Chunghwa Telecom Backs 10 New Film, TV and Music Projects in Taiwan

Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan's largest telecom operator, has announced 10 new content investments spanning film, television and music, plus equity stakes in two production companies. The company unveiled the slate at its "Chunghwa Telecom Content Slate and Partnership Showcase," held during the Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF), an event Chunghwa has sponsored for five consecutive years.

Taiwan's Minister of Culture Li Yuan attended the showcase, along with Chunghwa chief business officer and senior executive VP Lin Wen-chiyh, consumer business group president Hu Hsueh-hai and representatives from the presenting teams. The company pitched the slate as a way to back Taiwanese original IP and link local creators with partners abroad.

"Chunghwa Telecom is like a pyramid," Li said. "I am grateful that, beyond building a strong foundation through its thriving core business, the company is also willing to invest at the very top of the pyramid, supporting film and television professionals as they continue moving forward and creating even better work."

What is on the slate?

The investments cover four scripted series, one competition show, two films and a music tour. The scripted slate includes:

• "Gunshot" — a police crime drama made with PTS Taigi TV, the Taiwanese-language channel of public broadcaster PTS, and S11 Partners.
• "Yesterday's Daughter, Tomorrow's Mother" — a family fantasy from producer Phoebe Ma and director Hung Tzu-peng.
• "Guides to the World Below" — a fantasy adventure adapted from a popular Taiwanese comic.
• "C'est la Vie" — an urban drama about food and women's personal growth, with actress Esther Liu as executive producer.

Chunghwa has also invested in "Next Z Chef," billed as Taiwan's first cooking competition show for young people.

On the film side, the slate includes "Demon of the East: Black Condo," a horror project tied to a cinematic universe crossing four Asian countries, and "Call of Lobster," which won the Chunghwa Telecom Award at TCCF's 2024 pitching sessions. "Call of Lobster" has since been selected for the Culture Ministry's first international flagship cohort under its Great Voyage Project.

The investments extend to music as well. "Speak in Silence," an Asian tour by Taiwanese indie band Shallow Levée, will run to about 50 shows in Taiwan and eight other countries across Asia.

Beyond project financing

Alongside funding individual projects, Chunghwa and Chunghwa Digital Cultural and Creative have taken equity positions in DaMou Entertainment and Horiza Creations. DaMou has produced series including "The World Between Us II" and "Wave Makers." Horiza uses community engagement and crowdfunding to gauge what audiences want.

"Chunghwa Telecom is more than just a platform operator; we are also a driving force behind the long-term development of the content industry," Lin said. "Moving forward, we will continue to connect funding, creative talent, and domestic and international partners, leveraging our group's resources and industry partnerships to help Taiwanese content reach international markets."

What does this change for Taiwanese content?

The record offers one measure of Chunghwa's reach. Two Chunghwa-backed films, "Arrested Memory" and "The Photo From 1977," received a combined 12 nominations at the 63rd Golden Horse Awards. The company operates mobile and broadband networks as well as the MOD IPTV service and the Hami Video streaming platform, which together serve more than 3 million subscribers — a distribution base that gives its content bets an immediate domestic audience and, by Lin's stated ambition, a route to international markets.