Early Days in China’s Web-based TV Market
Rising net penetration and better streaming technology drives China’s move toward online broadcasting.
Trend Description
For many Chinese people who do not have access to a TV set, the internet is starting to provide a viable alternative. Software such as PPlive or TV Ants now allows internet users to watch TV live online simply and cheaply. These online channels, which derive their content from terrestrial TV stations, cannot striclty be called “Internet TV”. However, with the development of media-streaming technology, some Chinese websites have begun to set up their own TV stations - content is first shown online, an depending on popularity, may be aired subsequently on terrestrial channels.
Case Studies
Sexy Beijing
Registered in Hong Kong and originally an advertisement company, Goldmines Film is quickly expanding to the Web TV market in China. The company’s web TV channel, Danwei TV, is a product of Danwei.org, a popular news portal among Chinese readers. “Sexy Beijing”, a previously blocked internet TV series, is currently the most popular Danwei TV offering.
Inspired by the American version of Sex and the City, Sexy Beijing’s hostess Anna-Sophie Loewenberg goes down to the streets of Beijing and talks to the pedistrians about topics such as weddings, Christmas and English names of Chinese. Aware of the Chinese censorship system, the TV series carefully skirts the issue of “sex” while, while still managing to ask sharp questions of a relatively conservative Chinese society.
Image source: CNN
Sina, one of the three giants of China’s portal service provider, has an internet TV channel about China’s stock market. Called “Stock Market Channel “, the TV program is alloted with only 75 minutes per day, from 9:15 a.m to 10 a.m and 3:30 p.m to 4 p.m every weekday. The morning show is usually a predict and analysis of the stock market while the show in the afternoon includes a summary of the tradings and interaction section between stock analysts and share holders. The podcasts of the TV series can be found on sina.com, which help you not to miss a single episode of the show.
Image source: Sina
PChome.net owns a channel called ” living broadcast”tv.pchome.net/channel1. Compared with the above mentioned internet TV channels, this one is more comprehensive, including contents either from real TV stations or its own make. Its internet TV programs is more like a collection of popular podcasts, which are divided into three main categories, namely “Special topics” (mainly about computer games and ads of digital devices), “Entertainment” and “the Most Popular Video Picks”. It is a window for demonstrating new digital products when being bundled with other TV channels.
Trend Impact:
Web TV or Internet TV is said to be initiated by Steve Perlman, founder of WebTV Networks, Inc. when he watched a commercial added with a website at the bottom of the television screen. He hoped he could click on the website directly when watching TV. His idea was realized later on with the help of a small device placed on the top of the television.
In China, the concept of IPTV is nothing new as more and more household possess top-set boxes on their televisions. But a TV station primarily based on the internet is still in its infant stage. How to fund it? What is the sources of TV programs? Do they need get any licence from the government? and so on so forth are questions worth thinking.