Selling on China’s TV

Press, 15 June 1983, Page 12

Selling on China’s TV

From

‘The Economist,’ London

If American diplomacy has recently lost ground with China, American television has made up for it in unusual style. Starting in October, Chinese viewers will see one hour of CBS fare each Friday evening at prime time just after the Chinese State network’s national news, and a further 30 minutes every other Sunday. American networks have supplied China with bits and pieces of

television film before, but never with regular programmes — and never with advertisements. Representatives of China Central Television, which claims to reach about a third of the country’s population of 1000 million (though they have only 15 million sets), are due in America soon to select the CBS shows they want. Under the contract, Chinese tele-

vision has agreed to show five minutes of commercials per hour. The advertisers, says CBS, will be large American corporations or European firms.

China will not pay a penny for this insight into the American way. CBS aims to take $3 million from advertisers in the first year, enough to cover the cost of the operation and leave a small profit for sharing with Chiha Central TV.