KOREAN ROMANTIC REMAKE IS 28 YEARS BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
Leading Korean star Jung Woo-sung (“A Moment to Remember”) will star opposite Shin Hyun-been (“Hospital Playlist”) in “Tell Me That You Love Me,” an original series for Genie TV. The show is a remake of the hit Japanese series of the same name that first aired at Tokyo Broadcasting Systems linear channel in Japan some 28 years ago in 1995.
The new show will upload to Genie’s own streaming service on Nov. 27 and the same day in Japan on Disney+. It will also play on Korean cable channel ENA.
The original series featuring Etsushi Toyokawa and Takako Tokiwa, was written by Kitagawa Eriko and told a slow-burning tale of romance developing between an aspiring young actress and an up-and-coming painter who lost his sense of hearing. Each episode topped the ratings of the previous one, making the show a smash it and a (pre-social media) social phenomenon.
The 16-episode Korean adaptation is directed by Kim Yoon-jin (“Our Beloved Summer”) from an adapted screenplay by Kim Min-jung (“Love in the Moonlight”) with production by New Studio and Artist Studio.
POLISH RETURN
Banijay has appointed Malgorzata (Gosia) Perkowska-Czaja as MD of its Warsaw-based outfit, Endemol Shine Poland. Her mission is to develop the business’ slate, diversify its offering to identify new revenue streams and strengthen its commercial strategy. The label will now fall under the Banijay Germany group umbrella, with the role reporting to Endemol Shine Germany’s MD, Fabian Tobias.
Perkowska-Czaja previously spent seven years at Endemol Shine Poland, leaving as director of non-scripted sales, before joining from Rochstar, where she has spent a year as MD. At Endemol Shine Poland she oversaw the company’s executions of “MasterChef” and its spin-offs and “Big Brother” for TVN; “All Together Now” and “Family Food Fight” for POLSAT; “The Wall” and “Don’t Forget the Lyrics!” for TVP; and “Fort Boyard” for Viaplay.
NEW SERIES PRIZE
Series Mania is to launch a new competition “Best Marketing Initiative Award,” which will award a prize to celebrate creativity in series’ marketing, not only for the promotion to the viewing audience (BtoC), but also initiatives undertaken by producers and distributors to raise awareness toward commissioners and buyers (BtoB).
“This new initiative responds to the need for producers, distributors, broadcasters and platforms, faced with the dizzying number of series available, to create innovative and unique marketing campaigns so that the series are noticed and have every chance of gaining attention,” Series Mania organizers said. The best ideas submitted, and the winner will be selected by a committee and presented as part of the program during the 2024 Series Mania Forum (March 19-21, 2024).
OPTING OUT
Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, CEO of Australian cable and media giant Optus, has resigned effective immediately. The move followed a major outage earlier this month that cut off some 10 million customers from the phone and internet. In a statement by Singtel Group, Optus’ parent company, Bayer Rosmarin said it had been an honor serving as Optus CEO, but it was an appropriate time to step down. On Friday, she had been grilled by Australia’s Senate on the disaster and asked whether she would be resigning over the matter.