22nd Asian Television Awards 2017 Nominations Announcement

SINGAPORE, Nov. 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The highly anticipated Asian Television Awards returns for the 22ndseason, bringing you nominees from the best of Asia's television. Set to take place on 30 November and 1 December 2017, at Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre, this year's Asian Television Awards sees 267 nominees from 19 Asian countries competing in 42 award categories, including new category -- 'Best Scriptwriting for Web Programme/ Series'.

Highlights of award categories this year include 'Best Drama Series', 'Best Comedy Programme', 'Best Entertainment Presenter/Host', 'Best Actor in a Leading Role', 'Best Actress in a Leading Role', 'Best Actor in a Supporting Role', 'Best Actress in a Supporting Role', and 'Best Comedy Performance by an Actor/ Actress'.

Best Drama Series

Riding on the success of K-pop fever, Korean television receives four nominations in the 'Best Drama Series' category, featuring KBS' Love in the Moonlight, MBC's The Rebel, SBS' Dr. Romantic, and breakthrough Korean television series Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, or better known as Goblin, by CJ E&M, starring the critically acclaimed Gong Yoo.

Other nominees from the 'Best Drama Series' category include Dragon TV/ Zhejiang TV's Eternal Love, and Hunan TV's Fighter of Destiny, Keshet International's P.O.W. -- Bandi Yuddh Ke, and Mediacorp's Tanglin.

Best Comedy Programme

Headlining the 'Best Comedy Programme' category are nominees from Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong and Korea. Nominees from Singapore include Viacom International Media Networks' Comedy Central Stand-Up Asia, Mediacorp's Fine Tune, The Noose 9, and Meet the MP; and from Thailand, House of Blast -- Dracula in Troubles and Under Her Nose by Thai Broadcasting Company.

Rounding up the nominee list for the category are House of Spirits by Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) from Hong Kong, and Saturday Night Life Korea S9 by NBC Universal International from Korea.

Best Entertainment Presenter/ Host

Allan Wu earns two nominations for 'Best Entertainment Presenter/Host' category for reality series -- The Amazing Race Asia Season 5 by Sony Pictures, and Mediacorp's Unique Towns -- Brazil Ladies Village. Other nominees include actor-producer Niti Chaichitatorn, host of Talk with Toey Tonight by GMM TV Company, Quan Yi Fong for Markets in Asia by Mediacorp, Yvette King for E! VIP -- Mariah Carey by NBC Universal Global Networks, and Debbie Wong for Deliciousness by Asian Food Channel.

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Taiwan and Singapore lead in 'Best Actor in a Leading Role' category. Taiwan secures three nominations for the category with veteran actors Ko Shu Yuan for Formosa Television's Far and Away, Tsai Chen-Nan for Formosa Television's She's Family, and Chris Wu for We are One by Tzu Chi Culture and Communication Foundation; while Singapore receives four nominations for A. Penneeirchelvam for Ninaivugal, Hasnul Rahmat for 7 Hari, Tony Eusoffand Ramesh Panicker for The Hush, all by Mediacorp. Satyadeep Mishra from India is nominated for his performance in P.O.W. -- Bandi Yuddh Ke by Keshet International.

Best Actress in a Leading Role

The 'Best Actress in a Leading Role' category sees seven nominees from Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Former action star and one of Hong Kong's veteran actresses, Kara Wai Ying Hung receives nomination for her leading role in Radio Television Hong Kong's Affairs of the Heart, while Singapore's number one "Ah Jie", Zoe Tay is nominated for her role in Mediacorp's nursing series, You Can be an Angel 2.

Rounding up the nominations for the category are Malaysia's Louisa Chong for Beautiful World Crow by Natseven TV, Japan's Ryoko Shinohara for Desperate for Love by Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation, Taiwan's Chantel Liu for The King of Drama by Formosa Television, and Ko Chia-yen for Welcome to Happy Days by Good Image Co., Ltd; and Singapore's Felicia Chin for 2589 Days Apart by Mediacorp Toggle.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Rising stars, Oabnithi and Krissanapoom "Jayler" snag a nomination each in the 'Best Actor in a Supporting Role' category for their performances in Thai suspense series -- I Hate You, I Love You. Their nominations mark the first performance category nominations from productions by OTT platforms -- LINE TV, alongside Mediacorp Toggle's 2389 Days Apart and Yes Mdm.

Chen Mu Yi from Singapore earns a nomination for his performance in HBO Asia's The Teenage Psychic, with Taiwan's Han Chang nominated for his role in Upstream by Taiwan Public Television Service Foundation, and Tirso Cruz III for his role in Wildflower by ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp in the Philippines. Singapore's Choo Houren and Sani Hussin receive nominations for their roles in Mediacorp's Trapped Minds and Firasat 2, respectively.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

The youngest nominee, Puteri Balqis from Malaysia, earns her nomination for 'Best Actress in a Supporting Role' for her outstanding performance on Ana Anak Ibu by Measat Broadcast Network Systems, following her win at the 19th Asian Television Awards for 'Best Actress in a Leading Role' in 2014.

Other nominees for the category include Taiwan's Yang Kuei-Mei for Formosa Television's She's Family, Zi-yu-Yufor Indigenous Peoples Foundation's The First Wisp of Smoke, and Chen Shu-Fang for Good Image Co., Ltd's Welcome to Happy Days; and Singapore's Alleyah Nabilah for 7 Hari and Krissy Jesudason for Tanglin, both by Mediacorp.

Best Comedy Performance by an Actor/ Actress

Another hotly contended category -- 'Best Comedy Performance by an Actor/ Actress', sees seven out of eight nominees from Singapore. They are J. Jai Kishan for Yes Mdm by Mediacorp Toggle, Nurul Aini for Kathy Gerenti, Siti Khalijah for Sekuriti, Oon Shu An and R. Chandran for Meet the MP, and Alaric Tay and Chua En Lai for The Noose 9, all by Mediacorp. Hong Kong industry veteran Bobby Au-Yeung secures a nomination for his performance on Television Broadcasts Limited's (TVB) House of Spirits.

Star-studded Affair Featuring Asia's Best in Entertainment

The 22nd Asian Television Awards 2017 will take place at Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre on 30 November 2017 (Trade) and 1 December 2017, and promises to be a star-studded affair graced by talents from Asian television's best.

Tickets to the 22nd Asian Television Awards 2017 on 1 December 2017 are available on www.sistic.com.sg, and will be broadcasting live across Asia. Anticipate breakthrough performances by award-winning Indonesian pop-singer and actor, Afgansyah; Sing! China finalist, Joanna Dong from Singapore; Taiwanese singer-songwriter and actor, Bii; and Korean singer-actor best known as the host of popular variety show -- 'Running Man', Kim Jong-Kook. Joining the stable of world class acts is renowned international electronic artist, GG Magree, who will be performing for the first time in Singapore.

Baki Zainal from Malaysia and Stephanie Carrington from Singapore will reprise their role as hosts for the 22ndAsian Television Awards 2017, joined by China's Wang Li Huan. 

For full list of nominations for the 22nd Asian Television Awards 2017, please visit www.asiantvawards.com/2017-nominees.   

The 22nd Asian Television Awards 2017 is organised by Contineo Media, supported by Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and is an event of Singapore Media Festival. The organiser would like to thank the following Sponsors: Courts, MTM, Nippon Paint, Osim, The Centre Stage, Torque 5 Group; Official Hotels: One Farrer Hotel & Spa, Park Hotel Farrer Park, Yotel Singapore; and Official Security Partner: Aetos.

For media enquiries and press images, email ATA2017@blessinc.asia, or contact:

About Asian Television Awards

Launched in 1996, Asian Television Awards (ATA) is Asian TV industry's most significant and celebrated event, recognising excellence in programming, production and performance. The Asian Television Awards comprises over 40 categories and attracts a multitude of entries of over 1,300 annually from a wide range of broadcasters, including free-to-air television stations, pay-TV platforms, and OTT, as well as many independent production houses in Asia. In 2016, ATA has also expanded its footprint with live and delayed telecasts, with an increase of eight channels as compared to 2015, bringing the number of broadcast platforms to a remarkable number of 21 channels, reaching more than half a billion viewers across Asia and beyond.

Seeking to bring our social media presence and second screen experience of ATA to the next level, we bring the live event to millions of fans across the region through social media amplification.

ATA is the only event of its kind in Asia, making it the definitive platform to showcase and recognise quality television productions within Asia. For more information, please visit www.asiantvawards.com.

About the Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA)

The Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) will develop a vibrant, world-class infocomm media sector that drives the economy, connects people, bonds communities and powers Singapore's Smart Nation vision. IMDA does this by developing talent, strengthening business capabilities, and enhancing Singapore's ICT and media infrastructure. IMDA also regulates the telecommunications and media sectors to safeguard consumer interests while fostering a pro-business environment. IMDA also enhances Singapore's data protection regime through the Personal Data Protection Commission. For more news and information, visit www.imda.gov.sg or follow IMDA on Facebook IMDAsg and Twitter @IMDAsg.

About the Singapore Media Festival

The Singapore Media Festival, hosted by the Info-communications Media Development Authority, is set to become one of Asia's leading international media events, where the industry meets to discover the latest trends, talents and content in Asia for Film, TV and digital media. Taking place from 23 November to 3 December 2017, the Singapore Media Festival brings together established media events such as the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF) and ScreenSingapore (SS) and Asian Television Awards (ATA), as well as a new digital event SMF Ignite. For more information about the Singapore Media Festival, please visit www.sgmediafestival.com.

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