Sony Channel launched with four new US shows

MANILA, Philippines - A new US comedy series, Jane the Virgin is generating a lot of positive buzz in Hollywood these days because of its interesting and high-level concept — a young woman, who’s still a virgin at 23, suddenly gets pregnant without sex.

A “miracle”? Nope, a doctor artificially inseminates her by mistake. Her dilemma is how to tell the man of her dreams for whom she has been saving herself, that she’s pregnant but still a virgin. Chaos and comedy follow as the story unfolds.

Jane the Virgin is a welcome respite from the staple of zombies, superheroes, kings, queens and vampires crowding cable TV nowadays. Thankfully, Filipino viewers will be able to watch the sitcom on the newly-launched Sony Channel on cable TV, which is debuting today (Oct. 15) on SKYCable Channel 35, Cignal Digital TV Channel 60, Destiny Cable Channel 62, Cable Link Channel 39.

“Actually, Sony Pictures Television rebranded beTV in the Philippines as Sony Channel, the second rebranding for the channel, which started out as the male-oriented AXN Beyond, and was then changed to beTV in 2012, offering ‘lighter entertainment’ and a more casual brand image,” explained Hui Keng Ang, SVP and general manager of Sony Pictures Television (SPT) Asia during Sony Channel’s launch at the Dusit Hotel in Makati recently.

This time, the new rebranding sees the channel having more female-oriented shows — Jane the Virgin, legal thriller How To Get Away With Murder, political drama Madam Secretary and the romantic-comedy Manhattan Love Story. The shows will air close to the US telecasts.

Ang said the Philippines is an important market and actually one of the three top markets in the region given the English-speaking demographics of the viewers. He said Sony Channel’s shows would appeal to a core target of females, ages 25 to 49.

“We believe there is an opportunity in the Philippines for a general destination that is female-focused, but also male-inclusive. What makes Sony Channel unique is its strong content. We know the viewers here love to escape, engage and lose themselves in premium content. These four new series are smart, edgy and driven by strong women — a perfect fit for the new Sony Channel brand. Sony Channel will be the premier destination for female-oriented Hollywood entertainment,” Ang said.

Asked how they choose their programs, Ang said they have a team in Singapore who goes to Los Angeles and does a tedious, careful studying and selection of dramas/series.

“We have a pretty sophisticated process, we have a dedicated team in Singapore, who goes to the market in Los Angeles and throughout the year, looks deeply into the brands. We just don’t buy programs in the US, we see to it that we meet standards for a premium content,” Ang said.

He also expressed excitement about a local team in Manila “who will be yelling, shouting, rooting for the shows.”

Aside from Jane the Virgin, Ang promised viewers will be hooked to How To Get Away With Murder, the latest drama from executive producer Shonda Rhimes (Scandal, Grey’s Anatomy) starring Oscar nominee Viola Davis (Doubt, The Help) as the brilliant, charismatic professor and master litigator Annalise Keating, who invites five of her first-year law students to work on high-profile cases and manipulates them into doing dirty legal legwork. How To Get Away With Murder is an ABC Studios production.

Manhattan Love Story, on the other hand, follows the journey of a new couple played by Analeigh Tipton (Crazy, Stupid, Love) and Jake McDorman (Shameless) juxtaposing the things they say with their thoughts. Peter Traugott, Jeff Lowell, Robin Schwartz, Rachael Kaplan and Jon Liebman serve as executive producers. Manhattan Love Story is also an ABC Studios production.

Lastly, there’s the highly-anticipated White House drama Madam Secretary starring Téa Leoni (Tower Heist) as Elizabeth McCord, the shrewd, determined, newly-appointed Secretary of State who negotiates politics and issues, both at the White House and at home. Madam Secretary is a CBS Television Studios production in association with Revelations Entertainment.

Jane the Virgin, already tipped to become a top-rated show in the US, stars Latina actress Gina Rodriguez (Filly Brown) who impeccably plays Jane Villanueva, who has clung to celibacy, faithfully following the advice of her strict grandmother that she must have sex only after marriage.

Jane the Virgin is produced by CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television, in association with Electus.

Along with the four new shows, Sony also airs the pulsating medical drama The Night Shift, starring Eoin Macken (Merlin), which debuted as the top scripted series last summer in the US; musical drama Nashville, which follows the struggles of the fading queen of country music and a rising young star respectively played by Emmy-nominated Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights) and Golden Globe-nominated Hayden Panettiere (Heroes); along with reality competition Cupcake Wars, game show Minute to Win It and dating series The Millionaire Matchmaker.

As a global brand, Ang said viewers will readily notice the crystal clear and stunning visual new look of Sony Channel, that is akin to viewing contemporary art.

In the future, Ang said they will eventually produce original and local shows similar to the programs of AXN.

“We hope Sony Channel will become a pervasive part of our viewers’ lives and that it extends beyond TV to become a branded lifestyle experience,” he said.