Tag: Warner Bros. Discovery

Singapore – Global media and entertainment company Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) announced its partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) to launch ‘Celebrating Every Story’, an island-wide campaign for the company’s 100th year anniversary in Singapore.  

With Singapore being chosen as the key destination for Warner Bros. Studio’s global centennial campaign, the partnership will bring in new initiatives to spotlight the country’s destinations and the global media entertainment company’s beloved characters and stories. 

One of the highlighted activities is ‘WB100 Celebrating Every Story’, a large-scale event in Southeast Asia and in partnership with Sentosa that will feature 100 years of Warner Bros. franchises. The event will feature a host of free and interactive experiences catering to fans of all ages.

Warner Bros. Studios promises a fun and exciting experience as visitors can look forward to entertaining experiences that celebrate beloved franchises from DC’s Batman and Aquaman to Wizarding World and Looney Tunes.

Other characters included in the event are the Singapore-inspired Tom and Jerry, who will star in a brand new series launching later this year on Cartoon Network. The seven-part production represents the franchise’s first ever localised series, with each episode inspired by unique sights, places of interest, and destination highlights of Singapore. Merli, a character inspired by Singapore’s iconic Merlion, will also make a special appearance.

A sneak-peek episode called “What’s that Smell” featuring the iconic durian already aired on August 7 on Cartoon Network in Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Meanwhile, the rest of the series will premiere on Cartoon Network in Asia Pacific and regional streaming service HBO GO in Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, before being rolled out globally. 

The global launch of the series will also be complemented by a dedicated line of Tom and Jerry-branded consumer products.

The Singapore-inspired Tom & Jerry series is part of a multi-year partnership that WBD and STB inked in 2022 to collaborate on entertainment and lifestyle content, as well as marketing activities, to spotlight and inspire travel to destination Singapore.

Clement Schwebig, WBD’s president and MD for India, Southeast Asia, and Korea, said,  “We’re building on our partnership with STB with two fantastic new projects which truly demonstrate how we are ‘Celebrating Every Story’ and Warner Bros.’ historic 100-year legacy. Tom and Jerry have been delighting audiences of all ages around the world for generations, and we’re very proud that its first ever localised adaptation will come with a Singapore twist. The WB100 celebration at Sentosa will showcase some of the highlights from a century of Warner Bros. content – and we look forward to welcoming both families from Singapore and those visiting.”

Speaking on the partnership, Melissa Ow, chief executive at Singapore Tourism Board, said, “We are delighted to partner Warner Bros. Discovery on this milestone celebration. The all-new Tom and Jerry series and the WB100 family festival will showcase Singapore in a fun and creative way, setting Singapore apart as a vibrant and exciting city for both visitors and locals. We invite families to spend some quality time together at the festival while enjoying the antics of Tom and Jerry.”

Singapore – Warner Bros. Discovery has announced the launch of a localised version of the popular cartoon series ‘Tom and Jerry’ which will be set in Singapore. The new series will be produced locally and first distributed in Asia.

The localised series will be composed of 7 episodes, each with 3-minute durations, and will premiere on Cartoon Network in Asia Pacific and HBO GO in Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong later this year, before being rolled out internationally.

The pilot episode will be released this August, with further details to be announced soon. Moreover, there are also plans to launch additional Tom and Jerry-branded consumer products to complement the series launch later this year.

Christopher Ho, head of kids for Southeast Asia at Warner Bros. Discovery, said, “This series brings back the iconic music and classic animation style from the Hanna-Barbera 1950s era – but with a modern Singaporean twist. With distinctive landmarks, backdrops and atmosphere, the Asian city-state is the ideal location to create a humorous addition to the Tom and Jerry canon. Working with homegrown creative talent in Singapore and across Asia, this project grows the much-loved franchise in the region and beyond.”

Meanwhile, Vishnu Athreya, senior vice president of series at Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios, commented, “Tom and Jerry are two of our most universally loved characters, proving that laughs can translate to any audience. The fans in Asia have long embraced these characters and it’s great to finally give them a version to call their own.”

Singapore – Global media and entertainment group Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has announced that it is rebranding its kids’ television channel Boomerang to Cartoonito in Southeast Asia. The rebrand officially takes effect on July 28. Cartoonito is previously the preschool brand of Cartoon Network.

As a full regional channel offering, Cartoonito will introduce a new generation to a diverse slate of original series and welcome them into the world of WBD’s iconic franchises. Modern preschool adaptations that support each child’s unique potential include fan-favourite franchises such as ‘Batwheels’ and ‘Bugs Bunny Builders’.

Channel favourites including ‘Tom & Jerry’, ‘Baby Looney Tunes’, ‘Alice & Lewis’, ‘Pat the Dog’, and ‘Grizzy and the Lemmings’ will remain on the channel, alongside other friends such as ‘Dino Ranch’, and ‘Mumfie and Tangranimals’. 

Cartoonito brings together all of these characters on one channel – while adding brand-new shows like ‘Mittens & Pants’ and ‘Vida the Vet’ – offering a wider variety of programmes for users.

The channel’s modern approach to preschool programming is supported by an educational framework called ‘Humancentric Learning’. All Cartoonito shows follow a curriculum – designed by early childhood education expert Dr. Laura Brown – to form the four pillars of: Creativity, Caring, Curiosity and Courage. The brand aims to inspire kids aged 2-6 to use their imagination, to learn from their mistakes and to treat others with empathy and respect. 

Christopher Ho, head of kids networks for Southeast Asia at Warner Bros. Discovery, said, “In a year when Warner Bros. celebrates 100 years of entertaining fans, Cartoonito is set to ignite the imaginations of our region’s youngest audience. Our new-look preschool channel celebrates individuality and originality, offering a safe space where kids and their families can laugh and learn alongside beloved characters.”

Manila, Philippines – Discovery+, a streaming service under multinational mass media company Warner Bros. Discovery has officially exited the Philippine market this April 27. The announcement was made official on the streaming service’s Twitter account.

https://twitter.com/discoveryplusPH/status/1651405832968634369

In several support articles posted by Discovery+ on its website, the decision to exit the local market follows Warner Bros. Discovery’s review of its content and streaming proposition in the Philippines.

“The Discovery+ website and app in the Philippines will be closing permanently, and you will no longer be able to watch shows on Discovery+ Philippines,” it stated.

It has encouraged its subscribers to watch other shows on WBD’s linear channels such as Discovery, TLC, Asian Food Network and HGTV.

Discovery+ has assured the public that it is only exiting the Philippine market, and no market exits will be expected in the near future. Moreover, Philippine-registered accounts will be inaccessible even overseas.

The platform launched in the Philippines back in October 2021 through a partnership with telco giant Globe.

Manila, Philippines – National media conglomerate ABS-CBN has signed a deal with US-based global media conglomerate Warner Bros. Discovery to bring ABS-CBN’s lifestyle programs to a much wider audience in Asia.

Three of the highlighted programs include ‘Beached’. a travel show hosted by Marc Nelson and Maggie Wilson–which will air on Discovery Asia, as well as ‘The Crawl’ by Piolo Pascual and ‘Foodprints’ by Sandy Daza, which will air on the Asian Food Network.

Aside from linear broadcast, the three shows will also be available on the streaming platform Discovery+ on iOS and Android devices.

Locally, these programs can be watched on the Metro Channel, Cignal, and GSAT.

The international partnership just comes months after ABS-CBN terminated its previously-agreed partnership with local media network TV5, over concerns of local regulations and scrutiny brought by the suspension of its media franchise on free television.

Despite that, ABS-CBN has been expanding locally and internationally, most recently with its opening of a Los Angeles office, as well as partnering with fellow media giant GMA Network and Hong Kong-based telco SmarTone.