THE PHILIPPINES, JULY 20, 2012: Celestial Tiger Entertainment president and chief operating officer Todd Miller was in town recently to promote the launch of two new pay television entertainment channels, Kix ("the ultimate in action entertainment") and Thrill ("Asia’s only horror and suspense movie channel"). The launching of these channels in the Philippines is representative of a “growing regional demand for strong content-based entertainment,” Miller told adobo.
A joint venture between Saban Capital Group (a private investment firm specializing in media), Celestial Pictures (owned by Malaysian cable giant Astro) and Lions Gate Entertainment (producer of such blockbusters as The Hunger Games), Celestial Tiger Entertainment is a Hong Kong-based company boasting an entertainment catalogue that includes everything from the latest Hollywood blockbusters to Chinese martial arts classics to mixed martial arts content from around the world. Regionally, Celestial Tiger has six channels catering to different genres and markets.
As the former executive vice president, networks, Asia-Pacific, of Sony Pictures Entertainment, Miller is no stranger to pay tv, having overseen and managed over 25 television networks and channel investments in the region. On the introduction of Celestial Tiger to the Philippine market, Miller is optimistic about his channels’ chances, promising that each channel will have at least 50% Asian-produced content. Of the mix, Miller says, “When you put together six regional channels…it’s always a work in progress. Given what we know, we strive to balance between the eastern and western, and there may be some deviation, but it’s an aspiration.”
