Full text: Development of china's news media in 2015

(Xinhua) Updated: 2016-04-29 11:20

★Case three: CCTV Actively Promotes Integrated Development of Media

In 2015, CCTV took the decision to actively promote integrated development of media, and made substantial progress in all its endeavors. Embracing the development model of "TV plus new media," it focusesd on content, applies advanced technology, carries out major projects, and boosts the integration of TV and new media in content, channel, platform, operations, and management. It has created an innovative structure for its staff.

(1) Strengthening Top-Level Design, Building an Innovative Structure, and Making Breakthroughs in Integrated Development

In 2015, CCTV set up a leading group for media integrated development responsible for overall design, coordinating the work of different departments, and supervising the implementation. Pooling the efforts of all staff will ensure the task is carried out in a systemic, consistent, and cooperative manner. The leading group is also responsible for studying and formulating mid- and long-term plans to prioritize goals, key products and programs for each phase. It seeks innovation in systems, production flow, channel building, management framework, operations, and personnel training.

In terms of operation, as the unified new media center of the station CCTV.com promotes its platform building by meeting the requirements of CCTV's integration of operations. CCTV.com now has the most comprehensive new media platform, covering almost every terminal, such as desktop internet (CCTV.Com), mobile internet (CCTV.Com, CBOX, CCTVNEWS apps, communication platform in public space, 4G integrated broadcast control platform), broadband internet (IPTV, Internet TV) and social media platform (Weibo, WeChat, overseas social media accounts, etc.). Through open platforms built on CCTV.Com, and integration of excellent programs launched on both station and CCTV.Com, programs are tailored for broadcast on multiple platforms so as to create a unified platform of CCTV new media. Exclusive services should be provided to key channels and hot programs to upgrade them into omni-media program producers, breaking the barriers between TV and new media to connect two user groups, and bringing CCTV's strength in program making and personnel to new media platforms.

CCTV.com and news center have set up a special working group to integrate news through a new organization structure and co-working. CCTV.com has a special team for its Children's Channel and makes programs every week to feed the new media. The programs are accessible on both media outlets, sharing function and users, with unified management and program launch. CCTV-1 has set up a production team together with CCTV.com to build a people search platform with programs such as "Wait for Me." Its 2016 Spring Festival Gala project team was composed of major program centers, the technology support department, CCTV.com and the advertising department. It designs all programs and ensures their release or broadcast on all platforms such as TV, internet and mobile phones.

(2) Maximizing the Demonstration Effect of Key Projects to Promote All Media Content Production

In 2015, CCTV highlighted the demonstration effect of key projects and chose the right breakthrough points in promoting the upgrade of content building — making the content products accessible on all media. Programs like the Spring Festival Gala (which used shake-shake audience interaction), the Chinese Riddle Quiz Game, the APEC meeting and the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the war against Japanese aggression serve as examples to promote all-media program production and communication, with satisfactory effect.

Since the launch of "APEC on Vguan" in 2014, the micro video of CCTVNEWS has become a name brand in the new media sector. It has clocked up more than 520 million exclusive page views. "G20 on Vguan," and "Xi Jinping's State Visit on Vguan" netted over 810 million page views.

In commemorating the 70th anniversary of war against Japanese aggression, CCTVNEWS selected and composed features to publicize the significance of the victory of this war, its status and its contribution to the world anti-fascist war. These reports were released separately on special dates as new media products — "In Honor of Heroes on Tomb-sweeping Day," "Days of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression," "Big Parade on Vguan," "Double Screen Interaction of Big Parade." The content included both special coverage and highlighted stories, complementing CCTV's coverage on TV and new media outlets. "Big Parade on Vguan," with over 98.23 million micro plays, won more than 200 million upticks. The parade on September 3 exceeded 4.65 billion page views, pushing the amount of users to over 735,000, and its live show on CCTV.com received more than 49 million impressions, a record high in its new media live broadcast history.

The 2015 Spring Festival Gala introduced the WeChat "shake shake game" during its live show to deliver program lists, distribute New Year greetings by Stars, and send red envelopes, producing 11 billion interactions by mobile phone users. By the end of the Gala, 41.9 million family photos had been uploaded and the maximum rate of "shakes" had reached 810 million per minute, a sign of the popularity of the Spring Festival Gala worldwide. CCTVNEWS new media platform held a panoramic live show featuring interactive games, real time Q&A, big-data analysis and barrage comments, each realizing user volume growth of millions on New Year's Eve, a record high in interaction.

During the second World Internet Conference, CCTVNEWS introduced innovative tools such as panorama camera, aerial drones and GoPro motion cameras to take pictures and film, and transmit videos by 4G. This equipment helped it release exclusive reports on its new media platforms, and interpret President Xi Jinping's speech as early as possible. It released 187 reports on domestic and overseas social media and apps, attracting 40.85 million visits from independent users, covering 55.63 million users, and receiving 526,000 thumbs-ups, comments and reposts. They were watched more than 1.5 million times.

(3) Working Out New Pattern of Media Integrated Development while Playing a Leading Role of Its Flagship Products

While playing a leading role in apps such as CBOX and CCTV.com, CCTV developed new media products based on CCTVNEWS, CCTV-2 (finance), CCTV-3 (variety show), CCTV-5 (sports) and CCTV-15 (music), exploiting the strengths of each channel and its key programs.

In 2015, the new media platform of CCTVNEWS expanded its platform, upgraded its products, reorganized its structure and optimized its work flow. CCTV app is responsible for releasing micro video, and WeChat is responsible for posting original reports, while Weibo focuses on updating news. It has also opened accounts on "Miaopai" (Sina video app on Weibo) and "Toutiao" (headline news) apps. By December 25, CCTVNEWS had 220 million users on all platforms, with CCTVNEW app users exceeding 30 million in November 2015.

CCTV-9 (English news) integrates its communication resources both at home and abroad to promote multi-media integration while enhancing its brand. CCTVNEWS has 21 official accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Google+, Wechat and Weibo. Other platforms such as YouTube, apps, Apple TV also serve to make China's voice heard around the globe. By the end of December 2015, CCTVNEWS accounts had more than 21.7 million active followers around the globe, with over 20.05 million from more than 200 countries and regions. Many of these are Western main-stream media personnel, experts, scholars, government employees and CEOs. The overseas exposure rates surpasses 8 billion, visits of independent users from abroad is 4.4 billion and click rates are more than 337 million. According to a sample survey by Nielsen in Greater New York in March 2015, followers of CCTVNEWS accounts on social media in this area equaled to its satellite and cable TV subscribers, making it an important channel for overseas audience to know and understand China.

Motivated by the effect of flagship products, all channels are actively embarking on operating and innovating on the new media platforms such as Weibo, WeChat and apps. By the third quarter of 2015, CCTV had set up all together 184 WeChat accounts, receiving 20.64 million hits; 323 Weibo accounts (on Sina Weibo alone) with over 171 million followers; and 37 apps with 186 million downloads. The users of its Weibo, WeChat and apps exceed 278 million.