German media company Mainstream Media AG wants to increase its international TV activities with new thematic channels created for distribution in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and USA.
As a founding partner, Mainstream Media holds a 25% stake in My Cinema Europe (MCE GmbH), based in Switzerland. Partners in the joint venture are Crystal Clear Entertainment World Wide, Hong Kong (50%) and IMMS, Switzerland (25%).
The aim is to create a strong brand for the international marketing of linear and non-linear TV channels. As a first step, pay-TV channel My Cinema Europe launched in November 2014 in South Korea on the SkyLife platform as the first broadcaster to offer European film culture on a thematic TV channel.
The channel which currently reaches 2 million households in South Korea and Indonesia will soon be rolled out to further Asian markets and in the Middle East. Carriage deals with platform operators in the USA are under negotiation, according to Mainstream Media.
The company views its engagement in MCE as an addition to its activities in Mainstream Networks Holding. The joint venture with ZDF Enterprises (26%) focuses on the marketing of TV channels with mainly German productions. It operates pay-TV channel Romance TV in Poland.
My Cinema Europe offers a selection of European movies with the lineup currently comprising more than 500 titles, both from major and independent producers. The 24 hour service covers all genres from drama, thriller, comedy, romance and action to science-fiction with titles like The Counterfeiters (2007), The Great Beauty (2013) and In Darkness (2011).
The bulk of the films originate from the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Scandinavia. The programmes are shown in original language with English subtitles. In addition, subscribers can choose subtitles in the local language. My Cinema Europe is broadcast in HD quality with Dolby sound and is also available on demand.
Following My Cinema Europe, MCE wants to launch further thematic TV channels offering high-quality European programmes in Asia, but also the other way round: Channels with fictional and non-fictional content of Asian origin will be available for distribution in European and other international markets (except Asia). Projects like Asiaworld (docutainment) and Dragon Cinema (movies) are fully developed and ready to launch.
