Chinese Internet TV Becomes Premium Financial Video

China's largest internet TV portal, UUSee, recentlyalso create a channel for the dissemination of financial
established a JV with Qianlong Software, China'sinformation. Therefore investors can now control all
leading share trading software company, to launchthe information on a single platform, instead of "a
video windows on Qianlong's share trading interface.computer on the left side and a TV on the right
The new product has delivered dramatic trafficside".
increases for UUSee, as well as high advertising sales.Internet TV ≠ Online video
According to UUSee, its website currently hasUUSee is an internet TV media based on
500,000 visitors per day and as high as 50,000point-to-point (P2P) technology, which is different
visitors online at any given time. UUSee hadfrom those so-called online video websites, such as
registered US$10 million advertising sales in 2007, upYouTube. Most online video websites in China are
50% from previous comparable period, and theuser-generated-contents website, which means users
company achieved break even at the end of 2007.upload their own video contents onto the website.
Industry analysts suggested that in the near future,On the other hand, UUSee's programs are mostly
video-based financial programs will be equally sharingsourced from television stations and filming
the financial news market with text-based financialinstitutions, whose contents have obtained regulatory
news. But in a longer term, as more and moreapprovals and are legally allowed to broadcast to the
financial contents move to video format, significantpublic. In order to attract advertisements, all the
investment opportunities will surface in this sector.contents on UUSee are free of charge.
Win-win for UUSee and QianlongAs a new media, UUSee has singed up more than 80
In terms of real-time share market monitoring, thetelevision stations in China, spanning across channels
cooperation between Qianlong and UUSee, whosesuch as movie, television drama, sports, finance and
competitive advantage lies in combing TV andfashion. According to Mr Xu, about 40% of UUSee's
internet, has created a new model for producingoperating costs belong to copyright purchase.
financial video programs. Under the deal, UUSee'sValue of internet TVs
video windows (user terminal) have been embeddedSince 2007, P2P technology-based internet TV media
into the bottom-right corner of Qianlong's latest sharein China as attracted impressive interests from
market software, enabling Qianlong users to viewventure capitalists. As Web 2.0 technology developing
multiple TV channels while using the software.and bandwidth availability expanding in China, the
Vice-CEO of UUSee, Mr Xu Haoyu, commented thatonline video sector, especially live broadcasting and
"This is a win-win deal, which has lifted bothvideo-on-demand enabled internet TVs, has grown
companies' value propositions." For Qianlong users,significantly in a short time period. Meanwhile, the
they can now receive richer and livelier information,improvement in contents and profitability of internet
hence more value added. And for UUSee, it can nowTV websites in 2007 has brought large impacts on
repackage its contents for defined groups oftraditional TVs, internet news portals and the DVD
viewers, enabling advertisers to place advertisementsindustry.
more accurately according to different user groups.UUSee obtained its first venture capital (VC) funding
So it could be indeed a win-win deal.of US$10 million in 2005 and it second VC funding of
Mr Song Liqun, Managing Director of ShanghaiUS$23.5 million in 2007. It is reported that the German
Qianlong Network Technology, which owns theVC firm Burda Digital is also considering investing in
software, said that the marriage between securitiesUUSee. Analysts have predicted that in the long term,
trading software providers and new media such asinternet TVs will become an arch-viral to traditional
internet TV, could not only provide a new channel forTVs and first generation internet portals for
users to receive timely financial information, but couldadvertising sales.