TV celebrities including Chinese actress Michelle Ye (pictured), singer Shang Wenjie, Korean pop star Nana, Chinese actresses Mo Xiaoqi and Alyssa Chia design clothes in a reality show. They will model their designs in runway shows to win orders from shop owners at tmall.com, where the designs will hit the shelves immediately after each episode is aired. Photos Provided to China Daily

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Bringing it back home

Although New Dress isn't completely a new idea, its collaboration with new age media has got the industry excited as traditional TV channels are still seen to be short on creativity.

In a market where more than 40 satellite broadcasters are competing for attention from the same audiences and advertisers, conservative senior TV management have been less willing to risk new ideas for fear of letting ratings and income fall, says Kim Gordon, founder of Imaginement China.

Having previously worked with the BBC, Gordon's company specializes in training Chinese TV producers in creativity. His clients include producers from leading channels such as Hunan and Jiangsu TV.

The situation means a tested formula is still a safer card to play. That is why Chinese TV channels are constantly inspired by overseas program formats, such as the Voice of China series that have already been tested in other markets and often mean a better chance of success.

Another problem is that when a format proves successful on a leading Chinese channel, other networks tend to buy a similar format or imitate the idea.