MALAYSIA CONSIDERS WAYS TO SPUR CONTENT INDUSTRY

From Leslean Arshad

CANNES (France), Oct 6 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is willing to consider ways to
incentivise the multimedia content industry to create more jobs for Malaysians.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said the target set for a number of
multimedia content companies operating in MSC Malaysia would be revisited at
the forthcoming International Advisory Panel (IAP) meeting to accelerate the
industry further.

"There are some targets set up. We will re-examine this at the forthcoming
IAP meeting," he told local and foreign journalists on Monday after addressing
MIPCOM 2009 participants.

Najib, who was on four-day official visit to France from Sunday, made a day
trip to Cannes from Paris to give support to Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC)
Malaysia companies taking part in the exhibition. Cannes is one of the
best-known cities on the French Riviera and is popular for hosting the annual
Cannes Film Festival.

MIPCOM is the global content event for co-producing, buying, selling,
financing and distributing entertainment content across all platforms.

Najib said that basically the content industry could create an additional
10,000 jobs in the near future.

Malaysians were basically talented and creative people and several
institutions had been established to train people with the necessary skills so
that they could effectively participate in the content industy, he said.

To date, the Malaysian creative multimedia content industry comprises about
200 companies, mainly involved in the areas of post-production, animation, game
development, e-learning, mobile and interactive content.

These companies generate over 7,000 high-value added creative jobs with
annual revenues of over US$200 million.

Asked whether a proposal to develop a singular digital content industry
could lead to the integration of Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) and
Finas, Najib said there was no plan to form such a body in the immediate future.

He said MDeC and Finas would work closely for the development of Malaysia's
content industry.

To a question from a foreign journalist, Najib said that Germany, which is
strong in engineering and technical capabilities, could pair up with Malaysia's
creative ability to create a more synergistic partnership between Malaysia and
Germany companies.

While in Cannes Najib launched the "Saladin The Animated TV Series", a US$8
million co-production venture between MDeC and the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera
Children's Channel.

The prime minister also witnessed the signing of 10 memorandums of
understanding involving MSC Malaysia companies and their respective partners.

Among the companies were Animasia (Malaysia) and Turner Entertainment Asia
to jointly develop a new cricket-based animated property with concept originated
from Animasia; Astro Entertainment and Endermol to jointly develop IP and create
content in scripted and non-scripted genres for Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and
India and Malaysia's Filmpoint and Germany's Peppermint Enterprise to jointly
produce two full HD documentary series, "Wonders of Malaysia" and Hard Rock
Asia.

Najib also held separate private meetings with key creative industry
personalities such as Gaumont Alphanim managing director Clement Calvent,
Scripps Networks International president Greg Moyer, Nelvana president Dough
Murphy and Endermol president Marco Bassetti.
-- BERNAMA