Dentsu Announces February 25 Launch of the "Hello! Japan" Entertainment TV Channel in Singapore

TOKYO --(Business Wire)--

Dentsu Inc. (TOKYO: 4324)(ISIN: JP3551520004)(President & CEO: Tadashi Ishii; Head Office: Tokyo; Capital: 58,967.1 million yen) announced today that "Hello! Japan," a new international entertainment TV channel with popular Japanese content, will be launched in Singapore by J Food & Culture TV Pte. Ltd. (Head Office: Singapore; hereinafter "JFCTV") on February 25. In addition to Dentsu, JFCTV investors include Nippon Television Network Corporation, TV Asahi Corporation, Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings, TV TOKYO Holdings Corporation, Singapore Media Alliance Pte., Ltd., Imagica Robot Holdings Inc., Hokkaido Television Broadcasting and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions Co., Ltd.

After its debut in Singapore, Hello! Japan will be distributed to ten other countries and territories in the Asia Pacific region: Indonesia, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, Vietnam, India, Korea and Taiwan.

Emerging markets in the ASEAN region are showing remarkable economic growth, and countries outside the region that are aiming to enter this marketplace are focusing on ways to increase their presence in the region in order to boost the brand image of their corporations as well as the number of travelers coming into their countries. The export of broadcast content is regarded as a strategic move to promote awareness and understanding of a culture which can increase the degree of positive feelings toward that country. In the midst of intensifying competition, Japan must continue to provide high-quality, versatile content to the global marketplace.

The Japanese content currently being broadcast around the world is either content purchased individually by overseas broadcasting stations or the NHK World TV (English) and NHK World Premium (Japanese) programs. There are, however, no channels broadcasting over a wide area that have a Japanese company or companies at their core. Against such a backdrop, Dentsu and the JFCTV investors launched this project to both increase the market for Japanese content and enhance the presence of Japan in other countries. This is the first time that several media content companies in Japan have collaborated to integrate and edit content for distribution overseas.

Moreover, the establishment of a comprehensive entertainment TV channel by a Japanese company to deliver variety and music programs to audiences overseas is expected to provide logistical support for Japanese companies as they accelerate their globalization. Television commercials and events that are linked to program content, for example, can be used to increase the synergistic effects of advertising communications.

An outline of the Hello! Japan channel and profile of JFCTV are provided below.


Outline of Hello! Japan
Start of Broadcasting:		February 25, 2013
Broadcasting Area:		Singapore
Distribution Method:		Via one of StarHub CATV's complimentary channels (Channel 149). StarHub can reach 570,000 households, around 50% of the total households in Singapore.
Target Audience (News - Alert):		All local residents
Broadcasting Format:		English subtitles on original programming
Broadcasting Hours:		24 hours
Screening of Advertisements:		Yes
Programs:		Animated content, variety, drama, music, movies, travel, food, information, sports, other

Profile of J Food & Culture TV Pte. Ltd.
Company Name:		J Food & Culture TV Pte. Ltd.
Head Office:		177 River Valley Rd. #05-11, Singapore 179030
Date of Establishment:		April 25, 2011
Capital:		S$10,499,600 (as of February 25, 2013)
Representative:		Mikio Mori, Director, CEO
Number of Employees:		7
Business Description:		Production of programs, provision of channels and sharing Japan-related content via cable, satellite and other distribution media in Singapore and other countries in the Asia Pacific region

About Dentsu Inc.

Founded in 1901, Dentsu Inc. has held the position of the world's largest single-brand agency for 40 years. Through its unique "Integrated Communication Design" approach, Dentsu offers multinational clients the most comprehensive range of advertising and marketing services in the industry. While continuing to pursue innovation in the digital arena, Dentsu is active in the production and marketing of sports, movies, anime and other entertainment content on a global scale. The Dentsu Group has more than 6,000 clients and around 22,000 employees worldwide.

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