Push Admin

ABS-CBN signs agreement for Manila sister group of AKB48

Article (news)

Kyodo News

<div><script src="https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;version=v2.5" async="" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/mnl48official/videos/1418754551507163" data-width="auto"> </div><p>Japanese-owned firm Hallo Hallo Entertainment Inc. signed the partnership agreement Friday with one of the Philippines&#x27; major television networks, ABS-CBN Corp., to bring to the Southeast Asian country its own version of the popular Japanese all-girl idol group AKB48.</p><p>The Philippine-based sister group will be known as MNL48, named after the capital city Manila.</p><p>&quot;This is basically a J-Pop concept. It&#x27;s still kind of new here but the melody, the dancing, the performance are Asian standard actually,&quot; Paulo Kurosawa, president of Hallo Hallo Entertainment, said on the sidelines of the contract signing in Manila.</p><p>AKB48, named after the Akihabara electronics and pop subculture district in Tokyo, has grown into one of the East Asian country&#x27;s most popular idol groups and is boosting its presence overseas.</p><p>The partnership will make the Philippines the fifth country outside Japan to have its own sister group after China, Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia.</p><div><script src="https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;version=v2.5" async="" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/mnl48official/posts/1419597741422844" data-width="auto"> </div><p>Laurenti Dyogi, TV productions head of ABS-CBN, said the deal would mark the first time for the television company to bring a popular idol group from Japan to Manila.</p><p>&quot;I think it will be a big hit because we have many talented teenagers and Filipinos who are good not just in dancing and singing,&quot; Dyogi said, hinting that a television program will be lined up for the talent search.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/08/24/17/mnl48-announces-partnership-with-abs-cbn">READ: MNL48 announces partnership with ABS-CBN</a></li></ul>

<p>Japanese-owned firm Hallo Hallo Entertainment Inc. signed the partnership agreement Friday with one of the Philippines' major television networks, ABS-CBN Corp., to bring to the Southeast Asian country its own version of the popular Japanese all-girl idol group AKB48.</p>

Japanese-owned firm Hallo Hallo Entertainment Inc. signed the partnership agreement Friday with one of the Philippines' major television networks, ABS-CBN Corp., to bring to the Southeast Asian country its own version of the popular Japanese all-girl idol group AKB48.