"THE fighters are from poor backgrounds and I want to give them a chance. Whether they win or lose, their lives are never going to be same again." Riaz Mehta, chief executive officer of Imagine OmniMedia and also executive producer of The Contender Asia, explains why he chose this project as the first reality TV series to be filmed in Singapore. Imagine OmniMedia was established in 2005 and Mr Mehta is its founder.
"Other reality shows give just fun but I wanted to give some hope to Muay Thai (Thai kickboxing) fighters. Although they are professional Muay Thai fighters they don't earn enough money. They can have a chance for film endorsements through The Contender Asia."
Since this reality TV project is the first to be produced by a local media company, The Contender Asia will be a milestone for Imagine OmniMedia.
The Contender Asia, a 15-episode reality TV series, takes on an Asian flavour with the 16 top contestants competing in the art of Muay Thai. The fighters are vying for a total prize pool of US$250,000 and a chance to change their lives and the lives of the people they love.
Mr Mehta's belief that Asia is the largest growth market for media ventures prompted him to establish the company and set up its regional head office in Singapore. He has an extensive personal network in media industry in throughout Asia and the United States.
"Previously, specialised reality shows didn't exist in Asia, so there were huge opportunities to seize. Also, it's easier to get into the Asian market than the US market which is already mature," said Mr Mehta.
As a pan-Asian media and mobile ventures company, Imagine Omni-Media, provides production, distribution, management, technology and funding to develop and implement media and mobile opportunities.
Seventy per cent of Imagine OmniMedia's revenue comes from products and distribution, with The Contender Asia being its first major project.
According to Mr Mehta, Singapore has world-class human resources and a reputation for financial transparency. Also, the government is supportive of new ventures. "That's why I thought Singapore is the right place for Imagine OmniMedia," Mr Mehta said.
To film The Contender Asia, Imagine OmniMedia considered Thailand for location filming, but failed to win proper support, said Mr Mehta, adding that it was a new concept project and a challenge, and hence the Thai market was not ready for it.
"It is Singapore's excellent infrastructure and unstinting support from various government agencies that encouraged us to bring our multi-million-dollar production here.
"If I send an e-mail at 2am I'll get a reply in few minutes," he said, albeit facetiously. Mr Mehta said he felt privileged that the Singapore government has chosen to help them with the production of The Contender Asia.
Although Mr Mehta declined to reveal the revenue of Imagine OmniMedia, he was very confident that The Contender Asia will be a big success.
"This is the winning combination of Imagine OmniMedia with internationally renowned Mark Burnett Productions and DreamWorks SKG. We have had feedback from Asian broadcasting companies that this show (The Contender) is very well-accepted."
He expects the project to break even after the first season.
Reality shows usually have a budget of US$15 to $20million and the returns are in the region of US$25 to $30 million. Imagine OmniMedia expects similar numbers for The Contender Asia.
"It is our objective to bring international content to Singapore and Asia. We aim to maintain international production values while ensuring the show stays relevant to the Asian audience," said Mr Mehta.
Imagine OmniMedia plans to produce two new shows early next year and a total of four to five shows by the end of 2008.
The Contender Asia is set for regional debut on the AXN channel in January 2008.
