HBO Go Expands Reach in Taiwan and The Philippines

Vivienne Chow Taiwan’s ambition to ramp up production for overseas Chinese-speaking audiences has been given another boost by Studio76, a newish firm with expanding plans.The Taipei-based company has had a busy two-year history producing original web shows and short dramas. It is now planning a slate of new titles with hybrid storytelling, both on-screen and in manga format.Studio76 told Variety that it is planning to produce four titles in the second half of 2020 and eight in 2021.

Audrey Cleo Yap Since 2016, Maria Ressa and her team of journalists at the Philippines-based news site Rappler — which she co-founded and serves as executive editor — have been squarely in the cross-hairs of the country’s president Rodrigo Duterte.

Dino-Ray Ramos Associate Editor/ReporterThe fight for freedom of the press and against the oppressive political regime in the Philippines takes center stage in Ramona S. Diaz’s A Thousand Cuts, which opens in theaters and in virtual theaters nationwideAs journalists around the world face threats and the term “fake news” is thrown around recklessly by world leaders, A Thousand Cuts puts Filipino journalist Maria Ressa in the spotlight.

Mike Fleming Jr Co-Editor-in-Chief, FilmEXCLUSIVE: Universal Pictures has put together a monstrous package around the satirical Simon Rich New Yorker short story Everyday Parenting Tips that has Rich scripting for Ryan Reynolds to star and Paddington‘s Paul King to direct.

Spencer Lee to the added role of Asia Pacific President.In his current position, Lee oversees territories including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, India and The Philippines. With the addition of his new role, he will also oversee South Korea, which is the sixth largest music market in the world, according to the IFPI, and which peermusic says is now its third largest territory in terms of revenue.Peermusic has long had its eye on the South Korean market.

Ted Johnson Jonathan Swan’s interview with Donald Trump for Axios on HBO is getting a lot of attention for what the president says about the rising number of coronavirus cases, claims of Russia funding of the Taliban and what he thinks of the late John Lewis, among other things.What also stands out, though, is Swan’s ability to challenge Trump on some of his most common pronouncements.The president has a gift for repeating exaggerated, misleading and false claims, to the point where they have

“He would lift all the weans in and sit them behind the wheel. “He said we were the first local group to have him as a personality and if ever Creetown Gala needed his help we were just to contact the family.“We never have done.”

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentThe Riga International Film Festival in Latvia is set to host Magnetic Series, a Nordic industry platform dedicated to drama series and streamers for the Nordic region, Russia, Germany and Greenland. Magnetic Series, which will be running Oct 16 only, will have a hybrid format allowing Baltic and Nordic producers to pitch their episodic content in person or online.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVEXCLUSIVE: In what is believed to be her final TV appearance, Naya Rivera will be featured in an episode from Season 3 of Netflix’s baking competition reality series Sugar Rush, which will be released Friday.Back in February, a few weeks before all production ground to a halt, the Glee alumna filmed a guest-judge appearance on Sugar Rush in Los Angeles, sitting alongside the show’s host Hunter March and professional chef judges Candace Nelson and Adriano

Vivienne Chow Taiwan, one of the few places in the world that did not shut its cinemas or production industries due to the coronavirus, is intent on ramping up the volume of film and TV that is made on and with the self-governed island.A new government initiative will support an additional 100 hours per year of original content, has already attracted the support of streamers and pay-TV operators around the Asia region.Wednesday saw the launch of Screenworks Asia, a joint venture between the

Chris Willman Music WriterThis year’s Emmy nominees in the seven music categories include such familiar scoring names as Ludwig Göransson, Pinar Toprak, Nicholas Britell, Mark Isham and Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross as well as figures from the pop world like Pharrell Williams, Dawes’ Taylor Goldsmith, Ingrid Michaelson, Sheila E and the RZA.Labrinth joined Reznor and Ross in being nominated in both song and score categories.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefHBO Asia has set “Dream Raider” as its first original sci-fi commission. The show is an 8-episode Mandarin language series, produced in Taiwan.Set in the near future, “Dream Raider” features a misfit team of scientists and cops that are trying to get to the bottom of a criminal conspiracy that exploits human consciousness.

Southeast Asia where parent company Universal Music Group has established a greater presence over the past year amid a rapid adoption of digital streaming. After opening a new regional hub in Singapore, the label has been pushing further into the territory, which has some 700 million people.UMG recently announced the arrival of Def Jam Philippines, a new regional label dedicated to developing and nurturing hip-hop talent and culture within the country; VVS Collective was its first signing.

Variety Staff Follow Us on TwitterUniversal Music Philippines, a division of Universal Music Group, has announced the launch of Island Records Philippines, a new domestic label division dedicated to developing local talent.Island was founded 61 years ago in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell and has released a remarkably diverse array of music, ranging from Bob Marley to Traffic, from U2 to Shawn Mendes.

LOS ANGELES -- Annie Ross, a popular jazz singer in the 1950s before crossing over into a successful film career, has died. She was 89.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorAnnie Ross, the legendary Jazz singer who was part of the trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross died in the early morning hours of July 22 at her home in New York City. She was 89.

Inspirational campaigner Fi Munro passes away after brave cancer battle “They insisted that I didn’t camp and invited me into their home. I stayed with the family of 10 people, living in two rooms, for four days.