Kuching to Host 23rd Asian TelevesIon Awards

KUCHING, Oct 10 (Bernama) -- Kuching will play host to the 23rd Asian Television Awards (ATA) on Jan 11 & 12 next year at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here. The event will be co-hosted by ATV Awards Sdn Bhd and the Sarawak Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports. State Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said, through the event, Sarawak would play host to over 500 international delegates in the film and entertainment industry. “This includes the ‘creme de la creme’ of film producers, directors, performers, host talents, judges, nominees, celebrities and key sponsors from the participating countries all over Asia,” he when announcing the event at a media conference jointly with  Asian Television Awards (ATA) chairman Lee Keen Whye here Wednesday.  He said the two-day event will not only present awards to the celebrities but also promote Sarawak globally among the celebrities. Abdul Karim said the upcoming event will showcase numerous awards across 43 categories and recognise best performance, programming and production excellence of the Asian television industry. Meanwhile, Lee said television channels from 22 countries will carry the live broadcast of the event, which is expected to be watched by two billion viewers. “We really hope that with the support of Sarawak Tourism, the celebrities can learn about the culture in Sarawak as they will also be given the opportunity to explore the city,” he said. Abdul Karim will host the gala dinner on the first day of the event while the live show with the red carpet and performance awards presentation will be held on the second day, to be followed by a public concert on Jan 13 at the Amphitheatre at Jalan Budaya here. -- BERNAMA