SATELLITE & CABLE: V's Chinese Music Awards creating distribution spree

<p>This kind of music awards show, organised in collaboration with </p><p>local stations, are crucial in promoting the channel; one major key </p><p>value is getting the brand into China. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Music awards shows have been an event highlight for foreign music </p><p>networks, for whom the staging of such shows carries immense </p><p>implications in terms of distribution clout in China. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Now in its fifth year, Channel V's Chinese Music Awards, held in Beijing </p><p>last January, gained distribution to more than 50 cable stations across </p><p>the mainland. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Despite the fact that the awards show itself would not make any profits, </p><p>Channel V managing director Steve Smith said the syndicated programming </p><p>of the show itself established a panel of stations to promote the V </p><p>brand. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Organised in conjunction with Beijing Cable Television, with support </p><p>from the China Cable Television Association, the China Music Awards </p><p>generated nationwide publicity, with 30 awards presented to artists from </p><p>Greater China. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Mr Smith said this kind of music awards show, organised in collaboration </p><p>with local stations, was crucial to promote the channel. One major key </p><p>value, he said, was that "this is the way to get the brand into </p><p>China". </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"It's difficult for us to do the marketing (activities) we need to do </p><p>because we need permits," said Mr Smith, noting that local partnerships </p><p>were vital for building up both the brand and distribution. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>With daypart distribution on 35 cable systems in China, Mr Smith said </p><p>Channel V grew by 25 per cent both in distribution and advertising sales </p><p>last year. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Localisation is an inevitable move for regional cable and satellite </p><p>networks as they vie to widen viewership and advertising revenue. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Channel V plans to separate the Greater China feed into one for Taiwan </p><p>and one for the mainland, with the objective of giving advertisers more </p><p>flexibility. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Sponsorship accounted for about 75 per cent of the channel's total </p><p>advertising revenue; in the long run, Mr Smith said, Channel V was </p><p>trying to bring the proportion down by 50 per cent to get more clients </p><p>in on spot buys. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The Chinese Music Awards this year was sponsored by Motorola with </p><p>associate sponsorship from Netvigator, as well as support from the FM </p><p>Select channel of Hong Kong's Metro Radio, Beijing Swissotel and Vectra </p><p>Opel. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Advertising revenue from syndicated programming will be shared with </p><p>local stations. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>China is a tough market for programming syndication, because forming a </p><p>mutually beneficial partnership is a problematic issue for many foreign </p><p>networks in the mainland. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Staged as a Greater China event, Mr Smith said the Chinese Music Awards </p><p>will take place in Hong Kong after being held in China (Shanghai and </p><p>Beijing) for two years. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The China Music Awards was not just a one-off event for advertisers; Mr </p><p>Smith said the programme offered marketers a communications platform on </p><p>a big scale. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Creative media buys and better quality production were among the </p><p>advantages of sponsoring this kind of music awards organised by an </p><p>international channel, said a spokesperson from Motorola. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"It's not just about sponsoring the event, but also the telecast as a </p><p>whole," said the spokesperson, who noted it was generally difficult to </p><p>find this kind of flexibility dealing with local stations. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>