HK portal wins China TV ad sales deal

<p>HONG KONG: Chinadotcom's subsidiary hongkong.com has formed an </p><p>advertising partnership with Shanghai Xinhua Yatai TV Production. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The latter is a subsidiary of the Shanghai branch of Xinhua News Agency, </p><p>which has a stake in the portal. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The joint-venture will have the exclusive rights to sell advertising for </p><p>finance-related television programming produced by Yatai Shanghai. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The move is seen as strengthening Chinadotcom's integrated media </p><p>capabilities, and is hongkong.com's first venture into mainland </p><p>China. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Chinadotcom chief executive officer Peter Yip said the partnership was </p><p>an opportunity for the portal to increase revenue in a "tough market </p><p>climate". </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Yip added: "We believe that our deep penetration of this vertical sector </p><p>will enable us to capture new, profitable revenue streams. As China </p><p>enters the WTO, we think that ventures like Yatai Shanghai will thrive </p><p>by providing much-needed market information." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Yatai Shanghai programmes include Listed Companies in China and Hua Din </p><p>Finance. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Zenith Media Beijing research director Zoe Tan said cross-media </p><p>collaborations were increasing in China. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"As a news agency, Chinadotcom wants to diversify its revenue stream by </p><p>crossing the medium line and creating a production company. On the other </p><p>hand, the production company needs to ensure that whatever it produces </p><p>has a place to go, which is why it has selected to partner with an </p><p>online firm," said Tan. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"What makes this alliance unique is not its format, but ultimately the </p><p>television content produced." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The company claims its programmes are broadcast in more than 50 cities </p><p>in China, with a potential television audience of 100 million. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>