"The presence of television is influencing the future of China in ways
that no other technology or human agency can" (J. Lull). Given its'
importance, both culturally and politically, the television industry is
one of the most interesting industries in China. However, a quick review
of regulations and market realities showed that there are virtually no
foreign channels in the country and probably won't be for a while;
therefore the focus of this report is foreign television content
entering China - and, to a slightly lesser degree, Chinese content in
global markets. All video genres are discussed here, with news and
current affairs programming being a special case. The first part of this
report is a short introduction that includes the history of political
influence and a review of existing regulations. After this overview, the
industry and major players (namely CCTV, Xinhua, News Corp, Phoenix,
Disney, Discovery, Viacom) are introduced and analyzed. Here, the issue
of cultural imperialism, or Western media influence, is elaborated on.
Then, the paper discusses the opportunities for international firms in
the Chinese media market and the tension between Government control and
market liberalisation. A compelling answer to the question of who will
dominate the domestic market in ten years is developed. Finally, the
impact of Chinese content on international markets will be assessed
within the same timeframe. This is particularly interesting as media is
not a traditional manufacturing industry and poses different challenges
i.e. creative skills.
