Viu delves into the underworld with its latest Viu Original series, Black

 
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Adaptation of the popular Korean series of the same name, Black will be aired across Viu’s 17 markets spanning Asia, the Middle East and South Africa

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KUALA LUMPUR, December 03, 2019 –  Viu, a leading pan-regional OTT video service from PCCW Media Group with more than 36 million monthly active users (MAU), is pleased to unveil its latest Viu Original series, Black. The upcoming series, which is an adaptation of the renowned CJ E&M Korean format of the same name, will be a localized version incorporating Malay mythology. Slated to air exclusively on Viu, the new eight-episode series stars popular artistes such as Kamal Adli, Siti Saleha, Nabila Huda, Zoey Rahman and more.

In the original Korean series, Black is a fantasy thriller romance drama that follows a grim reaper who enters the world of mortals and finds himself falling in love with a woman who can foresee death. All 18 episodes are available on Viu.

Viu’s Malaysian adaptation replaces the concept of grim reaper with Bunian (a supernatural being from another dimension in Malay folklore) and sets Black (played by Kamal Adli) off on a mission to track down his fugitive partner in the human world. Breaking a cardinal rule of his people, Black inhabits the body of Malik, a deceased police officer (also played by Adli) and assumes his identity in order to facilitate his investigation. Despite detesting humans for their “primitive ways”, Black becomes entangled with Sofia (played by Siti Saleha), a woman whose ability to foresee death is key to his mission. Much to his chagrin, he finds himself falling for her – another cardinal sin. Along the way, they become embroiled in a 20-year-old unsolved murder case that leads back to their shared past.

Mr. Kingsley Warner, General Manager of Viu Malaysia, said, “Since we began producing our own Viu Original content, we have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from our Viu-ers and the Malaysian industry alike. Three of our original dramas out of Malaysia have received outstanding recognition at the recent Asian Academy Creative Awards. With a focus on original creative and international formats, Viu Malaysia took the opportunity to bring a localized version of CJ E&M’s powerful and haunting storyline of Black to Viu audiences. We know that the Malaysian remake of Black will be a strong addition to our premium content offering and we are confident it will be well-received by our Viu-ers across all our 17 markets.”

Produced by Kuala Lumpur-based production company, Alpha47 Films, and co-directed by award-winning directors, Razaisyam Rashid and Kroll Azri, Black is set to air with four back-to-back episodes on December 17 and 24. Black will be available exclusively on Viu across its 17 markets spanning Asia, the Middle East and South Africa. Viu-ers can watch the thrilling series on the Viu app which is available for free download on the Apple App Store, Google Play, and selected smart TVs, as well as on the web at www.viu.com.

About Viu

Viu is a leading pan-regional over-the-top (OTT) video streaming service operated by PCCW Media Group. It is available in 17 markets including Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Myanmar in Asia, the Middle East countries of Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the newly launched South Africa. Operating with both an ad-supported tier and a premium subscription tier with more features, Viu delivers premium Asian content in different genres from top content providers with local language subtitles as well as original production series under the ‘Viu Original’ initiative.  Viu offers users express delivery of telecast content, streaming and download features, and localized user interfaces. With the patented Dynamic Adaptive Transcoding technology, Viu can provide the best viewing experience regardless of device or network conditions.

The service can be accessed via Viu app (available for free on App Store and Google Play) on connected devices, e.g. smartphones and tablets, selected smart TVs, as well as on web by logging into www.viu.com.

Mina Kepoh