China to launch Netflix-like movie service
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The government-run China Movie Channel will launch an online service like Netflix in China this year, promising a big new revenue source for Hollywood from streaming its films and TV shows to subscribers in the world's most populous nation.
The new service is set to open in the fourth quarter, according to its backers, who say they have signed their first content agreement with a major Hollywood studio.
The as-yet-unnamed service is due to be announced in Beverly Hills on Thursday on M1905.com, China Movie Channel's online site, and by Jiaflix, a consortium of businessmen whose partners include former Columbia Pictures chairman Sid Ganis.
Jiaflix, a play on "Jia", which means "family", expects to soon add content from more studios, said Marc Ganis, a cousin of Sid Ganis and a Jiaflix managing director.
"This new venture will bring the best that Hollywood has to offer to viewers in China," said Sid Ganis. "It represents a great opportunity for Hollywood to increase its exports to China and enhance cultural cooperation between our two nations."
The new service's backers hope that the low-cost and mobile streaming model will help Hollywood studios wring more revenue from Chinese viewers.
China Movie Channel, which is regulated by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, is the country's largest TV buyer of international movies and has deals with all the major studios. Its website, M1905.com, offers 6,000 Chinese-language movies.
The five-year-old M1905.com -- so named because 1905 was the year China began making movies -- has 4 million unique visitors, 3 million registered users and about 16 million daily page-views.
Hitherto China has imposed strict controls on Hollywood shows allowed within its borders, limiting the number of movies screened in theaters and confining broadcasts to cable channels marketed primarily to an expatriate population.
Rampant piracy -- with DVDs of blockbuster films sold widely for often as low as $1 apiece -- has also curtailed the expansion of Hollywood content in the world's second-biggest economy.
FLAT FEE
Netflix, which helped popularize online viewing of movies and TV shows in the United States, licenses movies and TV shows with upfront payments. It charges a flat monthly fee for on-demand streaming.
M1905.com will similarly be converted into the new subscription service, and will stream movies to subscribers through computers, Internet-connected TVs and mobile devices.
Subscriptions are likely to be priced at under $10 a month to attract customers. Newer films can be purchased individually for on-demand viewing.
Ganis negotiated the service's first agreement with the major studio, which he declined to name until a formal announcement was made, with his cousin Marc and Chinese businessman Kenny Huang, who founded the sports consultancy Sportscorp China in 2002 with Marc.
"We are delighted to make this announcement with our partners at Jiaflix, said Longfei Liang, M1905's managing director. "China has a long and storied history in films. New media distribution of films is the future."
The new service is set to open in the fourth quarter, according to its backers, who say they have signed their first content agreement with a major Hollywood studio.
The as-yet-unnamed service is due to be announced in Beverly Hills on Thursday on M1905.com, China Movie Channel's online site, and by Jiaflix, a consortium of businessmen whose partners include former Columbia Pictures chairman Sid Ganis.
Jiaflix, a play on "Jia", which means "family", expects to soon add content from more studios, said Marc Ganis, a cousin of Sid Ganis and a Jiaflix managing director.
"This new venture will bring the best that Hollywood has to offer to viewers in China," said Sid Ganis. "It represents a great opportunity for Hollywood to increase its exports to China and enhance cultural cooperation between our two nations."
The new service's backers hope that the low-cost and mobile streaming model will help Hollywood studios wring more revenue from Chinese viewers.
China Movie Channel, which is regulated by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, is the country's largest TV buyer of international movies and has deals with all the major studios. Its website, M1905.com, offers 6,000 Chinese-language movies.
The five-year-old M1905.com -- so named because 1905 was the year China began making movies -- has 4 million unique visitors, 3 million registered users and about 16 million daily page-views.
Hitherto China has imposed strict controls on Hollywood shows allowed within its borders, limiting the number of movies screened in theaters and confining broadcasts to cable channels marketed primarily to an expatriate population.
Rampant piracy -- with DVDs of blockbuster films sold widely for often as low as $1 apiece -- has also curtailed the expansion of Hollywood content in the world's second-biggest economy.
FLAT FEE
Netflix, which helped popularize online viewing of movies and TV shows in the United States, licenses movies and TV shows with upfront payments. It charges a flat monthly fee for on-demand streaming.
M1905.com will similarly be converted into the new subscription service, and will stream movies to subscribers through computers, Internet-connected TVs and mobile devices.
Subscriptions are likely to be priced at under $10 a month to attract customers. Newer films can be purchased individually for on-demand viewing.
Ganis negotiated the service's first agreement with the major studio, which he declined to name until a formal announcement was made, with his cousin Marc and Chinese businessman Kenny Huang, who founded the sports consultancy Sportscorp China in 2002 with Marc.
"We are delighted to make this announcement with our partners at Jiaflix, said Longfei Liang, M1905's managing director. "China has a long and storied history in films. New media distribution of films is the future."
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