A Study Of The Associate Production And Broadcasting Mode Of Local TV Sports Channels

Sports TV in China has undergone a steady rise ever since its inception. Compared with the development of other TV programs, different sports channels can largely co-exist to mutual benefit despite their competition. However, this static mode actually runs counter to the further development of TV sports, leaving a number of problems lurking beneath the seemingly calm surface.Local TV sports channels in China have long found it hard to survive when faced with challenges from powerful media like CCTV. Except a few channels struggling to survive in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Jiangsu where sports TV enjoys a greater popularity, local sports TV in less-developed areas have mostly been reduced to an empty shell with neither rating and nor audience. Under the increasingly tough situation, quite a number of local channels have agreed to collaborate against predominant television stations. It can be seen that local sports TV would resort to any measure to gain a higher rating in order to secure their own existence. Therefore, associate production and broadcasting has emerged as a life-saving straw for some local sports TV striving for further development. This thesis intends to see into the question that whether associate production and broadcasting can lend hope to the development of local sports TV and whether the five members of CSPN might work together to trigger a turnaround for the current plight of sports TV in China by trying to launch a new mode f production and broadcasting.Departing from the perspectives of program setting, broadcasting rights marketing, advertising management and audience rating of local sports TV, this thesis offers a comprehensive analysis of status of sports TV in China with an effective use of data from Certified Scrum Master (CSM). CSPN is taken as a study case and through its comparison with ESPN in terms of program contents, business scope and derivative industry, the thesis seeks to summarize the deficiency and weakness in the development of sports TV industry and sports channel in China as well as to forecast the prospects of the industry putting forward valuable conclusions and proposing countermeasure suggestions for the development of the TV sports industry in China. The main argument of this thesis can be summarized as follows. First, the industry environment of TV sports in China is not optimistic, yet quite a number of local TV channels have successfully mitigated risks through joint development. Although CCTV stills remains the dominant TV sports media in China, the rise of local TV sports channels in cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou as well as the establishment of CSPN is not to be underestimated. Generally speaking, the current industry structure proves favorable for the possible development of TV sports in China. Second, CSPN, standing as a joint effort by local TV channels, should remain subject to change according to changes in state policy and market mechanism in order to avoid a shutout. For now, it is most important to clear the confusion and to set flexible guidelines based on different circumstances to ensure a better future for China’s TV sports industry and CSPN.