China Media Monitor Headlines Archives

Twenty-seven recent films from each EU member state will air during the Second Annual European Union Film Festival in China, which will run in Beijing and Chengdu from November 5 to December 4.

Swedish film Evil opened the festival on November 5. Other films showing include Mozart in China from Austria, Formidable from Belgium and Fighter from Denmark. All films will be screened in their original language plus English and Chinese subtitles.

The 10th Sichuan TV Festival wrapped with  RMB1.18 billion (US$172.77 million) in trade, an increase of more than 87.7% compared to last year, according to the festival organizers. 

More than 5,000 people from 70 countries participated in the festival, which ran from  November 6 to 8, according to the organizing committee. Programs from all over the world competed in the International Gold Panda Awards, while exhibitors from 26 countries attended the International TV Program Market.

Other events held under the umbrella of the festival included an International Media Development Forum, an International "Gold Panda" Animation and New Media Expo, and an International Radio, Television Networking Equipment and Multimedia Exhibition.

The value of China's mobile phone advertising market is expected to reach RMB980 million (US$144 billion) in 2009 and RMB1.277 billion (US$187 million) in 2010, according a report released by Analysys International.

The report highlights a number of factors which will propel the development of mobile phone advertising industry. First, it predicted advertisers will drive development with their demand for precise and interactive marketing. Other factors include the development of 3G networks and the WAP industry.

The mainland online video sites Discovery and Disney set up in cooperation with Chinese companies Baidu and Shanghai Lingdong have been forced to remove all video content following a recent crack-down from the State Administration of Radio, Film and TV (SARFT). The industry regular ordered both sites to remove their video content because they do not possess the appropriate license.

Only 400 of the estimated 1,000 online video sites in China have so far obtained an online video operation license from SARFT. The industry regulator launched a new campaign to shut down the unlicensed sites on November 4, according to CCTV.com.

Fashion magazine Cosmopolitan announced that shooting has wrapped on its new film Swing Engagement (Yaobai De Hunyue) at a November 2 press conference. The urban romantic comedy is expected to be released in 2010.

The film is the second production that Cosmopolitan’s parent company, Trends Magazine Company, has invested in. Esquire, another magazine from the Trends stable, sponsored the making of a film - Esquire (Shishang Xiansheng) – in 2008. After it was released on May 16, 2008, Esquire moved to number one place at the mainland box office with RMB1 million in takings in its first week.

Cosmoplitan will invest in the production of two more films with plotlines focusing on fashion and love.