Fox to remake Glee across Asia

Hollywood studio Fox is prepping a number of Asian versions of its hit musical comedy Glee, TBI understands, as it looks to expand its format business in the region.

This comes as Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution, the international sales arm of the company, is heading to Asia Television Forum, which is held in Singapore next week.

The company has previously announced that it was remaking action series 24 in India with Anil Kapoor starring in the Kiefer Sutherland role and is keen to expand its format business across the region.

Sales VP Brendan Zauner told TBI: “Dig a little below the surface and look at the content and it is all locally produced drama that rates the best. This has lead US studios like Fox to investigate transforming many of our branded shows into local formats. We are in the early stages of prepping Glee to be put into production in several Asian territories.”

Zauner says that the current negative economic conditions in Europe and the United States means that Southeast Asia has become even more important to the company.

He says that pan-regional pay TV broadcasters including Fox International Channels and numerous new digital operators have replaced traditional free-to-air broadcasters in terms of acquiring US programming.

“There is a fundamental shift away from local broadcasters providing the US content in countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, for example. The US content is getting into these territories by the big pan-regional operators and digital opportunists, so one door closes and another opens,” he adds.

Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution is heading to the Asia Television Forum in Singapore to shop two action series – Graceland and The Americans – to Asian broadcasters. Police drama Graceland was created by White Collar creator Jeff Eastin for USA Network, and spy drama The Americans for FX.