CAREERS: Peddling the Millionaire dream in Asia

<p>Don't give up on your dreams or rest on your laurels. That's the </p><p>advice of Eddie Nelson, the man credited with introducing the British </p><p>hit quiz show Who Wants to be a Millionaire to Asia. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The primetime show has taken the region by storm, underlined by the fact </p><p>that Hong Kong's ATV - the challenger station to leader TVB - has seen </p><p>advertising revenue soar 40 per cent in the past month. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"It's easy to sit back and say, 'I've done it'. The challenge now is to </p><p>be able to take the next steps in a clear-minded way to ward off new </p><p>threats by defending what we have and by introducing new and exciting </p><p>shows that continue to stimulate the audience," he said, referring to </p><p>competition in the form of the BBC's The Weakest Link, which began </p><p>airing on TVB in mid-August. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Nelson brought Millionaire to the region while working for ECM, a </p><p>Europe-based television programme distributor, more than 18 months ago. </p><p>His initial prospects were the leading terrestrial stations in the </p><p>region, but he encountered resistance to the show. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"In Asia, there are dominant stations in most of the key markets. They </p><p>have an enormous hold on their viewers so they had little reason to </p><p>introduce a new format like Millonaire even though it was already a </p><p>success in countries like the UK and America," he said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Which is why Millionaire is currently aired by challenger stations in </p><p>most countries in the region, including in Hong Kong; they had the most </p><p>to gain from the show's success. Nelson's real break came when Star Plus </p><p>successfully launched the Indian version of Millionaire, known locally </p><p>as KBC. KBC completely changed the Indian television industry, </p><p>propelling Star Plus to the top station slot in the subcontinent. It was </p><p>so successful that Star was able to spin off version for children, </p><p>Junior KBC. Said Nelson: "India broke open the market for us." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>However, Nelson isn't resting on his laurels. About a month ago, he </p><p>struck out on his own and set up Typhoon Entertainment, a company which </p><p>not only distributes but also creates television programming. Typhoon </p><p>Entertainment's sales and distribution company, Typhoon Sales, </p><p>represents game show companies Action Time and MGD of the UK, and </p><p>Nelson, who began his working life in an advertising agency, has even </p><p>persuaded Celador - the copyright owners of Millionaire -to transfer </p><p>distribution rights from ECM to him for all of their shows. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Typhoon Entertainment is also branching into new programme genres, </p><p>including interactive gameshows that allow participants to play along at </p><p>home, documentaries, dramas, animation and specials for advertisers. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>