China’s digital media industries and the challenge of overseas markets

Abstract

The influence of China on the world stage is beyond question; however, this influence is most evident in the realm of economics. Since the early 2000s China’s media and cultural industries have made a concerted effort to enter international markets. In recent years China’s leading online and digital platforms have become linked to the so-called ‘culture going out’ campaign; they contribute to ‘the call of government’ by revitalizing Chinese cultural products/services and promoting them through online consumption experiences on their affiliated platforms. This paper examines the extent of these Chinese digital companies’ capabilities in the great rejuvenation of China’s culture. The paper also considers the problem of reporting on the reception of China’s film and television outside China. It argues that while online platforms are getting the message out, Chinese products are primarily targeted at the domestic audience and the already converted, those in the Chinese diaspora. This online model of dissemination in turn has implications for how academics use the term ‘media industry.’

Keywords:

• going out
• digital media
• film
• television
• cultural enpowerment

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

Notes

1 To sum up, so far as China’s peaceful rise is concerned, it is only a cherished ‘Chinese dream’ based on China’s national condition and it aims at solving China’s own problems, but certainly not any other dream. Speech China’s rise is a peaceful rise. The rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation is the rejuvenation of its civilization – speech at the Beijing Regional Conference of the Asia-Pacific Working Group of the ‘Trilateral Commission’ (November 25, 2005).

2 SARFT is now called National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA). For a discussion see Keane (2015).

3 https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/22/movies/the-great-wall-what-critics-and-filmgoers-are-saying-in-china.html.

4 https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Great-Wall-The/South-Korea#tab=summary.

5 https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/wolf-warrior-2-2017.

6 The survey is part of a research project (ongoing at time of writing), called Digital China: from cultural presence to innovative nation. The survey was still open at time of writing and for this reason I have not provided the full data. The survey also asked the question ‘where are you living now’ in order to capture a sense of perspective, as we found that many Chinese respondents were living or studying overseas (in HKSAR and Australia in particular). Because the survey was distributed through several sites, including the Chinese social media site WeChat, 55% of responses (513) came from persons who were born and were living in the PRC. These were discounted in the analysis as the main purpose of the research was to ascertain non-Chinese views.

7 For a discussion of engagement in relation to international television series in China see Gilardi et al. (2018).

8 In 2008, sales of TV programs in Europe were US$2.53 million, in the United States US$1.64 million, and in Africa US$0.41 million. In 2016, the numbers were US$2.90, US$2.03, and US$0.36 million, respectively. Source: http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/ndsj/2017/indexch.htm; Keane (2015).

9 The regulators here include the Publicity Department, formerly known as the Propaganda Department, which has taken responsibility from SARFT in 2018; other regulatory agencies include the China Film Coproduction Corporation (CFCC), which might recommend projects.

Additional information

Funding

Research for this article was funded through the Australian Research Council Discovery-Projects DP170102176 Digital China: From Cultural Presence to Innovative Nation.

Notes on contributors

Michael Keane

Michael Keane is Professor of Chinese Digital Media and Communications at Curtin University, Perth.Michael’s key research interests are digital transformation in China; communication policy and the Belt and Road Initiative; creative cities, television in China, and creative industries and cultural export strategies in China and East Asia.