‘Stars’ and places: exploring the spatial organization of media and entertainment industries in China

ABSTRACT

Drawing on an innovative ‘big data’ method, this paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the geography of media and entertainment industries (MEIs) in China, by examining the specific activities that are performed by celebrities, the key actors in these industries. Compared to previous research on cultural and creative industries, which primarily rely on more traditional statistical data, our study demonstrates a new approach to systemically investigate the spatial organization of the dynamic production process in MEIs. The outcomes reveal that activities focusing on the different value segments of MEIs display rather diverse geographical patterns. Depending on the availability and combination of specific local assets, different locations perform varying functions in the production networks of MEIs. Therefore, the agglomeration of MEIs only partially overlaps with the existing urban hierarchy. In addition, celebrities catering to different media and entertainment markets also exhibit distinct activity patterns, indicating a close and reciprocal relationship between the popularity of celebrities, the activities they perform, the platforms that are chosen, and the commercial value that can be generated as a result. This study contributes to our understanding of the complex development patterns and consequences of MEIs in emerging economies.

KEYWORDS:

• Media and entertainment industries
• cultural and creative industries
• celebrity
• big data
• China

Acknowledgement

We would like to thank the editor and the anonymous referees for their constructive comments on an earlier version of this paper. The usual disclaimers apply.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes on contributors

Xu Zhang is an associate professor of Human Geography at the Wuhan University of Technology. He is an urban geographer interested in urban spaces, urban networks and cultural economies. His current research has focused on the spatial development of cultural and creative economic activities in China's major metropolitan areas.

Robert C. Kloosterman is Professor of Economic Geography and Planning at the University of Amsterdam. His current research activities centre on new economic activities in urban contexts (notably cultural industries and migrant businesses) and on linkages within polycentric urban configurations in advanced economies.

Yajuan Li is an associate professor of Tourism Management at the Central China Normal University and a visiting scholar at the Colorado State University. Her current research has focused on the development of cultural tourism and cultural industries in ethnic minority areas.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1 However, a huge film studio – the Qingdao Oriental Movie Metropolis – was opened in Qingdao in 2018, which may improve the city’s attractiveness to media activities in the following years.

2 These data were collected from the official website of Sina Weibo on 30 September 2018. https://weibo.com.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 41601163].