Mipcom: WebTVAsia Strikes China Deals With Ciwen and Baidu Hao Kan

By Patrick Frater

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – South East Asian media company WebTVAsia has struck long-form and short form deals with Chinese partners. Both agreements were unveiled at in Cannes.

With Ciwen Media it plans to co-develop and co-produce produce “Gangsters of Shanghai,” an original story based on a novel by Gerry O’Sullivan, with an undisclosed budget in over $10 million. Plans are for both film and TV series adaptation, with Hollywood script writers Trey Callaway (“CSI”, “Rush Hour”) and Kerry Williamson (“What Happened To Monday?”, “Sacred Games” on board.

“We want to bring to life the intriguing sociopolitical landscape of 1920s Shanghai – vibrant, dangerous and seductive. Featuring struggles between the icons of colonial law enforcement and the seedy underworld of local gangs, everyone is a gangster, even the cops,” said WebTVAsia’s CEO, Fred Chong.

The two companies will also jointly develop “Chronicles of Tomb Raiders,” and “Galileo.” They are to target at TV and digital OTT broadcast exploitation in multiple international markets.

At the short form end of the scale, WebTVAsia, has entered a strategic partnership agreement with Baidu Hao Kan, a new video streaming platform launched by Baidu, China’s Internet search giant.

WebTVAsia will become an official international content acquisition partner of Baidu Hao Kan. The two parties will work together to source premium content.

“By leveraging Baidu’s advantages in traffic, user insights and WebTVAsia’s global network of content partners, I am confident we can offer a compelling and engaging service to our audience,” said Cao Xiaodong, GM of Baidu Hao Kan.