Catchplay
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| Industry | Entertainment |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 |
| Headquarters | Taipei, Taiwan |
Key people | Cher Wang, Timothy Chen, Daphne Yang |
| Products | Motion pictures Film production Television syndication Film distribution Mobile entertainment Video on demand Digital distribution |
| Parent | CatchPlay Media Holding Company |
| Website | www.catchplay.com |
Catchplay (stylized as CATCHPLAY) is a Taiwanese multimedia company founded in 2007. The business includes OTT VOD streaming service operations, linear television channel operation (CatchPlay Movie Channel), and theatrical film distribution. It operates as the Taiwanese branch of CatchPlay, Inc. (Chinese: 威望國際娛樂股份有限公司), a company registered in the Cayman Islands.[citation needed]
In 2014 the brand began expanding into other areas of the movie entertainment industry. Its first production investment was co-financing the Taiwanese film Paradise in Service. Since then, Catchplay has expanded its investments to include three New Regency films, most notably The Revenant and Assassin’s Creed in 2016–17. In 2015, Catchplay began partnering with local telecom providers across Southeast Asia to launch Catchplay On Demand, a premium movie on-demand service.[1]
History
[edit]Originally established in 2005 in Fremont, CA by Timothy Chen, VIA OnDemand announced its digital download offering during Computex in Taipei, Taiwan, in 2006.[1] They later rebranded as Catchplay. In 2008, Catchplay announced intentions to expand into the theatrical distribution business and relocated its headquarters to Taiwan.
Capitalizing on the digitalization of Taiwan's pay to view TV systems, Catchplay Movie Channel was launched in early 2013. Today the service has approximately one million subscribers and is rated as one of the most popular digital movie channels in Taiwan. The channel officially replaced Star Chinese Movies on January 1, 2024, following the earlier channel closure due to Disney+ rollouts.[2]
Catchplay made its first feature film production investment by co-financing the Taiwanese film Paradise in Service; which premiered as the opening film at the 2014 Busan International Film Festival. That same year, Catchplay co-produced 20 Once Again with CJ Entertainment and the film went on to gross $380M RMB at the box office in China.[3]
In early 2015, Catchplay established a partnership to invest in three New Regency titles – The Revenant, Assassin’s Creed and Splinter Cell – marking the first investment by a Taiwanese company in major Hollywood productions.[4] Catchplay and its partners will exclusively distribute the films in China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Additionally, Catchplay supported shooting for and invested in the production of Martin Scorsese’s passion project, Silence, which was shot entirely in Taiwan.
In July 2020, Catchplay announced a partnership with Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) to form the joint venture SCREENWORKS ASIA, aiming to support the development of Taiwanese films and TV series.[5] They were credited on the second season of coming-of-age family dramedy The Making of An Ordinary Woman and their first unscripted talk show Dee's Talk. Catchplay was also a co-producer and co-distributor of The World Between Us alongside HBO Asia.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Catchplay Launches Asian Streaming Service". Variety. Retrieved 2016-03-22. [verification needed]
- ^ "迪士尼撤台！CATCHPLAY接手「邵雨薇床戰鳳小岳」超狂片單全公佈". SET News (in Chinese (Taiwan)). December 27, 2023. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
- ^ "China Box Office: 'Running Man' Overtakes 'The Hobbit' as 'Hunger Games' Opens Big". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2016-12-19.
- ^ "Taiwan's Catchplay Launches OTT Movie Service in Singapore". Variety. Retrieved 2016-08-15.
- ^ "Taiwan's Screenworks Asia Positions Itself as Development Hub for Regional Content". Variety. 2020-09-19. Retrieved 2021-10-03.