Channel Profile - Asian Food Channel (AFC)

CHANNEL: Asian Food Channel (AFC)

COUNTRIES: Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Brunei and the Philippines

LAUNCH DATE: July 26, 2005

OWNERSHIP: Privately owned by Hian Goh and Maria Brown

DESCRIPTION: Targeted at adults aged 25 to 45, AFC is the first and only Asian food TV channel in the region. The pay-TV network aims to offer viewers the best in food programming from across Asia and around the world, providing a mix of both Eastern and Western programs in a variety of formats.

MANAGING DIRECTOR, ACQUISITIONS & PROGRAMMING: Maria Brown
MANAGING DIRECTOR: Hian Goh

PROGRAMMING STRATEGY: According to Maria Brown, the co-founder and managing director of acquisitions and programming at AFC, the philosophy of the network is simple: “In short, the Asian Food Channel is all about food, food and more food.”

Brown notes that as the network is about food and “the people who love it,” the viewer base is very diverse. “The channel’s core audience is made up of all adults aged 25 to 54, including high flyers, modern women and discerning foodies,” says Brown. “It’s a real mix of genders, ages, and professions and something we are very proud of.”

A zeal for food drove Brown to launch the network with Hian Goh, a managing director at AFC. “Both of us love food and think it’s an important genre for a region that is so passionate about eating,” explains Brown.

The channel’s daytime strategy is centered on stripping content so that it “can create relatively predictable, and hence, comfortable zones for the audience,” says Brown. Prime time features the channel’s top culinary shows, helmed by popular chefs like the Michelin-starred Briton Gordon Ramsay in Hell's Kitchen, Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares and The F Word, and Mark McEwan in THE HEAT with Mark McEwan.

Aside from stripping programs that already have a strong following, AFC has also created some specific zones where viewers can find a variety of content that has done well in the past. “We have a 'Best of Asia' zone in which viewers can expect to find repeats of some of the best food programming from around the region.”

AFC acquires content from around the world, but is “mainly focused on English-speaking territories and the territories in Asia,” says Brown. As the channel is fairly new, Brown says that the percentage of original programming on the channel is “relatively small,” but the channel will be looking to “ramp up its original productions in a significant manner” this year.

Brown is pleased about the growth of the channel but is aware of the challenges that a young network like AFC can be faced with. “If you look at any of the major channels here in Asia, it has taken them at least ten years to build their brand and viewer loyalty,” notes Brown.

WHAT’S NEW: A slew of new programming will be launching in prime time in January, including the second season of Hell’s Kitchen and the fourth season of Chef at Home, in which Michael Smith shows viewers how to prepare uncomplicated tasty meals. February will see the rollout of the third season of Restaurant Makeover, in which two industry top guns must overhaul a struggling restaurant and set it on the path of success with a small budget and very limited time. In the series The Cookworks, premiering February 4, Chef Donna Dooher entertains and inspires teams of largely inexperienced, everyday students who have sought out her culinary expertise. And The Naked Chef, featuring popular British chef Jamie Oliver, will premiere on February 10.

Brown is not actively pursuing new-media deals yet. “I’m sure new media will be a money spinner someday, [but] until then we will participate selectively in those windows,” she says. “At the end of the day, we are a TV channel, and we still believe strongly in our core product, [which] is television.”

WEBSITE: www.asianfoodchannel.com