CCTV.com attracts overseas viewers via link-up with Apple
Shanghai. November 11. INTERFAX-CHINA - State-owned new media online broadcaster CCTV.com has garnered an additional 500,000 overseas users for its mobile TV service jointly operated with Apple Inc., CCTV.com announced on Nov. 11.
CCTV.com and Apple jointly launched the mobile TV service in September when terminals were pre-installed in Apple iPhones, allowing users in 142 countries to access CCTV.com's online content free of charge.
According to the announcement, the service has generated 500,000 downloads and 4 million CCTV.com page views.
The majority of users are overseas Chinese and foreigners in the process of learning Chinese, the announcement said.
CCTV.com has been actively developing its new media businesses, specifically in the areas of online video broadcasting and mobile TV.
Despite the broadcaster's efforts, some analysts told Interfax previously that CCTV's efforts in the new media sector may not yield the desired results, as new media operations generally attract a specific demographic - younger viewers who have little interest in government-funded programming.
-HJL