SATELLITE & CABLE: Satellite TV viewership on the rise in mainland

<p>Viewers in China have more access to satellite TV, according to a </p><p>survey conducted by China Mainland Marketing Research and the China </p><p>Radio & TV Society. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Penetration has increased rapidly, with the number of channels reaching </p><p>more than 100 million viewers rising from 17 to 22 in the past year. </p><p>CCTV's eight channels have about 600 million to one billion viewers, an </p><p>increase of between four million and 90 million over last year. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The survey looked at access and ratings of nine official satellite TV </p><p>channels among 5,642 families in 45 cities and 88 counties from August </p><p>to October this year. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The channels included CCTV's movie and agricultural channels and seven </p><p>provincial satellite channels from Jiangsu, Anhui, Hubei, Guangdong, </p><p>Chongqing, Sichuan and Guizhou. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Of all the nine surveyed stations, CCTV's movie channel and agricultural </p><p>channels were most popular, with cumulative audiences increasing by 600 </p><p>million each within the survey period. Both channels have attracted an </p><p>extra 10 million viewers since 1999. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The CCTV Movie Channel was the first choice for 60 per cent of viewers, </p><p>compared with the average 30 per cent among the other seven CCTV </p><p>channels. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The survey also showed that viewers watch the two channels either </p><p>"frequently or every day", with an average daily viewing time of more </p><p>than 19 minutes. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Source: CMM Intelligence. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>