Economy

China to set up national cablevision network

(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-02-10 14:26

China will strive to integrate its regional cable TV operators and work out a draft plan of its national cablevision network firm which is considered an uphill task due to regulatory overlap, analysts said.

China will push to integrate its telecom, TV broadcasting and Internet systems on a trial phrase from 2010 to 2012, according to officials from Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, the Beijing Morning Post reported Wednesday.

However, regulatory overlap and turf wars between government agencies may thwart the heralded syndication, analysts said.

The turf war reached its climax in 2005 when a project of digital television service via Internet was strongly opposed by the broadcaster in southern Quanzhou city who offered a competitive service allowing users to surf the Internet on television.

Pang Jun, an analyst from market research firm GFK China, said authorities need to redefine the market territories for industry regulators to assure the integration of the three systems.

"But that has proved to be an extremely difficult task," he said.