Page 2 of 2 Beijing battles with unauthorized TV
By Peter J Brown
The increasing popularity of FTA hardware is driven by online advertising, and
- like most satellite TV products worldwide - by word of mouth. FTA's
availability has been deemed by some as a major contributor to the
above-mentioned problem of rampant satellite piracy. It has been alleged that
FTA users are able to avoid making payments for monthly subscriptions to
premium satellite TV services in particular by using specially prepared smart
cards, downloadable software and other techniques. FTA manufacturers have
denied these allegations. Nevertheless, this technology has been the subject of
at least one lawsuit in the US.
Because the global satellite TV boom is entirely consumer-driven and knows no
boundaries, its blossoming in China is no doubt a matter of great sensitivity
and concern at the highest levels of the
Chinese government. When Chinese President Hu Jintao pledged to open China up
during his speech at the 30th anniversary of China's reform on December 18, you
can be sure that there was no satellite TV dish visible behind the podium.
"The growing Chinese demand for information resulted in the increase of foreign
TV channels distributed in China although only a few are distributed in foreign
language. Foreign channels and blocks of programs may largely be reserved for
certain designated test areas for distribution over cable," said Pacome
Revillon, CEO of Paris-based Euroconsult, an international research and
consulting firm specializing in digital broadcasting, IT and satellite
technology.
"His speech did not seem to hint that any goal of 'opening up' or 'enriching
people's cultural life' depended on importing content from the West," said
Murray. "Topical news programming still cannot be legally imported. And SARFT
provisions regarding the import and broadcast of overseas programming still
prohibit anything seen as opposing the basic principles of the Chinese
constitution, or endangering the nation's 'social morality' or the national
culture and tradition. There is no indication that SARFT will abdicate this
role."
The abrupt intervention by Chinese censors during the live satellite TV
broadcast in January of the inaugural address given by President Obama
certainly stands out in this regard. President Obama's specific mention of
communism caused censors to suddenly pull the plug on his speech. However,
while the live transmission was interrupted for viewers watching the official
Chinese government-approved satellite TV feed that day, thousands if not
millions of other viewers watching the live telecast being beamed into China
via unauthorized satellite TV services encountered no reception problems
whatsoever.
According to Murray, a strong emphasis will continue to be placed on the
"co-production" of approved content as opposed to unfiltered access to Chinese
audiences. The message conveyed by the Chinese delegation at the April 2009
MIPTV trade show in Cannes, France was clear and to the point - acquiring new
foreign content is not on the list.
"They emphasized the need for program 'exchanges' and 'cooperation with other
countries', but did not seem to define 'exchanges' as indicating a desire to
seek out new foreign content - they seemed more interested in exporting Chinese
dramas and cartoon programs," said Murray. "In fact, SARFT recently increased
restrictions on foreign-produced cartoons such as Japanese manga or shows like The
Simpsons during prime time in China. This would appear to be more of an
attempt to stimulate the Chinese cartoon production industry rather than
restrict access to foreign producers for content reasons."
As for the already substantial outbound flow of TV content from China, it was
given a significant boost in mid-April when California-based DirecTV Inc - the
world's largest satellite TV provider serving more than 17 million US homes -
announced that it is now offering CCTV-4 services to Chinese-speaking
households throughout the US. DirecTV's already offers MandarinDirect III and
Jadeworld satellite TV programming packages for Mandarin or Cantonese-speaking
audiences.
"Although we cannot disclose specific subscriber numbers, the entire Chinese
community residing within our coverage area [which includes the entire US] is
estimated at over 1 million households," said Naomi Rodriguez, a member of
DirecTV's public relations staff. "We are determined to build the strongest and
most appealing Chinese satellite platform for the US market. We are focused on
providing the best quality entertainment channels to our viewers. The intention
is to provide quality, not quantity. We combine programming and channels from
Hong Kong, Taiwan and China."
According to Revillon, the availability of Chinese TV content outside of China
has been steadily increasing over the past decade.
"From approximately 100 TV channels in 2000, the number of satellite TV
channels broadcast outside of China was over 230 in 2008. However, half of them
are broadcast in the Asian and Oceanic area," said Revillon. "With nearly 100
Chinese satellite TV channels in early 2008, North America is clearly a core
market. CCTV has been at the forefront of the Chinese channels expansion in
recent years."
The distribution of Chinese TV content outside China reflects a change in the
communication policy of the Chinese government following the 2008 Beijing
Summer Olympic Games.
"Since the 2008 Games, TV content has greater diversity and reflects more than
ever the current Chinese society. It is considered as a promotion and
commercialization of Chinese values and dynamics rather than propaganda," said
Revillon. "The content of these international channels is adapted compared to
their national counterparts. The fact that the content is still strictly
controlled is certainly a reality."
Samuel Zhou, senior vice president of New York City-based New Tang Dynasty TV
(NTDTV), wants everyone to understand that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is
firmly in control of all CCTV content seen abroad, and that this TV programming
from China deserves very close scrutiny.
"CCTV-4 is CCTV for the overseas Chinese audience, and it serves as the
mouthpiece for the CCP aimed directly at all overseas Chinese," said Zhou, who
added that CCTV-9 is for English-speaking audiences. "CCTV-4's content has long
been present on almost all local Chinese TV's around the world."
Zhou points to the Chinese government's very aggressive campaign to launch 24/7
CCTV-4 broadcasts on various US cable and satellite TV carriers besides DirecTV
including DISH Network, Time Warner, RCN, Charter, and Verizon Fios, to name a
few. "Since 2004, they have combined CCTV-4 with about a dozen other channels
such as Phoenix TV to form a 'Great Wall Platform'," said Zhou. "At the same
time, they exert political and commercial pressure on various US pay TV service
operators so that they will not carry independent Chinese language TV channels
such as NTDTV."
Back in China, Chinasat-9 will now provide the Chinese government with a
powerful satellite TV platform which can be used to lure Chinese consumers away
from the unauthorized satellite TV services that dominate China's satellite TV
scene. This will not be an easy task nor a rapid transition, and yet at last
the Chinese government will have its own toolset to promote and distribute
satellite TV - and it will be available for free.
Otherwise, if outright competition fails, the government might be compelled to
travel down an uncertain path by aggressively enforcing a ban on unauthorized
satellite TV dishes. It has happened in Iran, and it seems as if it is about to
happen in Myanmar. However, the dishes almost always reappear in short order.
So while turning the tide on satellite piracy might appeal to some government
officials, this seems like an unlikely possibility, at least for now. One thing
is certain. In bad economic times, taking away someone's satellite TV is not a
good idea.
Peter J Brown is a satellite journalist from Maine USA.
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