MGM Offers Satellite Channel in Asia

Hollywood’s MGM film studio launched a satellite channel that beams sanitized versions of well-worn MGM movies such as “The Great Escape,” “West Side Story” and “Rocky” into Asian homes. The Hollywood film studio began broadcasting the 24-hour channel, called MGM Gold, via a Malaysian MEASAT satellite Nov. 1. The channel was formally launched Wednesday with the announcement that distribution agreements had been reached in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Indonesia. MGM is banking that many of its films have not yet been seen in the region. It also hopes its movies, which will be censored to conform to cultural sensitivities in the region, will appeal to Asian families. MGM Gold, a joint venture between MGM and the international arm of programmer Encore Media Corp., is the latest Western channel to launch in Asia, relying on advertising and subscription revenue to make money.