On Wednesday, Warner Brothers announced it would be the first studio to distribute new release films into China via VOD.  Filmmakers in Asia were among the first to successfully embrace digital technology for making films- Ben Cho has an interesting feature in Moving Pictures about some of the Chinese directors who have used digital creatively over the last decade and made innovative strides in the look and approach in the medium.  Asia is not a homogenous market by any means, and digital delivery will look very different in a market like Japan that is supersaturated with advanced mobile technology than it might in much of China, where internet access is not yet a given. Still, there is no doubt there is a market, though issues of piracy, access, and the wide disparities of access make finding a financial model a challenge.

Last month UNI Strategic convened a conference called Asia Digital Media & Entertainment Forum 2008, which brought together representatives from film, television, gaming, mobile companies, the government, and content providers to discuss the emerging marketplace. While this effort is no doubt aimed more at creating commercial sites ala YouTube or iTunes, creating an infrastructure is the first step to opening the market for independent and niche players.  So far, I don’t think China has been a great market for Western independent filmmakers, but the internet might open different opportunities. At this point it seems that much of the buzz around “D-cinema” is related to theatrical delivery- CineAsia next month will do little to contradict this trend. Unlike in some Asian markets, Chinese theatrical grosses are steadily rising which could be a bellweather for the Chinese appetite for film in general.

• DISCUSS THIS Post in discussion

• BROWSE / IN TIMELINE
• « Using Film and Digital Media to Change the World
• » Take 12 - government subsidy for online distribution development

• BROWSE / IN Asian Film digital distribution
• « Fox Searchlight Searchlab catches film talent early
• » Take 12 - government subsidy for online distribution development