China’s Media Morphosis
The Chinese television industry has witnessed numerous changes and amazing growth over the past decade. For one thing, idol shows are now becoming extremely popular throughout the country. This article from Beijing Review provides the latest industry news and trends as well as good insight into investment oppportunities in China’s TV market.
“After successive years of continuously high growth, the total pre-tax profit of the media industry has exceeded that of the tobacco industry, making it China’s fourth largest business. Advertising revenue has increased in volume 20 times in 10 years, topping the 100 billion yuan mark in 2003, with average annual growth of 35 percent.”
WB Cinemas pulls out of China
International investors have long voiced complaints about the regulatory environment in the Chinese media sector being unstable and unpredictable. This incident would clearly add to the existing concerns to make the future for investment in the country’s media industry seem even more bleak. [url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3irjxs41AWkRd+NDHksrvlbw%3D%3DThe following story from The Hollywood Reporter[/url] gives a detailed account of the whole deal.
“WBIC was involved with the design construction and managing of 10 cinema locations in China with various partnerships and currently is invested in four locations in China—two with Shanghai Film Group and two with Shenzhen Investment Trust, the spokesman said.”
Mobile TV Still Fuzzy in China
Mobile television has beome such a hot topic in China that almost all manufacturers, mobile carriers and media organizations are getting ready to reap fat profits. Nonetheless, this article from Telecommagazine.com points to some major technical hurdles of this novelty. While technology is realizing many of our dreams, a lot of times patience is key.
“The motivation for launching an immature and commercially unproven technology like CMMB is subject to speculation, but some commentators believe it could be driven by the desire to erect a ‘Chinese wall’ around the domestic telecom market, locking out international competition while fostering internal growth.”
Watchdog Targets Internet Piracy
The prevalence of piracy in China remains an overarching concern among copyright holders throughout the world. Many international investors show a tendency to put the sole blame on the Chinese government for not doing the best they can. Based on this article from China.org.cn, however, there is indeed a watchdog system that functions to bring the chaotic situation under control.
“The IPR watchdog has vowed to clamp down on major websites which offer unauthorized downloads. While it has no authority to deal with foreign websites offering illegal material, it is targeting local sites which offer either links outside the country or unauthorized downloads.”
MTV offers online video content on Baidu
The room of development for non-Chinese media organizations in China’s tradtional media sectors seems quite unpredictable in the near future. That is probably why some international media moguls have turned to the new media for potential opportunities. According to this article from Yahoo News, MTV will work hand in hand with the Chinese language search engine giant to break new grouds.