Twofour sets sights on China and LatAm

The Educating Essex indie is also planning to expand its existing hub in Abu Dhabi, using it as a route into India, as well as building within the Middle East.

Managing director Mark Hawkins told Broadcast he expected a hub to open in Hong Kong next spring, as a way of tapping into the Chinese market. He described it as “a natural stepping stone” in the company’s global expansion plans, all of which are to be funded internally.

The launch is likely to follow a similar pattern to that taken in Abu Dhabi: initially producing corporate content and providing media technology, with a view to better understanding the local market before entering domestic TV production.

Hawkins said: “In terms of our expansion strategy, we look at where media consumption is growing, and Asia has a huge audience that is accelerating quickly. We’re looking at organic growth from our own team, partnership or acquisition, and it could be one or a combination of all three in Hong Kong.”

Once the hub is up and running, Twofour will look to Latin America as the next major territory to explore.

Hawkins said it was “too early to say” which country within the region would be home to the indie, or whether it would take the same approach as previous international

launches, adding that it was  important to understand the market fully before launching. However, the aim is to be set up by 2013.

“We have to look at each market and ask ourselves, ‘what is the best entry route?’ ‘What offering can we make in the market?’” said Hawkins.

“In Abu Dhabi, we started very much on the corporate side, but that is shifting and we are expanding organically. Now we are looking at other regions – we are always focusing on international expansion.”