Nations tune in to each other's TV shows

The deep and comprehensive cooperation between China and Thailand in TV drama in the past decade has set a good example for China's future cooperation with other countries in this industry, said a senior official from the National Radio and Television Administration at a meeting in Beijing on Tuesday.

From 2012 to 2021, more than 240 Thai TV series have been introduced to China, accounting for more than half of the TV series introduced from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, said Yan Chengsheng, head of the international cooperation department of the National Radio and Television Administration.

"People in China and Thailand share some similarities in culture and daily life. The two nations stand close to each other in geography. That's why Thai TV dramas have enjoyed a rising popularity here in recent years," said Yan at the meeting that gathered the heads of popular TV channels, online video-sharing platforms and drama production companies from both countries.

Many Thai TV series telling romantic stories and starring popular actors and actresses have attracted hundreds of thousands of Chinese viewers.

In 2009, Anhui TV aired Battle of Angels, a Thai romantic soap opera. It became a top 10 TV drama in China within a week of its first broadcast and was also the most-watched series on the TV station, said Zhou Yuan, director of Anhui TV. He added that the TV station has introduced more than 50 Thai series.

With more and more young people moving to the mobile internet, online video-sharing platforms have become the first choice for watching dramas. In recent years, China's leading online video platforms Tencent Video, Youku and iQiyi have launched dedicated Thai TV drama sections following those from the United States, the United Kingdom, South Korea and Japan.

"Many viewers say they want to travel to Thailand after watching these Thai dramas," said Zhou Peng, who is in charge of Youku's foreign drama division.

Love Destiny, a Thai time-traveling romantic comedy, has attracted millions of views on Youku since it was released last year. It's also rated 8.3 out of 10 on Douban, one of China's most-visited review platforms, a high mark that surpasses many popular Chinese dramas.

Zhou said that on one side, Thai TV series are popular in China, on the other, Chinese dramas are also enjoying popularity in Thailand. He added that every drama Youku airs overseas has Thai language subtitles.

"The love between the two nations is two-way," he said. Since 2020, TrueID, a popular online video platform in Thailand, started to introduce Chinese dramas. Those focusing on martial arts, fantasy and romantic stories have proved popular in Thailand.

Komin Aoudomphan from True-ID said that Chinese TV series like Reset and Thank You, Doctor are very popular on the platform.

As President Xi Jinping starts his visit to Thailand this week, the Chinese TV series Our Times and six other documentaries will be broadcast in the country. Meanwhile, Tencent Video in China has set up a special section for Thai TV dramas on its front page to promote more than 50 Thai series.

"The cooperation in the TV industry between China and Thailand is deep and comprehensive in terms of investment, technology and talent. We believe we can work together to tell great stories of Asia," said Yan, the official from the National Radio and Television Administration.