China Media Monitor Headlines Archives

The World Trade Organization (WTO) expert panel recently again asked China to open its market to foreign films, reports Shanghai Morning Post. The WTO ruled against China for having breeched international trade laws by restricting the import of entertainment products in August last year, and upheld its decision in December after China had appealed against the ruling. The newspaper did not provide a specific date for the WTO’s latest request.

Guangdong province’s cinemas earned RMB1 billion (US$146.41 million) at the box office during 2009, according to Liu Hongbing, president of the Guangzhou based Pearl River Film Group reports Nanfang Daily. Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen make up the top four Chinese cities at the box office in 2009, with RMB810 million (US$119 million) takings in Beijing and RMB679 million (US$98.10 million) in Shanghai. The Pearl River Film Group is also currently preparing to go public but a confirmed date has yet to be released.

Shanghai Media Group (SMG）intends to launch an Internet TV station before the start of the 2010 Expo, which will primarily feature news programs, reports iFeng.com. The station will provide an up-to-the-minute news feed. SMG’s Internet TV station is different from other recently launched Internet TV Stations, such as CCTV.com’s China Network TV Station (CNTV) as it will not be webcasting programs from its TV channels such as Dragon TV. Instead it will produce programs that are specifically made for Internet broadcast.

Sina signed an Internet partnership agreement with the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) on January 28 securing the portal the exclusive rights to report on all sporting events involving the Committee and Chinese Sports Delegations for the next three years, according to an announcement made on Sina’s website. The events include the 2010 Asian Games, the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games and 2012 London Olympic Games. Sina will provide sports reports in text, picture and video formats via its web pages, blogs and Twitter-like services which target Internet and mobile phone users.

The second installment of the Chinese animation film Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf (Xiyangyang Yu Hui Tailang Zhi Huhu Shengwei) has made RMB43.50 million (US$6.37 million) at box office in 3 days since it opened on January 29, reports Chutian City News. Box office receipts from the first 3 days have exceeded those of another Chinese film, Confucius, which opened one week ago and made RMB38 million (US$5.56 million) at box office in its first 3 days.