China’s Big Day Out at MIPTV

As the global economic recession forces international media organizations into tightening their belts and rethinking the way they conduct their business, China is seizing the opportunity to promote its film and TV industries to the world.

Tian Jin, Vice Minister of the State Administration of Radio, Film and TV (SARFT), will lead a high-powered delegation of industry professionals to the 46th MIPTV content market in Cannes from March 30 to April 3. The "Focus on China" program strand on March 31 will throw the spotlight on China with a series of industry panels, events and private receptions designed to highlight the opportunities for cooperation between international and mainland media organizations. Two seminars will focus on the opportunities for factual, drama and animation co-productions in China. A high level VIP luncheon will be the highlight of the day.

This year marks the fourth time SARFT has hosted "China Day" activities at MIPTV, following on the success of the earlier events in 1995, 2001 and 2004. The decision to make it the biggest and the best China Day ever reflects the central government's ongoing commitment to promoting its culture international markets. It also demonstrates China's determination to turn the global economic downturn to its advantage by using it as an opportunity to push its content into the spaces the crisis is creating overseas. While the timing may appear to be out of step with economic developments elsewhere, the mainland media industry is actually on the upswing right now and looking for new opportunities in the rest of the world.

"Despite the global economic crisis, China’s economy remains relatively vibrant," said Tian Jin. "Our major aim in attending MIPTV is to develop television program exchanges and co-operation with other countries, to promote mutual understanding and friendship between China and the world."

Alongside the official delegation, the largest ever contingent of mainland broadcasters and content producers will travel to Cannes to exhibit their programs and co-production projects. More than 40 leading content producers will participate in the China Pavilion, including influential industry players such as China International TV Corp, CTV Media, the Capital Radio and TV Producers Association, and Zhejiang Huace Film and TV. The other industry heavyweights who will attend include CCTV Movie Channel (CCTV-6), Hunan Satellite TV and Beijing TV.

The range of programming on show includes everything from high-rating drama series such as The Legend of Bruce Lee and The Dream of Red Mansions, to new documentaries Dun Huang – Pearl on the Silk Road and Cultural Giants – Confucius, to animations like The Monkey King. Many organizations, such as the Zhongbei TV Art Center, will be looking for co-production partners for new projects (see China Media Monitor, Vol 13, issue 4, March 16, 2008).

The activities highlight China's push to reposition itself as content producer and co-production partner for the overseas organizations, rather than just a buyer of foreign content. The organizing committee of the Hangzhou International Animation Festival will also attend the festival to drum up international interest in their event, which is held in Hangzhou from April 28 to May 3. The festival organizers have even managed to secure one of the key advertising banners outside the Palais.

The MIPTV initiative builds on other initiatives designed to promote China's media industries overseas this year. On March 6, Finance Minister Xie Xu announced the government will invest RMB28 billion (US$4.09 billion) to promote the growth of its cultural industries. Earlier reports in January said the Ministry of Finance was planning to provide up to RMB45.0 billion (US$6.6 billion) in funding to state-owned media organizations CCTV, Xinhua and People's Daily to expand their business overseas.

"People always need more films and TV dramas to provide them with comfort when they are facing an economic downturn. So the current economic crisis presents an opportunity as well as a challenge," as SARFT Vice Minister Tian Jin told CMM-I in this week's feature interview.