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发帖数: 3365 | 1 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405297020373530457716650
BEIJING—Government restrictions are driving young Chinese to turn off their
TV sets and turn on their computers. Advertisers and Western studios are
right there with them.
China's streaming-video sites once were derided by the global entertainment
industry as homes of stolen movies and television shows. But many sites have
cracked down on piracy and are offering original programming, as well as
licensed Western movies and TV shows such as "Gossip Girl" and "Mad Men."
As a result, ad revenue for Chinese video websites operated by Youku Inc.,
Tudou Holdings Ltd., Baidu Inc., Sohu.com Ltd. and others surged to 1.48
billion yuan ($235 million) in the third quarter, up 48% from the second
quarter, according to market-data firm Analysys International.
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The Youku-GM series 'Miss Puff' features a man who drives a Chevy Cruze.
Some sites are starting to offer some premium content, charging Chinese
consumers for each viewing or on a monthly basis. "People are getting used
to paying for content," said Gary Wang, chief executive of Tudou, which has
about 12 million paying mobile subscribers.
Tudou, which gets 300 million visitors a month, has paid millions of dollars
for exclusive rights to broadcast some Hollywood films, he said, though he
didn't offer specifics. In October the company began offering Walt Disney Co
.'s "Cars 2" animated movie for 20 yuan, or about $3, a view.
Advertisers such as General Motors Co. are responding by buying banner ads,
time before shows and in some cases helping to produce their own Chinese
programming. Chinese online-video ad rates accelerated last year, rising 40%
—50% in some cities—compared with a 25% rise in overall Internet
advertising, according to WPP PLC's GroupM Interaction ad-buying arm.
Youku teamed with GM last year to produce "Miss Puff," an animated online
video series about a tech-savvy single woman in Beijing. Her handsome suitor
drives GM's Chevrolet Cruze.
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"It's a real business, a growing business, and it's only going in one
direction," said Dede Nickerson, head of production and strategic
development for the China arm of Sony Corp.'s Sony Pictures.
The rush has unleashed bidding wars for rights, leading to predictions of an
industry shake-up. Last year LeTV.com, a streaming-video website owned by
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