Domestic films and television series flow overseas

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Domestic films and television series flow overseas

(People's Daily Online) 13:17, August 07, 2013

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A Bite of China, China's Mega Projects, Jin Tailang's Happy Life and Beautiful Daughter-in-law are examples of popular Chinese television series which have made a significant impact overseas in recent years. (People's Daily Overseas Edition)

Since it was first broadcast in Burma on 13th June, this year, Jin Tailang's Happy Life has enjoyed great popularity. Wuyan Naiwu, the director of the Bureau of Culture of the Burma Ministry of Culture, wrote a poem of the same name and asked that it be delivered to China, while the President of the Burma-China Friendship Association, Wusheng Wen'ang, also expressed the wish that the actors from the series might come to Myanmar to meet their enthusiastic viewers.

Prior to this, another contemporary mainland series, Beautiful Daughter-in-law, had already inspired an intense reaction overseas. In March this year Chinese President Xi Jinping, on a state visit to Tanzania, observed in an important speech that the hit series, which is broadcast in Tanzania, gives its audience in Tanzania an insight into the pleasures and pains of the family life of ordinary Chinese people.

In previous years China's main exports in film and television have been based on the themes of martial arts and palace life, but in recent years television series reflecting contemporary Chinese society and the lives of ordinary people, such as fashion dramas, urban romance and family life have formed an increasing proportion of this body of work.

Chinese TV and film go overseas

Zhang Lin, The Overseas Marketing Director of the China Radio, Film and Television Programs Exchange Center, explains that in recent years there has been a steady improvement in the overseas promotion of domestic films and television programs. Her center's annual international sales revenues have surpassed $10 million, and are increasing at a rate of at least 30% per year - indeed contracted sales for the first half of this year have already exceeded $10 million. "Markets are strong in Southeast Asia, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan," she says. "But there is still room for improvement in Europe and North America."

According to the Report on Development of China's Radio, Film and Television (2013), partial statistics for 2012 indicate that nationwide exports of television programs are worth $74,550,000, with the best-selling record created by a seven-episode documentary called A Bite Of China, which sells overseas at a price of　$50,000 per episode.

Overseas cooperation is an innovation which is now growing in importance. Zhang Lin says that in addition to traditional forms like copyright exchange and DVD licensing, their marketing approach now includes features such as adapting Chinese programs into international versions, jointly choosing themes and working together on filming, joint production and sharing of international profits, and working together with overseas media to establish exclusive time slots for Chinese programs. For example, this year their center has reached an agreement with the Vietnam Saigon television station which assigns at least one hour every day on their SCTV-4 channel to Chinese television programs.

In addition, many state-owned, privately-operated film and television companies have started working overseas, both in building their own channels or distribution platforms overseas and in actively pursuing overseas mergers and acquisitions. Pioneering work done by many companies in Europe, Africa and Arab world, is paving the way for further penetration by Chinese television programs.

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