Small screen, big ideas

Singing shows like The Voice of China are a big crowd-pleaser in the television industry. Photo provided to China Daily

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'Voice of China' musical comedy

In July, Shixi launched the First China TV Format Competition. Eight winning entries are expected to be made into real programs next year by incorporating US expertise. Also next year they will have a research center of 20 people dedicated to creating original formats.

A growing number of independent companies like Shixi are quickly gaining recognition among broadcasters and audiences, especially after Canxing Productions successfully produced the Voice of China for Zhejiang TV. Meanwhile, State-owned broadcasters, such as Shanghai's Dragon TV and Tianjin TV, have established their own production companies. Peng from Legend says these semi-independent companies share some personnel with, and have a better chance of working for, their owner channels.

Peng says without proper legislation, independent production companies are constantly taking financial risks.

He says production companies are sometimes required to sign a contract promising a certain audience rating. If the ratings are not reached, the payment will be deducted. In another scenario, a production company is given a certain budget, which includes their profits, to make a show. But the TV station often requests so many changes once production has started, that the company has to dip into the profit margin. These sort of contracts discourage innovation.

In the short term, it's more practical for the TV stations to change their way of thinking, says Hu Zhengrong, a professor of media studies at China University of Communication. TV stations can introduce a new job evaluation system that places originality alongside or even ahead of rating and income.

Hu says now is a good time for change, as TV stations are facing challenges from video websites, who have lured away many of their viewers, especially young educated people, with US and Taiwan TV shows and even the websites' original programs.

"But in the long run, if we want to see a flourishing content market, the manufacture and broadcast must be completely separate ... The biggest problem now is that we have so many broadcasters but such a shortage of quality content," Hu says.

"Of course the government will have to step in and play a more important role."