MGM, which has access to the world's largest library of more than 4,000 movies, pulled out of regional markets, including Hong Kong and Singapore, about six years ago, while maintaining a sizeable presence in India, Korea and New Zealand. It blamed the pull-out on high costs.
This week however, MGM Channel will relaunch in Hong Kong on the Now Broadband TV platform.
Bruce Tuchman, executive vice-president of MGM Networks, said: "There is no drive now to just plant the flag in as many markets as possible. Today, our price/cost structure is very different from before and which we will use to grow aggressively."
CNBC Asia president and chief executive officer, Alexander Brown, added that the partnership, which is an extension of the distribution alliance between NBC and MGM, would help the movie channel grow faster in Asia."The benefit we bring is our infrastructure and the relationships with advertisers on the ground." The expansion will pit MGM against more established players, including HBO, Star Movies and Cinemax, in China, Taiwan and Southeast Asia.