Page 47 - AIB | The Chanel | Issue 1 2012

NEWS CHANNELS | THE CHANNEL
You are one of the few non-
government related TV broadcasters
available to the mainland Chinese
audience – why is that?
I have worked both inside and
outside the Chinese system, and
this is my advantage. People with
that background are numerous in
China now, but perhaps I have a
stronger enthusiasm and love for
the media business than they do.
Phoenix is one of the foreign TV
channels that enjoys the highest
rankings in the PRC – what's the
reason for this?
I think we are unique! When we
make programmes we want to offer
“a different selection”, no matter
whether that is related to style,
form or content, and we have
always sought to provide what the
majority audience wants to hear
and likes to watch, and which is
different from everything else.
What is the content that they can’t
get anywhere else?
Hong Kong media places a lot of
emphasis on local issues, and on the
mainland there are a considerable
number of restrictions, so I have not
seen any television in China that,
like Phoenix, does timely and on‐
the‐spot reporting of hot spots
around the world, and that at the
same time can invite guests with
different points of view to provide
commentary and analysis.
What about your online presence?
Our TV mainly aims at the high
levels of society, but our internet
website (ifeng.com) attracts an even
wider viewership. At present we
have more than 300m viewers
which makes it number one in
terms of the TV and print media
around the world, ahead of CNN,
the BBC, the New York Times, the
Wall Street Journal, CCTV and so on.
What do you do in the mobile space?
The mobile phone is a
communication and reception tool
that modern man cannot do
without. The Phoenix mobile
network on a daily average reaches
over 100m viewers. In our
development strategy the mobile
network was an important element.
Our cooperation with partners on
mobile phone distribution is open.
On the mainland we work with
China Mobile as our representative
operating business partner, and we
also work with different mobile
operating partners in Hong Kong
and other locations. In terms of
service providers we are covered by
Apple, Google, Microsoft and other
platforms. The mobile phone brands
that receive our material include
major international manufacturers
including Samsung, Motorola,
Nokia and Chinese brands Huawei
and Lenovo. Our viewers can
watch Phoenix programmes via
mobile TV, mobile internet services,
apps and other methods.
What is your business model?
Our resources and income have
gradually become multi‐faceted.
When we were first established
over 90% came from advertising,
but now income is multi‐
dimensional. For example, our TV
series "China Land” set a new
revenue standard in programme
sales when it was distributed last
year. Apart from advertising
income, Phoenix also enjoys
considerable income as a content
supplier. At present income from
our television business probably
represents about 57% of the
Group’s income, and this greatly
reduces business risks.
How is the media landscape
evolving in your region?
Hong Kong is a centre of
international news and information
media, with a free news
environment, and a very vibrant
media business. At present 50
newspapers are published every
day, broadband covers 85% of the
population, and there are also 9,000
Wi‐Fi hotspots. The infrastructure
of Hong Kong’s construction and
communications technology is very
well developed, with great
potential to develop mobile news
services. It is probably one of the
best places in the world for
establishing a media base.
What's your personal media use?
I go on the internet every morning
to see what the main global
developments are, and surf Sina
Weibo and QQ. I also receive every
day a news summary that includes
items from the main websites,
dozens of foreign and local news
papers. I pay most attention to
Phoenix TV, but also watch CCTV,
CNN and BBC to make a
comparison. Chinese people have
the habit of sending lots of text
messages on their mobiles, and I
receive more text messages than
anyone else in the company. And
when going to the company offices
or going to a meeting I often use
the mobile phone TV service and
internet to get a sense of the latest
news and developments.
What's next in Phoenix’s evolution?
The next step is to use our energies
to develop the omni‐media, using
the commercial opportunities
created by the prosperity of cultural
business on the mainland, and
prepare to make more multi‐
faceted investments. We hope that
we can always be ahead of the times.
Thank you, LIU Changle.
www.phoenixtv.com
Our series
"China
Land” set
a new
standard
in
programme
sales
“
”
THE CHANNEL | ISSUE 1 2012 | 47