CCTV to launch national Internet TV station on Dec. 28
Shanghai. December 22. INTERFAX-CHINA - State-run China Central Television (CCTV) will launch a national Internet TV station on Dec. 28, an employee with CCTV's official Web site told Interfax on Dec. 22.
CCTV will hold a press conference in Beijing on Dec. 28 to announce the official launch of cntv.cn, said an employee with CCTV.com's brand department, who wished remain anonymous.CCTV.com will remain as CCTV's online news outlet. Unlike CCTV.com, cntv.com will only carry video content.
Interfax reported on Nov. 26 that CCTV.com started testing two online video sites on Nov. 13, xiyou.cctv.com and bugu.cctv.com in a move to tap China's burgeoning online video market. Xiyou.cctv.com will be a high-definition live broadcast and video-on-demand (VOD) site, while bugu.cctv.com will be a video sharing site.
"The two sites are sub-products of the national Internet TV station. Along with them, CCTV.com will also launch other online video channels specifically for news and sports content on cntv.com," the CCTV.com employee said.
Industry analysts previously told Interfax that the development of China's Internet industry has attracted leading companies in the media sector, including state-owned TV giants, to tap the market. However, they also pointed out that CCTV's entry may not significantly impact the online video market at initial stages as online video user base is different from that of traditional television.
-HJL