Shanghai Media Group (SMG) confirmed
yesterday that one of its subsidiaries has secured the first
license to produce and broadcast content for internet protocol TV
(IPTV) and mobile phone TV.
An SMG executive named Gao declined to give more details, but
the State Administration of Radio, Film and TV (SARFT) said on its
website on April 30 that Shanghai TV had been awarded the
license.
"Licensing is a big question for any player in the market," said
Zeng Huiming, president of the SARFT's Radio and TV
Information magazine.
The SARFT announced last July that it would strengthen
supervision of all broadcast content on the internet, TV and mobile
communications networks with a new licensing system. Companies had
to make applications in the six months from October, but this is
the only result to have been published so far.
SMG set up two subsidiaries to broadcast via IPTV and mobile TV
networks.
IPTV is especially suitable for providing value-added services
through TV sets with digital set-top boxes or on the internet. It
is regarded as a growth area for broadcasters, who are seeking new
channels since TV reached over 95 percent market penetration.
Telecom operators, which have built several nationwide broadband
networks, also need multimedia content for their high-speed
networks and are poised to enter the market with huge financial
capital.
An executive from the China Central Television (CCTV)
subsidiary CCTV Network TV Development Co Ltd said yesterday that
his company was still working for a license, but said it was a
"very sensitive moment" and declined to reveal any details.
The company was believed to be a hot candidate for the first
license along with Shanghai TV, but now several other CCTV
subsidiaries are competing for licenses.
Luo Ying, an executive with Tiantian Online, a company backed by
telecom operator China Netcom and the first telecom-backed firm to
bid, confirmed they were in the race for a license but could not
give a timetable.
Industry sources said the country's biggest fixed-line carrier,
China
Telecom, ordered 200,000 set-top boxes and required provincial
subsidiaries to give them away free of charge to subscribers to
encourage use of IPTV.
An anonymous industry analyst in Beijing said that, due to the
interest groups behind many applicants, the SARFT needs to evaluate
every application carefully. Applicants were right to remain silent
during the process, he added.
Zhang Haitao, SARFT vice-minister, said in March that his
administration would adopt an open attitude to the IPTV license
issue.
Cable TV and telecom operators were previously forbidden from
operating in each others' markets, but now a trend of convergence
is becoming clear.
While releasing the first license, SARFT said it will increase
regulation on broadcasting through set-top boxes and mobile phones.
"We must promote development, but we also need to regulate market
access and daily supervision," it said on its website.
Broadcasting through a TV set can only be conducted by
provincial-level broadcasters or their subsidiaries. On other
platforms like the internet, operators must get appropriate content
provider and broadcaster licenses.
The SARFT regulations issued in October ruled out the
participation of foreign investment in the operation of audio and
video content broadcasting on TV sets, the internet and other
platforms.
(China Daily May 11, 2005)