ANALYSIS: Television - Satellite TV travel space filling up fast. TV channels see little need to customise travel shows, reports David Johnson

Much has been made of TV networks customising content to meet local needs and desires. The well-documented battle between the music networks, MTV Asia and Channel V, is proof there is plenty of heat to this debate. But while the music channels continue to slug it out for top local content and distribution partners, travel and adventure channels appear unconcerned. Discovery Channel Networks Asia, National Geographic Channel and AXN are confident they can continue to grow loyalty and distribution without too much customisation. Young pretenders like Alive Networks have tried to break the mould and adapt content to specific demographics in specific markets. Alive's vision was to connect with Asian consumers through commissioned programming. However, funding for Alive proved insufficient and it was unable to demonstrate its case as a pioneering model. Despite Alive's demise, speculation is rife that others are looking to enter the travel space, though none of this appears to concern existing players. Discovery claims 25 per cent local versus 75 per cent international programming over its three networks, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and Discovery Travel & Adventure, which launched in June this year. The channel says it is looking to grow local production capabilities as it aims to dedicate 10 per cent of Travel & Adventure programming in 2002 to locally-commissioned content. "We have put out a request to the local production community for programming ideas," says Neville Meijers, executive vice-president and managing director of Discovery Asia. "First Time Film-makers is another example of our growing commitment to local productions. We selected six film-makers from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Taiwan, and are in the midst of post-production for six half-hour films which will air in December. "We are also in the final stages of negotiation on the launch of a major co-production initiative that will see our level of local production increase across all three channels," he adds. On the other hand, National Geographic's content is 85 per cent international, and Asia managing director Ward Platt sees little reason to tamper with the formula. "Our audiences expect to see programming about all parts of the world and not just their backyard," Platt says. "We localise this programming principally through voice-over and subtitling. We have Hindi, Mandarin and Thai voice-over and we have Chinese, Korean and Malay subtitles. "We create localised promos, idents and short-form vignettes for the Taiwan, China and India markets, and we have commissioned a variety of programming throughout the region on topics which include adventure, marine life and environment and ecology." NatGeo's top five markets are India, China, Taiwan, Korea and Australia. It claims to have close to full distribution in these markets, and as a result is increasing on-ground activities "to help it become more of an integral part of people's lives". Activities include hosting photo exhibits for its roster of famed photographers, organising environmental programmes and putting on local adventure races. However, the criteria used for selecting programming for all markets remains generic. "We will never have as much locally-commissioned content as Channel V or MTV," says Platt. "Our viewers expect to find programming about our world and beyond. We will localise further by introducing local hostings for some of our event programming." Event programming in Asia for these networks is currently led by the Action Asia Challenge series, which is featured on NatGeo, and the Eco Challenge on AXN Asia. The latter sees it as a key vehicle to localise content of the global franchise through the use of local presenters and a local production house to focus on Asian participants. "We want to add personality to the channel," says AXN Asia vice-president of programming and acquisitions, Betty Tsui. "We won't go the extreme of MTV and Channel V, but we will assess programmes on a project basis, with an emphasis on expeditions and adventure." The stage is set to challenge the theory that minimal local content is needed by the networks even as competition heats up in the travel and adventure space.

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