China Media Monitor Headlines Archives

FremantleMedia has announced that shooting has wrapped up on Marvin and the Chinese Panda (Mawen He Zhongguo Da Xiongmao), a documentary co-production with Asia Union and Discovery. The documentary is expected to be picked up by major TV stations in Great Britain, China, the United States, Japan, South Korea and Australia after June next year.

Hunan Satellite TV's parent company Golden Eagle Broadcasting System (GBS) plans to set up a joint venture with Shanda Interactive Entertainment Ltd. (SNDA), according to unconfirmed industry rumors reported in the mainland press.

Hunan TV's star talent show producer Long Danni will act as president of the new company, which will cooperate with GBS on film, music and TV projects. SNDA is expected to invest around US$100 million in the new venture but no details are available on GBS' investment.

The rumors follow on the heels of earlier industry gossip that Long Danni planned o leave GBS to join SNDA.

Leading mainland telecom operator China Mobile and CCTV have announced plans to launch a mobile phone video newspaper featuring in-depth text and video reports from CCTV. Subscribers will be able to watch the videos via a video track embedded in the newspaper or via a link to the vide's WAP site.

The Koolanoo Group, a leading China Internet and New Media investment company, launched an online video site devoted to fashion in cooperation with Fashion TV (FTV) of France on November 4.

Under its strategic cooperative partnership with FTV, the site - Shimao TV - has exclusive access to FTV's footage of international fashion events. FTV will also broadcast feature reports on China’s fashion industry produced and aired on Shimao TV.

Five major Japanese film and animation production groups - including Toho, Studio Ghibli and Sunrise - announced plans to crack down on the unauthorized online broadcasts of their productions on international websites on October 26. Mainland sites such as Youku, Tudou and Ku6 are the primary targets of the initiative.

The group plans to launch its initiative around mid-November, when they will target pirated online versions of ten animations including Studio Ghibli’s 2008 release Ponzo By The Sea.