Posted on: Wednesday, September 5, 2001

News Corp., AOL hoping to reach China TV viewers

Bloomberg News Service

News Corp. and AOL Time Warner Inc., two of the largest media companies, may get access to China's television audiences in return for distributing a Chinese government-sponsored channel in the U.S., the Financial Times Web site reported.

"We have been having positive and constructive discussions with the Chinese government to get increased access for CETV in China," said Tricia Primrose, an AOL Time Warner spokeswoman. CETV, or China Entertainment TV, is based in Hong Kong and owned by AOL's TBS cable group.

Overseas companies' broadcasts into China are restricted to some tourist hotels and foreign residential compounds.

"We should say that (broadcasting by News and AOL) in a restricted area in Guangdong province would be fine," the report quoted Xu Guangchun, the Chinese minister responsible for radio, film and television, as saying.

The only outstanding issue was whether News and AOL would make widely available in the U.S. a China Central Television channel.

"We have asked them to allow CCTV to broadcast in America," Xu was quoted as saying. "We want it to be easily accessed."