SARFT, NDRC Announce Cable DTV Pricing Rules

China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) have released a notice to local authorities mandating tighter regulation of cable television fees.

The notice requires local administrative departments to eliminate unreasonable charges related to subscribers' application to open, relocate, suspend, reactivate, or transfer their accounts. In addition, the notice mandates that cable subscribers whose accounts are converted from analogue to digital may not be charged for their new set-top box and accompanying conditional access card, while cable operators may charge for damaged or lost CA cards according to prices determined by provincial-level authorities. Basic cable service fees will be regulated by government authorities, while cable operators will retain autonomy to set fees for value-added services and premium programming. Moreover, existing fee schedules for basic cable service may not be raised.

According to the notice, cable subscribers in regions undergoing DTV conversion who are temporarily unwilling to switch to DTV are to be offered the option to keep at least 6 analog channels including major central, provincial and local-level stations for free during the transition period.

SARFT to crack down on unlicensed content distribution via Internet TV

China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) will implement a new policy to crack down on unlicensed content providers broadcasting via Internet TV.

CMMB Commercial Before July

The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) guarantees nationwide commercial trail operation of the China Mobile Multimedia Broadcasting (CMMB) standard before July 1, reports China Business News quoting senior SARFT official Wang Lian. Another senior official, Wang Xiaojie, said the service is currently free. CMMB will offer interactive services such as stock information, weather reports and e-magazines and will cover 90% of 337 areas by the end of 2010, according to China Satellite Mobile Broadcasting Corporation Vice General Manager Liu Tingjun.

Previous reports said Shanghai would be the first city to launch a commercial trial of the network, with RMB 20 monthly service packages expected out in March.

China Digital TV Q4 2008 Net Profit Down 5%

Digital television conditional access solutions provider China Digital TV Holding (NYSE: STV) has issued its earnings report for Q4 2008, with net revenues reaching USD 16.8 mln, down 13.8% year-on-year. 2008 full-year net revenues rose to USD 70.3 mln, an increase of 26.8% over the 2007 figure.

Net income for the quarter came to USD 12.2 mln, down 5.2% YoY. Net income for fiscal year 2008 increased 27.3% to USD 43.1 mln.

Revenues for the quarter from smart cards and related products were USD 15.4 mln, a decrease of 13.6% from the corresponding period of 2007 and an increase of 2.1% from the third quarter of 2008. Sales of smart cards and related products accounted for 91.4% of total revenues for the quarter, up from 88.9% in the third quarter of 2008.

The company estimates net revenues for the first quarter of 2009 to be in the range of USD 13.5 mln to USD 14.5 mln.

Source:marbridgeconsulting.com

SARFT to Complete Terrestrial DTV Coverage in 3 Years

At the 2009 Broadcast Development Forum, Jiang Wenbo, director of the State Administration of Radio and Television (SARFT)'s Academy of Broadcasting Planning, stated that terrestrial digital television coverage is expected to be extended to 37 cities nationwide by the end of the year, including all provincial capitals. Within 3 years coverage will be extended nationwide, with total investment reaching RMB 2.5 bln. Currently 8 cities, including Beijing and Shenzhen, have terrestrial DTV coverage. RMB 500 mln has been invested so far, mainly towards frequency planning, signal coverage, and network access testing for terminals for the 37 cities participating in the first stage of construction.

Second stage plans include the expansion of standard definition DTV programming to 333 prefecture-level cities and 2,861 counties, with programming provided by CCTV, provincial, municipal and county stations. Jiang stated that China's analog signal will be cut off once all subscribers are able to receive digital coverage.

source:marbridgeconsulting.com/

Shanghai to Launch CMMB in March for 3USD/Month

Shanghai will become the first trial city to begin commercial operation of the China Mobile Multimedia Broadcasting (CMMB) network in March, reports Sina quoting an unnamed insider. The commercial service is expected to offer seven programs for RMB 20(3USD) per month, said the insider. China Mobile (NYSE:CHL, 941.HK) currently charges RMB 10 per month for its mobile TV service.

source:jlmpacificepoch.com

China Telecom, Tiansheng Ally on IPTV

China Telecom (NYSE: CHA; 0728.HK) plans to cooperate with digital TV operator Tiansheng Media in an effort to avoid content shortages previously encountered by the operator during its promotions of IPTV.

Song Zheng, CEO of Tiansheng Media, stated that in the future, the company plans to transition away from cooperating with Internet portal sites such as Sina (Nasdaq: SINA), and move towards partnerships with operators. Song also mentioned the company would seek to extend its English Premier League broadcasting rights by another 3 years.

An informed industry insider stated that the partnership between Tiansheng Media and China Telecom would likely consist of variously priced monthly broadband packages directly bundled with English Premier League soccer matches, with Tiansheng receiving a revenue share of the monthly subscription price.

source:marbridgeconsulting.com

SARFT: 2008 Cable DTV Subs Exceed 45 Mln

According to 2008 statistics from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT), nationwide radio and television coverage reached 95.96% and 96.95% of the population last year, representing a year-on-year increase of 0.53% and 0.37% respectively. Nationwide cable television and radio subscribers are estimated to have reached 163 mln in 2008, up 6.5% year-on-year. Of this figure, the number of cable digital television subscribers comprised over 45 mln, marking an annual increase of 67.6%, and the number of cable digital paid programming subscribers increased 158.3% to 4.5 mln.

China's broadcasting industry recorded estimated total revenues of RMB 145.2 bln in 2008, an annual increase of 10.3%. Of that amount, radio and television advertising revenue accounted for RMB 69.5 bln, an increase of 15.7% year-on-year, with revenues from cable television networks reaching RMB 34.8 bln, up 13.3% year-on-year. Of this, digital television premium programming revenues were up 67.5% annually, to RMB 1.39 bln.

source:marbridgeconsulting.com

Microsoft Does IPTV Deal In China

Microsoft and Guangzhou Digital Media Group have formally launched Zhujiang Digital, a connected TV service powered by the Microsoft Mediaroom IPTV platform.
"With the launch of Zhujiang Digital Interactive TV service, the Guangzhou Digital Media Group is delivering a personalized and connected alternative to existing TV services," said Guan Zhijian, director-general of Guangzhou TV Station and chairman of Guangzhou Digital Media Group. "Powered by the Microsoft Mediaroom platform, the new service will allow residents in Guangzhou to enjoy their TV when they want it, without missing a thing as well as rich interactivity."
This is the first Mediaroom-enabled TV service to launch in China and the first time Mediaroom has been delivered over a cable network anywhere in the world. The new service, available to residents in the region around Guangzhou, also includes the first deployment of the Mediaroom Anytime feature set, which will take time-shifted TV to the next level in China. Mediaroom Anytime will let subscribers access previously aired shows from their Interactive Program Guide and immediately restart currently airing programs without any pre-planning or prior digital video recording.
Guangzhou Digital Media Group also has taken advantage of the capability within Mediaroom for rich interactivity and the ability to seamlessly blend Web content and services with broadcast TV. The company has already engaged a number of local enterprises to develop interactive TV applications to complement the TV viewing experience. The applications being developed will enable Guangzhou Digital Media Group to offer its viewers new ways to communicate, share media and personalize the TV experience.
Guangzhou Digital Media Group plans to connect 2.5 million subscribers to this new IPTV service within three to five years.

source:chinatechnews.com

TVB Starts CMMB Trial in Hong Kong

Hong Kong television station TVB has launched CMMB technology tests in Hong Kong, in cooperation with the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television's (SARFT) Academy of Broadcasting Planning and Beijing-based CMMB equipment manufacturer Wiflare Technology. Wiflare is responsible for constructing the CMMB system, with broadcasts from Temple Hill to cover Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and Shatin. Five channels will be broadcast, three from TVB – the J2 paid channel, and the Jade and news channels.

Signal tests were carried out on an outdoor, shallow and deep in-door, and in-vehicle basis. Mobile phones, MP4 players, GPS devices and USB TV receivers were tested. The results found that clear and reliable signals could be received in all test areas.

source:marbridgeconsulting.com