Disney big splash hits China TV, kids

The park has teamed up with terrestrial channel TVB to bring its entertainment shows to Chinese audiences as it gears up to unveil a major through-the-line advertising campaign in September. The theme park will air three new series of Disney TV programmes -- Hong Kong Disneyland Fun Time, Hong Kong Disneyland Viva Club Disney and Magical World of Disney -- on TVB's Chinese-language station, Jade. The three shows were selected specifically to build buzz before the park's opening in 2005 or 2006. The programming will also reach audiences in China through Hong Kong dominant station TVB, whose transmission signal extends across the border. The tie-up will give Disneyland branded timeslots for up to six days a week, and while the park remained tightlipped on the costs involved in broadcasting the series, sources estimated the deal to be in the "high eight-figure sum in Hong Kong dollars". The theme park is aggressively targeting mainland consumers with grass root events at local schools, and will hold activities with the China Youth League. Roy Tan Hardy, vice-president, marketing and sales at Disneyland Hong Kong, said: "Chinese audiences know Mickey Mouse but they don't know the Disney story which is something we need to educate them about before the park's opening. "We'll be going into schools with the entertainment story and giving (kids) interaction with Disney when schools open in September. We'll be educating them on Disney stars and characters. Kids have a great deal of pester power and the population of Guangzhou is huge." The theme park, which anticipates 5.6 million visitors in its first year, expects 33 per cent of visitors to come from Southern China. Locals, meanwhile, will account for 35 per cent of attendees. Disneyland has also named Hong Kong entertainer Jacky Cheung as ambassador, marking the first time an Asian celebrity has been used to promote the brand.