Bangkok--Nov 12--Total Quality PR
On AXN (Ch.38, UBC), the heart of action and adventure television, get ready this January for a B!G dose of no-holds barred, hard-hitting action when reality-TV guru Mark Burnett’s (Survivor, The Apprentice, Eco-Challenge) latest unscripted drama The Contender, featuring on-screen boxing legend Sylvester Stallone, premieres first and exclusively on AXN, in January 2005+.
Produced alongside Hollywood action icon Sylvester Stallone (Rocky, Cliffhanger, Demolition Man, Daylight) and heavyweight production studio DreamWorks SKG (Collateral, Minority Report, Gladiator), The Contender offers a one-million-dollar prize and a chance for sixteen aspiring boxers to become professional prizefighters. They will be supervised by none other than Sylvester Stallone, whose iconic boxer character Rocky became the ultimate symbol of the American dream. The Contender will pair the brutal magnificence of boxing with the gritty drama of reality-TV, and is planned to air on AXN less than 24 hours after the U.S. broadcast.
16 of the best fighters from a USA-wide search will be brought together and put through intense training designed to turn them into prizefighters. At the end of each week, they will battle it out in a series of bouts in the boxing ring, and the outcome of each bout will determine if they have what it takes to move one step closer to victory in an unforgiving sport where there is no room for excuses, no space for error and no time for fear.
Helping them on their way to the final showdown will be International Boxing Hall of Fame legend Sugar Ray Leonard — the boxing Olympic gold medallist who won an unprecedented five world titles in five weight classes and went on to be named the Fighter Of The Decade for the 1980s. Along with Sylvester Stallone and another boxing legend, George Foreman, Leonard will take on the role of a boxing mentor to the fighters.
“When television viewers throughout Asia want top notch action and dramatic programs, they tune in to AXN,” said Mark Burnett, Executive Producer of the show. “It’s a natural fit for The Contender, which is the most action-oriented drama I’ve produced to date.”
“We are extremely excited to bring The Contender to Asia,” said Mr Ricky Ow, General Manager of AXN Asia. “The Contender's combination of high adrenaline action and real-life drama, together with the creative genius of Mark Burnett, Jeffrey Katzenberg, the unprecedented line of boxing legends and the mega star power of Sylvester Stallone, are certain to make this show a knock-out hit amongst our viewers across Asia.”
Exposing the guts and the glory of the world of boxing, The Contender will give viewers a look at the dreams, conflicts, triumphs and defeats of the dreamers who dare to give their all in the pursuit of the fabled American dream.
+ Tentative schedule - date subject to change.
AXN Asia
Delivering top rated series, blockbuster features, adventure-reality and first-run lifestyle sports programming, AXN is a leading international television destination among young adults 18-34. AXN is seen in 46 countries across Asia, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East, and is part of Sony Pictures Television International’s diverse portfolio of over 35 global networks. Sony Pictures Television International is a Sony Pictures Entertainment company.
AXN Asia is available to more than 31 million households 24-hours daily throughout Asia in Taiwan, India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Japan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, South Korea, Macau, Papua New Guinea, and in hotels and VIP compounds in China. AXN can also be seen in 40 million cable television households on time-block basis in China. More information about AXN Asia can be found online at http://www.axn-asia.com.
For more information as well as pictures,
please do not hesitate to contact:
Tom Van Blarcom / Ruthaiwan Tanwongwan
Total Quality PR (Thailand) Co., Ltd.
Tel: 0-2260-5820 Ext. 114 Fax: 0-2260-5847-8
Email: [email protected]
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