. In a blog posted yesterday (December 7), Rockstar has shed light on what fans can expect from Red Dead Online‘s festive celebrations.As with past winter events, the cold season will bring heavy snow and plummeting temperatures.

After having been cleared by authorities in late November for an eventual China release, the market has now given Warner Bros/Village Roadshow’s highly-anticipated The Matrix Resurrections an official date — on January 14, 2022.

UPDATE:  China has responded to the Women’s Tennis Association announcement on Wednesday that it is suspending all of its tournaments in that country. The WTA said it was taken the action because of  concerns about the treatment of tennis star Peng Shuai.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefBruce Willis-starring sci-fi action film “Breach” is to receive an online release next week in China across five major streaming platforms.Leeding Media, which has offices in Los Angeles and Beijing, has finally secured Dec.

BTS will reportedly be unable to attend this year’s Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA).Yesterday (December 1), the South Korean government announced that from Friday (December 3) all overseas arrivals to the East Asian country would have to quarantine for 10 days, in an effort to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus.

Expressing concern for the health and safety of tennis star Peng Shuai, the Women’s Tennis Association announced Wednesday that it is suspending all of its tournaments in China.

Vin Diesel penned an emotional message to Paul Walker on the eighth anniversary of his death Tuesday.

“Don’t be afraid to dream big,” Nirmal “Nims” Purja says in the opening voiceover of the new Netflix documentary “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible,” out now. Purja, a 38-year-old mountaineer, didn’t dream big so much as he dreamed tall.The doc chronicles his attempt to climb all 14 peaks in the world that are over 8,000 meters in seven months. The previous record for such a feat was seven years.

Naman Ramachandran A man who smuggled copies of smash hit South Korean Netflix series “Squid Game” into North Korea has been sentenced to death, after authorities caught high school students watching the show, according to Radio Free Asia (RFA).U.S.-headquartered independent news agency RFA reported, quoting sources, that the series was smuggled in from China on USB flash drives and that the smuggler faces death by firing squad.“A student who bought a drive received a life sentence, while six

Warner Bros/Village Roadshow’s highly anticipated The Matrix Resurrections has been cleared for release in China, however an exact date is yet to be fixed. Warner’s official Weibo account posted the news, saying the film “is confirmed to be introduced, and it will be released in theaters nationwide soon!”