Ex-ITV regional director James Ross launches Lightning International in Asia

Headquartered in Hong Kong, Lightning International provides content and media solutions to broadcasters, advertising agencies, and content owners and producers. The focus is on establishing long-term partnerships, delivering channel operations and marketing, format and content distribution, and facilitating branded entertainment and sponsorship, it says.

Ross (pictured), CEO of Lightning International, says it aims to offer ideas, insights and strategies to companies outside Asia, particularly TV channels that are not yet available in the region. He says it will be a "stepping stone" into the fastest growing market for content owners, producers and broadcasters.

According to data from Media Partners Asia, pay TV revenues in Asia are continuing to grow healthily by around 10 per cent a year, outstripping growth in Europe and the US.

The company has signed its first deal with Paris-based Trace TV, which offers a unique insight into the exciting and glamorous lives of the world’s top athletes and sporting celebrities. Lightning International will assist its Malaysian-based Trace Asia representative Huey Yi Wang, in expanding distribution and finding new opportunities for both Trace Urban and Trace Sports.

The Trace Urban music channel is already operating in Asia, and the new Trace Sports channel launched globally on 15 June.

A 25-year veteran in the TV broadcasting and marketing industry, Ross spent the former 10 years with the BBC in the UK, and another 15 years in Asia where he helped with the launch of Bloomberg TV in Tokyo in 1996 to 2003 and in Hong Kong from 2003 to 2006, and the past six years helping ITV to expand in Asia-Pacific.