KUALA LUMPUR Sony Pictures Entertainment Networks (SPE) Asia has announced eight regional sponsors for the upcoming The Amazing Race Asia (TARA) on AXN, as the network looks to heighten anticipation for the show ahead of launch later this year.
Sony Electronics, AirAsia, Nokia, Bintan Lagoon Resort and Bintan Resorts have signed on as official partners of TARA, with Tourism Malaysia, Caltex, Ford and MSN Windows Live also supporting the show. Network executives also revealed that regional celebrity and model Allan Wu will front the programme, which is now in post- production.
"Without (the sponsors') support and passion, we would not have been able to put the show together," said Ricky Ow, general manager, SPE Networks Asia.
AXN is billing TARA as the first regional adaptation of a global TV programme, with the tagline 'Made in Asia, for Asians'.
Although executives have remained tight-lipped on the details of the show, a number of sponsors are involved in the show from a branded content perspective. "We have integrated with the show in an entertaining way for the viewers, because we didn't want to be jarringly present where they say 'Oh God, not another Caltex sign'," said Ramon Schagen, brand support manager, Asia-Pacific, Caltex. "We tried very hard to merge seamlessly with the content."
AXN is also tipped to rollout a marketing campaign to promote the show. Ow declined to provide details but noted that it would involve a roadshow across key markets such as Korea, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, India and Malaysia.
SPE Networks Asia will also begin exploring the possibility of local sponsorship across AXN's key markets.
