KUCHING: Sarawak-produced content is increasingly finding its way beyond the state, with growing interest from broadcasters and platforms outside Malaysia, demonstrating the potential for local stories to reach international audiences.
Sarawak Media Group representative, Ryan Lee, said demand for content exists but building an international market requires sustained marketing, networking and relationships with broadcasters and distributors.
“The more I meet people, the more I explore out there, actually, people are looking for content.
“But you need a lot of time to create that demand so that people can understand and learn to love the thing,” he said during a panel discussion on ‘The Rise of East Malaysian Content’ during the Borneo Animation and Games Festival 2026 held at Pullman Hotel, Kuching on Wednesday (Aug. 19).
Lee, who has been with Sarawak Media Group since 2018, is involved in content acquisition, distribution and development as well as stakeholder management with broadcasters from various countries.
“My initial experience in distributing Sarawak-produced programmes overseas helped demonstrate that local content could find audiences outside its home market,” he said.
“Among the content I have worked to distribute are documentaries, magazine programmes, telemovies and drama series.”
He added that Sarawak content had reached Singapore through Mediacorp while relationships had also been established with Australian broadcasters for content exchanges.
“One of the group’s drama series had also been picked up by Netflix. The experience changed my initial perception about whether audiences elsewhere would be interested in watching Sarawak-produced programmes,” he said.
Lee also said that he is also exploring opportunities involving Sabah content and potential international collaborations while overseas partners have expressed interest in co-productions.
“However, such opportunities do not materialise immediately. We need time. We need to persevere and I must be there to continue to see it through, make all this happen,” he reiterated.
Lee said marketing remains particularly important for expanding the reach of East Malaysian content, as well as for building confidence and maintaining relationships with international industry players.
He added that the reputation built through previous collaborations also gave prospective partners greater confidence in future projects.
“At the same time, different categories of content are at different stages of readiness for international distribution,” he shared.
“Offering documentaries, magazine programmes, telemovies and drama series to distributors, animation remains a different ballgame.”
Nevertheless, he expressed optimism about the future of Sarawak’s content industry, saying his first successful distribution deal had opened his eyes to further possibilities.
“This continued collaboration and learning would be important for local industry players seeking to expand their presence internationally,” he stressed.
“You cannot stop learning. You really cannot stop learning.”
