Disney Channel goes local to court Asian viewers

SINGAPORE (Reuters Life!) - Disney Channel wants to expand in Asia by localizing its television content to appeal to children in the region, and plans to develop more programs outside the United States to feed global audiences.

The Walt Disney Co channel, known for its squeaky-clean programming, is aiming to tap into the high-growth markets of China and India, Gary Marsh, president of entertainment, Disney Channel Worldwide, told Reuters this week.

Disney Channel, popular with teens and pre-teens, is known for its television series "Hannah Montana" and "That's so Raven" as well as the hit "High School Musical".

"There is huge opportunity for expansion in the Asian market, certainly in India and China. What we tried to do is deepen the connection with our audiences by customizing the content," Marsh said.

Disney Channel, which airs in most Asian countries including India, Indonesia, Singapore and Australia, has a reach of 380 million in the region, compared with 95 million in North America.

GO LOCAL, GO GLOBAL

Marsh cited the production of a short television series, "As the Bell Rings", which started in Italy and now has local versions running in the UK, the United States and Australia, as an example adapting content to local audiences.

Singapore's version will premiere in March this year and China is also filming a version of the program, he said.

"When we develop an idea, the programmers in every other country around the world comment on it," he said on Tuesday.

Disney Channel has a tie-up with Chinese state broadcaster CCTV and other Chinese broadcasters to show Disney content. It has a reach of 260 million viewers a week in China and is looking to gain exclusive channel rights there.

Marsh said the next step for the Disney Channel would be to form creative teams in countries such as China, Japan and South Korea to come up with local content which would then be fed to a global audience.

Despite the potential of localized programs, the success of shows such as "High School Musical" and its sequel hinged on the universality of the ideas, Marsh said.

"Asian kids are no different from American kids when it comes to the notion of following your dreams and expressing yourself."

The movies, which chronicle the lives of singing students at a high school, form the cornerstone of one of Disney's most lucrative franchises for preteen girls, and a third installment is planned for release to theatres this year.

The two movies racked up more than 30 million in DVD and soundtrack CD sales worldwide and have spun off numerous other merchandise. They were made into a concert and an ice show, and won two Emmy Awards in 2006.

The original was watched by 18.1 million people in Asia and the soundtrack went platinum in Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, and triple platinum in Philippines and New Zealand.

"If we create programs that embody the right themes and have the appeal our audience wants, it crosses gender, cultural and geographical boundaries," Marsh said.

(Editing by Neil Chatterjee and Sophie Hardach)