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On October 7， the second season of The Voice of China， a talent show on Zhejiang Satellite TV， ended， having proven an even bigger success than its first season.
This season not only maintained high ratings but also embraced a dramatic increase in turnover. During its 2012 season， the show generated a total revenue of 300 million yuan（$49.23 million）. The figure jumped to 1 billion yuan （$164.1 million） this year.
Some regard The Voice of China as the first show to make Chinese audiences familiar with the concept of franchised TV shows. The show is an adaptation of The Voice of Holland， which enjoys spin-offs in nearly 50 countries.
After being introduced to China， the program was adapted to the local market before starting its first season on July 13， 2012， on Zhejiang Satellite TV， a local broadcaster in east China’s Zhejiang province， instantly attracting high ratings that persisted even during the 2012 london Olympics.
The program has a wide following on the Internet. After two days of broadcasting on China’s largest video streaming services following its launch last year， it broke records with over 10 million views.
On The Voice of China， contestants are first selected through auditions open to the public. If successful， contestants have the opportunity to sing in front of four judges， all of whom are celebrities from China’s music industry， with one twist—the judges have their backs to the singers， and rely purely on their ears.
When the judges is impressed by a voice， they press a button and their chair swings around to face the singer on stage. The first judge to select a singer goes on to become the contestant’s coach for the rest of the season.
The suspense and the passionate performances of the contestants won the adoration of millions across China， but it was the blind listening portion in particular that wowed audiences most. The over-sized chairs used by the coaches became something of a hallmark for the show which reportedly cost 800，000 yuan（$131，280） each and were flown in from the UK to China especially for the show.
Adapting to home audiences
The Voice of China is not the only franchised talent show to find success in China. Others， such as Chinese Idol， adapted from American Idol by Shanghai-based Dragon TV， have also gained big followings.
Chinese television networks have embraced the recent surge in popularity of such shows， with the trend continuing to reach new heights. The dependence on episodic dramas has changed. In 2013， a number of variety shows enjoyed higher ratings than the most popular TV dramas， making the format the new favorite of local TV broadcasters amid fierce competition. Almost every successful variety show aired in China in recent years has boasted exceptional ratings， influence and advertising revenue. Some， such as The Voice of China， have experienced global success through overseas Chinese communities.
According to statistics， the state broadcasting network China Central Television and local television networks—including those in Jiangsu， Hunan and Zhejiang provinces—have started franchises of nearly 30 variety shows from abroad altogether. Each month an average of 2.5 shows are brought into China， localized and broadcast on TV. Even I Love China， a singing competition that aired on Hubei Satellite TV， was actually a localized adaptation of another show from the Netherlands.
“More than 90 percent of variety shows airing in China are localized versions of shows from abroad，” said Wang Yi， Deputy Director of Tianjin Satellite TV. He revealed that the practice of bringing in foreign-copyright programs has been going on for at least 10 years in China.
Chinese TV has gone through three phases of bringing foreign programs to domestic screens， according to Tian Ming， CEO of the Star China Media （SCM）， the company that produced The Voice of China. The first phase was simple copying and imitating shows， which often led to lawsuits with the original copyright owners.
The second phase was importation， but finer details were often not taken seriously. Chinese producers thought obtaining legitimate production rights was all that was needed， and didn’t understand the significance of certain aspects of the show that they were copying. As a result， the shows often did worse than expected.
Recently， Chinese producers have begun in-depth research into programs they are looking to franchise， working together with the copyright owners. They work to understand the details and production of the format， and then， based on this knowledge， adapt the shows to cater to Chinese audience’s preferences.
“In general， the program model consists of two basic elements—the format of the production and the consultancy service. This makes authorized production more practical，” said liu Xichen， CEO of Shixi Media. liu is regarded as China’s first entrepreneur to successfully produce programming according to international business models. His company is the authorized distributor of BBC Worldwide’s programming on the Chinese mainland. Currently， the company works on importing， research and development， production and marketing of programming. A good program is actually a creative idea and an advanced production method， liu emphasized.
“The Dutch side not only provided production guidelines， but also ensured our adherence to and understanding of it，” said li Yuan， one of the people in charge of The Voice of China’s copyright agency.
Before the show began shooting， consultants dispatched by the original copyright owner flew to China， training the Chinese team and helping them become familiar with each detail of the show， according to li.
Unfortunately， due to a lack of production professionals or poor localization， many imported programs actually lose money.
“The main reason for the failure of many imported programs is that they don’t consider localization. Instead， they stiffly copy the original program，” said liu Yuan， Deputy Director of Jiangsu Satellite TV. “A program with a special form can only captivate audiences at the beginning. In the end， it is always the content that is most important.”
A successful program should match the broadcaster’s position in the industry and the habits of its audiences， liu Yuan added.
Learning from the pros
Although overseas producers have always attached importance to the Chinese market， which accounted for more than 500 million televisions in 2012， China’s local television networks still find there are few choices. Research and development for a program takes time， and excellent shows are few and far between. Blind importation will either lead to failure during localization or cause superficial imitation. Both situations are bad.
“The import of copyrighted shows is just the first step. The goal is that our team should have the ability to reproduce it，” said Wang with Tianjin Satellite TV.
This view is agreed upon among China’s TV broadcasters. They consider the purchase of the rights to programming from outside of China as a form of learning. The primary aim is not simply acquiring the copyright， but improving their teams and bringing in new talent to their production crews.
For instance， after The Voice of China finished its second season， Zhejiang Satellite TV will launch a variety show developed and produced in house. Jiangsu Satellite TV also has the same plan.
“The production guidelines from the original copyright owner only tell you the experience and the concept of a foreign show. To learn the method doesn’t mean you have the production ability to match，” said lu Wei， publicity Director of The Voice of China. According to liu Yuan with Jiangsu Satellite TV， China’s set design is more luxurious than in other countries. However， there is still much for local broadcasters to learn from their foreign counterparts when it comes to issues such as the crowd-centric spirit and the meticulous attention to every detail.
“What we brought in is not only the rights to the franchise， but also guidance during production. It is a systematic learning process，” liu Yuan added.
Obviously， liu Yuan is more optimistic about China’s current situation. “In the past， China’s homemade variety shows were maybe passable， but through learning from foreign productions， we have gradually gained the ability to produce our own exceptional shows. Sometime in the future， when our programs become more mature， we can export our own productions，” he said.
Liu Yuan’s confidence doesn’t come from nothing. In August 2012， paul Jackson， former Chairman of the UK’s Royal Television Society， said that of all the blind dating programs that he had watched， the Chinese show If You Are the One was his favorite.
If You Are the One is broadcast by Jiangsu Satellite TV. Since it began broadcasting in 2009， the show has attracted great ratings and advertisement revenue.
It has already outperformed the Australian show that it is based on—Taken Out， Jackson said， adding that If You Are the One’s success came from its attention to detail， especially those neglected by other Chinese programs.
Jackson expressed his desire to invite staff from Jiangsu Satellite TV to work in the UK.
Celebrity Battle， another popular show that is produced by Jiangsu Satellite Television， has become the first Chinese variety show to sell copyright overseas， which it achieved before its debut in China on October 11. The rights to Celebrity Battle were sold in a contract with Israeli production company Armoza.
Celebrity Battle has many unique elements according to Armoza. The music “battles，” the focus on participants’ childhood stories are the highlights of the program， said an official with Armoza.
In order to sell it on the global market， Armoza will make production guidelines according to standard procedures. The company will record all details of the program’s production at Jiangsu Satellite TV， including competition rules， participants’ selection criteria， as well as set design and lighting standards. Then the company will take these elements and make them suitable for global production. “A program format has two qualities： It must be unique but also easily replicated，” said liu Xichen with Shixi Media. “But there are few unique TV programs in China. Usually， Chinese TV programs have simple elements and are not suitable for replication.”
Coming to China
In June 2013， Robert Iger， president and CEO of the Walt Disney Co.， told the Chinese media that his company would cooperate with its Chinese partners to launch a project aimed at creating locally produced entertainment programs. The project was already under discussion when the announcement was made. The best way to eliminate copycats is to import the original and enable the consumers to really appreciate the advantages of it， according to Iger.
Iger， who first visited China in the 1970s， believes now is the best time for developing China’s cultural and creative industries.
Iger hopes to export Disney’s successful experiences to China while seeking cooperation with its Chinese partners， integrating Chinese culture into Disney productions and promoting Chinese culture overseas.
The Dragon Club， a children’s show， is a good example of such cooperation. Currently， it can be watched at prime time in more than 200 Chinese cities， reaching about 520 million spectators. It has become the home of Disney in China.
Beginning on June 1， The Dragon Club launched several new programs.
Of these， Kungfu Dragon， now starting its fifth season， is the first Disney cartoon made in China in line with the company’s localization strategy and has already won over a large fan base.
A Good Time， a 26-episode school comedy especially made for older children， has also been launched. The comedy combines live action performances and animation.
In the past， most Disney products gave people an impression that they were for younger audiences. In China， when speaking of Disney， most people think of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck， but things are changing.
A Good Time is an example of Disney’s successful attempts at developing programming for audiences of a wider age range. Since it first broadcasted on July 3 on Haha Children’s Channel in Shanghai， it has experienced favorable ratings， up by 29 percent among spectators between 4 and 14 years old.
TV programs put more and more emphasis on interaction with audiences. In late July， The Dragon Club launched a national tour， inviting children to join the program. At its first leg in Shanghai， the two-day activity attracted 200，000 families， all of whom participated with great enthusiasm. With cards distributed by the organizers for free， participants could experience games from the show， follow the little dragon in the dragon dance show and travel through all of the show’s five themed areas. On top of this， all participants received gifts.
At its last leg in Beijing on August 24-25， children headed into the art imagination zone， put on a performance that they came up with themselves and created amazing works of art. Obviously， they were deeply influenced by Art Attack， a Disney program that stimulates children’s creativity and imagination.
“Innovations in Art Attack are so fresh and interesting. The use of music and lighting is great，” said Tan ping， father and fan of the program who also works at a Chinese television station. “While giving children the chance to enjoy art， it also encourages them to actively participate in it. It helps them overcome the fear and anxiety of not fulfilling the task.”
“No wonder it has won dozens of international awards！ We should keep bringing in more TV shows like it，” Tan said.
This season not only maintained high ratings but also embraced a dramatic increase in turnover. During its 2012 season， the show generated a total revenue of 300 million yuan（$49.23 million）. The figure jumped to 1 billion yuan （$164.1 million） this year.
Some regard The Voice of China as the first show to make Chinese audiences familiar with the concept of franchised TV shows. The show is an adaptation of The Voice of Holland， which enjoys spin-offs in nearly 50 countries.
After being introduced to China， the program was adapted to the local market before starting its first season on July 13， 2012， on Zhejiang Satellite TV， a local broadcaster in east China’s Zhejiang province， instantly attracting high ratings that persisted even during the 2012 london Olympics.
The program has a wide following on the Internet. After two days of broadcasting on China’s largest video streaming services following its launch last year， it broke records with over 10 million views.
On The Voice of China， contestants are first selected through auditions open to the public. If successful， contestants have the opportunity to sing in front of four judges， all of whom are celebrities from China’s music industry， with one twist—the judges have their backs to the singers， and rely purely on their ears.
When the judges is impressed by a voice， they press a button and their chair swings around to face the singer on stage. The first judge to select a singer goes on to become the contestant’s coach for the rest of the season.
The suspense and the passionate performances of the contestants won the adoration of millions across China， but it was the blind listening portion in particular that wowed audiences most. The over-sized chairs used by the coaches became something of a hallmark for the show which reportedly cost 800，000 yuan（$131，280） each and were flown in from the UK to China especially for the show.
Adapting to home audiences
The Voice of China is not the only franchised talent show to find success in China. Others， such as Chinese Idol， adapted from American Idol by Shanghai-based Dragon TV， have also gained big followings.
Chinese television networks have embraced the recent surge in popularity of such shows， with the trend continuing to reach new heights. The dependence on episodic dramas has changed. In 2013， a number of variety shows enjoyed higher ratings than the most popular TV dramas， making the format the new favorite of local TV broadcasters amid fierce competition. Almost every successful variety show aired in China in recent years has boasted exceptional ratings， influence and advertising revenue. Some， such as The Voice of China， have experienced global success through overseas Chinese communities.
According to statistics， the state broadcasting network China Central Television and local television networks—including those in Jiangsu， Hunan and Zhejiang provinces—have started franchises of nearly 30 variety shows from abroad altogether. Each month an average of 2.5 shows are brought into China， localized and broadcast on TV. Even I Love China， a singing competition that aired on Hubei Satellite TV， was actually a localized adaptation of another show from the Netherlands.
“More than 90 percent of variety shows airing in China are localized versions of shows from abroad，” said Wang Yi， Deputy Director of Tianjin Satellite TV. He revealed that the practice of bringing in foreign-copyright programs has been going on for at least 10 years in China.
Chinese TV has gone through three phases of bringing foreign programs to domestic screens， according to Tian Ming， CEO of the Star China Media （SCM）， the company that produced The Voice of China. The first phase was simple copying and imitating shows， which often led to lawsuits with the original copyright owners.
The second phase was importation， but finer details were often not taken seriously. Chinese producers thought obtaining legitimate production rights was all that was needed， and didn’t understand the significance of certain aspects of the show that they were copying. As a result， the shows often did worse than expected.
Recently， Chinese producers have begun in-depth research into programs they are looking to franchise， working together with the copyright owners. They work to understand the details and production of the format， and then， based on this knowledge， adapt the shows to cater to Chinese audience’s preferences.
“In general， the program model consists of two basic elements—the format of the production and the consultancy service. This makes authorized production more practical，” said liu Xichen， CEO of Shixi Media. liu is regarded as China’s first entrepreneur to successfully produce programming according to international business models. His company is the authorized distributor of BBC Worldwide’s programming on the Chinese mainland. Currently， the company works on importing， research and development， production and marketing of programming. A good program is actually a creative idea and an advanced production method， liu emphasized.
“The Dutch side not only provided production guidelines， but also ensured our adherence to and understanding of it，” said li Yuan， one of the people in charge of The Voice of China’s copyright agency.
Before the show began shooting， consultants dispatched by the original copyright owner flew to China， training the Chinese team and helping them become familiar with each detail of the show， according to li.
Unfortunately， due to a lack of production professionals or poor localization， many imported programs actually lose money.
“The main reason for the failure of many imported programs is that they don’t consider localization. Instead， they stiffly copy the original program，” said liu Yuan， Deputy Director of Jiangsu Satellite TV. “A program with a special form can only captivate audiences at the beginning. In the end， it is always the content that is most important.”
A successful program should match the broadcaster’s position in the industry and the habits of its audiences， liu Yuan added.
Learning from the pros
Although overseas producers have always attached importance to the Chinese market， which accounted for more than 500 million televisions in 2012， China’s local television networks still find there are few choices. Research and development for a program takes time， and excellent shows are few and far between. Blind importation will either lead to failure during localization or cause superficial imitation. Both situations are bad.
“The import of copyrighted shows is just the first step. The goal is that our team should have the ability to reproduce it，” said Wang with Tianjin Satellite TV.
This view is agreed upon among China’s TV broadcasters. They consider the purchase of the rights to programming from outside of China as a form of learning. The primary aim is not simply acquiring the copyright， but improving their teams and bringing in new talent to their production crews.
For instance， after The Voice of China finished its second season， Zhejiang Satellite TV will launch a variety show developed and produced in house. Jiangsu Satellite TV also has the same plan.
“The production guidelines from the original copyright owner only tell you the experience and the concept of a foreign show. To learn the method doesn’t mean you have the production ability to match，” said lu Wei， publicity Director of The Voice of China. According to liu Yuan with Jiangsu Satellite TV， China’s set design is more luxurious than in other countries. However， there is still much for local broadcasters to learn from their foreign counterparts when it comes to issues such as the crowd-centric spirit and the meticulous attention to every detail.
“What we brought in is not only the rights to the franchise， but also guidance during production. It is a systematic learning process，” liu Yuan added.
Obviously， liu Yuan is more optimistic about China’s current situation. “In the past， China’s homemade variety shows were maybe passable， but through learning from foreign productions， we have gradually gained the ability to produce our own exceptional shows. Sometime in the future， when our programs become more mature， we can export our own productions，” he said.
Liu Yuan’s confidence doesn’t come from nothing. In August 2012， paul Jackson， former Chairman of the UK’s Royal Television Society， said that of all the blind dating programs that he had watched， the Chinese show If You Are the One was his favorite.
If You Are the One is broadcast by Jiangsu Satellite TV. Since it began broadcasting in 2009， the show has attracted great ratings and advertisement revenue.
It has already outperformed the Australian show that it is based on—Taken Out， Jackson said， adding that If You Are the One’s success came from its attention to detail， especially those neglected by other Chinese programs.
Jackson expressed his desire to invite staff from Jiangsu Satellite TV to work in the UK.
Celebrity Battle， another popular show that is produced by Jiangsu Satellite Television， has become the first Chinese variety show to sell copyright overseas， which it achieved before its debut in China on October 11. The rights to Celebrity Battle were sold in a contract with Israeli production company Armoza.
Celebrity Battle has many unique elements according to Armoza. The music “battles，” the focus on participants’ childhood stories are the highlights of the program， said an official with Armoza.
In order to sell it on the global market， Armoza will make production guidelines according to standard procedures. The company will record all details of the program’s production at Jiangsu Satellite TV， including competition rules， participants’ selection criteria， as well as set design and lighting standards. Then the company will take these elements and make them suitable for global production. “A program format has two qualities： It must be unique but also easily replicated，” said liu Xichen with Shixi Media. “But there are few unique TV programs in China. Usually， Chinese TV programs have simple elements and are not suitable for replication.”
Coming to China
In June 2013， Robert Iger， president and CEO of the Walt Disney Co.， told the Chinese media that his company would cooperate with its Chinese partners to launch a project aimed at creating locally produced entertainment programs. The project was already under discussion when the announcement was made. The best way to eliminate copycats is to import the original and enable the consumers to really appreciate the advantages of it， according to Iger.
Iger， who first visited China in the 1970s， believes now is the best time for developing China’s cultural and creative industries.
Iger hopes to export Disney’s successful experiences to China while seeking cooperation with its Chinese partners， integrating Chinese culture into Disney productions and promoting Chinese culture overseas.
The Dragon Club， a children’s show， is a good example of such cooperation. Currently， it can be watched at prime time in more than 200 Chinese cities， reaching about 520 million spectators. It has become the home of Disney in China.
Beginning on June 1， The Dragon Club launched several new programs.
Of these， Kungfu Dragon， now starting its fifth season， is the first Disney cartoon made in China in line with the company’s localization strategy and has already won over a large fan base.
A Good Time， a 26-episode school comedy especially made for older children， has also been launched. The comedy combines live action performances and animation.
In the past， most Disney products gave people an impression that they were for younger audiences. In China， when speaking of Disney， most people think of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck， but things are changing.
A Good Time is an example of Disney’s successful attempts at developing programming for audiences of a wider age range. Since it first broadcasted on July 3 on Haha Children’s Channel in Shanghai， it has experienced favorable ratings， up by 29 percent among spectators between 4 and 14 years old.
TV programs put more and more emphasis on interaction with audiences. In late July， The Dragon Club launched a national tour， inviting children to join the program. At its first leg in Shanghai， the two-day activity attracted 200，000 families， all of whom participated with great enthusiasm. With cards distributed by the organizers for free， participants could experience games from the show， follow the little dragon in the dragon dance show and travel through all of the show’s five themed areas. On top of this， all participants received gifts.
At its last leg in Beijing on August 24-25， children headed into the art imagination zone， put on a performance that they came up with themselves and created amazing works of art. Obviously， they were deeply influenced by Art Attack， a Disney program that stimulates children’s creativity and imagination.
“Innovations in Art Attack are so fresh and interesting. The use of music and lighting is great，” said Tan ping， father and fan of the program who also works at a Chinese television station. “While giving children the chance to enjoy art， it also encourages them to actively participate in it. It helps them overcome the fear and anxiety of not fulfilling the task.”
“No wonder it has won dozens of international awards！ We should keep bringing in more TV shows like it，” Tan said.