By Gordon Chu | July 27, 2010
What I Learned from Chinese Reality TV
On one of my frequent extended stints in China, I had a quiet evening to kick up my feet and to peruse the hundreds of channels Chinese television has to offer (for pure market research purposes of course). Admittedly, I have a short attention span already as-is, so you can imagine the flurry of remote clicking that occurred if the myriads of soap operas and variety shows did not catch my eye. Then, “it” hit me… “It” is like a bad automobile accident you see by the roadside – you know you shouldn’t turn your head to see, but out of pure curiosity for the wicked, you simply cannot help yourself. “It” is, at the rawest and most basic form, a great sociological study on everything that is wrong with fame, relationships, and greed… in other words, “it” is great TV.
I’m talking about the hit phenomenon program, “If You Are the One” that is taking water cooler chatter by storm in China. To give context to anyone who has not heard about this program, it’s a match-making reality show where singles meet singles in front of millions of people each show (talk about pressure). And the hook for the whole show? The often questionable money-driven (aka “Gold-Digging” antics) requirements that this now very relevant generation of singles are looking for in their soul mates.
The show has taken notice even of the Chinese government prompting them to immediately shut down production and exhibition of the show due to the often sexual innuendos and references to a very anti-traditional moral basis where money is the main driver for many of the singles. Watching this show, it’s not that difficult to understand why the government would be concerned with the way the program portrays this new up and coming generation of singles.
Girls’ Perspective
On the show, girls are depicted as ‘gold-digging’ animals – only attracted by the number of RMBs that are attached to the suitor’s name. A stable job is no longer the litmus for ‘enough’ for girls, but is the entry point for girls to consider. Don’t have a car? Get in the back of the line. Have a house? Hello Mr. Right…
Best put, a contestant on “If You are the One” said to a potential suitor offering her a ride on his bike, “I’d rather be crying in a BMW than to be laughing on a bike”.
Largely, the attitude of girls can be largely accredited to the cultural upbringing of this generation of single children. Often labeled as a generation of “little emperors and little empresses”, the first generation is now at the age for marriage and is a depiction of just how strong the level of entitlement is. Surrounded by new-earned money and incredible growth, money is what drives the lives of this new generation and is very apparent in the marriage process.
Guys’ Perspective
On the flip side, the attitude of girls can also be largely accredited to how guys operate and think about marriage in the Chinese culture.
Equally on the show, guys are depicted as spineless creatures – more of the prey than the predator between the sexes. No longer are the traditional equal roles of man and woman taken into consideration, but the guys cower behind what appears to be very over-dominating female figures on the program. They accept the new status quo and adapt their lifestyles to the new norm.
So, the question begs to where did this shift happen in the fragile balance between men and women.
Ask any guy in China about marriage and I would venture to say that much of the pressure is done by themselves and their families. Especially with single boys in the family expected to carry on the family name, it’s not uncommon for the guys to feel the pinch and pressure by their parents to settle down, get married, and start popping out babies sooner than later.
Thus this interesting supply-and-demand relationship between guys and girls in China. Guys feel the familial pressures to find a mate and the demand for girls go up. Girls understand their shrinking supply and drive standards to an all-time high. While this may be an over-simplication of the actual matter at-hand, it’s hard to argue against the fact that culturally, the dynamic between guys and girls are changing.
Generations Divided
To further complicate the matter, the show not only caused stir between genders, it also created a chasm between generations. Comparing even to the previous generation, the ideals, philosophy, and moral basis has been almost completely eradicated with no trace of evidence.
Economically, the previous generation spent much of their lives paving the foundation for their children and successors. They painfully went through the turmoil of growing the country to the powerhouse that it is today. This was a result of savings, family unity, and an unselfish attitude that the country was towards a single goal – all vastly different that is evident to today’s generation in China.
What Does this all Mean?
Success is often a double-edged sword and is particularly the case when the growth of success is as fast as China had experienced over the last 30 years.
Entitlement will be a definite issue to consider. No longer will the powerhouse labor force that paved the foundation for success is able to keep the pace as it has and the baton will soon have to be passed to the responsibilities of this new generation. How will this new generation react to the call for the continual growth of the economy? How will this generation of “little emperors and empresses” contend with the rude awakening that the doting lifestyle they’ve experienced for their entire lives will someday be their own responsibilities to endure?
Opportunity will also play a crucial role in China’s future growth. The previous generation has already built the foundation for growth – it is now this generation’s work to build upon growth. Previously, the aspiration to get schooling abroad and to build roots in the United States was every Chinese dream. It was thought of as the epitome of success and to build upon a better life. Today, it’s not uncommon for college graduates to want to stay after graduation and build a base in China – a far different cry than it was even just 10 years ago.
Control will ultimately be the biggest force in defining China’s future growth for this new generation. Largely controlled by how much the government intervention will let the free market reign, it will ultimately impact opportunities, innovation, and growth for China. Opportunities will become more abundant as more cross-border business will continue to foster China’s economy. Innovation will flourish and be encouraged as resources (both human and monetary) will continue to flood China’s doors. And growth for China will continue as it defines itself to be a leader in the world market.
Conclusion
Who would have thought I would have this new-found epiphany of China’s growth based on a reality dating show that emphasizes money over matter. It wasn’t the actual act that was appalling to watch, it was what the acts meant that surprised me to see how fast and how far China has evolved in its thinking.
By Ren Fang | August 03, 2010
When the Korean all-girls group, ‘Wonder Girls’, debuted in the US market, Chinese netizens started an online debate of when it was ‘their turn’ where the US would embrace such a creation coming from China. Oddly enough, those arguments eventually evolved in how to group together an all-girls group of Chinese ‘hotties’ and make their own similar business model in the US – but that’s for another conversation at another time. It dawned on me while reading this big online hoopla – the Chinese youth really have really evolved from the days of the old school business mantra ‘made in China’. No longer are they content that 80% of iPhones and Xbox 360s are manufactured in China. Now they want to see China as the epicenter of the world and especially so in the creative industry. Unfortunately, all those thoughts came to a screeching halt after the premier of ‘Avatar’ (which lifted China box office by 86% last year) when even they knew China could ever create or replicate the quality and output of the movie.
Still, this whole thought of creative epicenter CAN be changed in a different direction… in the form of media formats.
What are Formats
Simply put, formats are copyright protected programming ideas / templates versus that of a finished product. It could be as simple as a story idea or can be divided into multiple layers which include ways a character is developed, how to integrate brands and advertisers into the programs, etc. As Eggo Muller (Head of Screen Arts and Cultures Department at University of Michigan) points out, “the international trade of format is an exchange of ‘culture of production’ rather than a ‘production of culture.’” While in most cases, formats apply to the television and film industry, but can be applied to any media-based business model as well.
Why Sell Formats
International formats of television programs have a strong and proven track record of success in one or several countries. What’s good for one market is often good for another as well – especially if you have such hits such as ‘American Idol’ (licensed reality TV format by Freemantle UK).
As a content provider, the primary motivation is to generate another stream of revenue by licensing the formats in other territories. It’s ‘found’ money and goes straight to the bottom line (financially) for many companies. As a potential buyer, the primary motivation is to mitigate risk as much as possible by getting a proven formula. In recent years, TV dramas like “Ugly Betty”, originally developed by a Columbian production company, has been a tremendous hit in the US through format licensing.
Where is my ‘Ugly Betty’?
The format business has changed and evolved over the last few years – and especially with the price. For a premium format (a la ‘American Idol’), format fees are estimated to be as high as $1.0M – $1.5M per episode (Tradingmarkets.com, 2010) versus for a popular European format of $50K – $60k per episode just a few years back in 2006 (Understanding the Global TV Formats, 2006).
On one side, you see an increasing cost of formats especially in the US. On the other, we also see a decline in budgets for television due to an oversaturation of media options along with an overall economic hit on advertisers. So, you have declining budgets coupled with more expensive projects and there is a definite need for more cost-effective media options in the US. In the case of ‘Ugly Betty’ where in some estimates, the format rights were less than $200K per episode, this was the exception to the rule where it was both cheap and a format that worked.
So, the million dollar question: Why not have the best of both worlds – something that is well-tested but is cheap? Where are there more ‘Ugly Betty’ around?
Made in China
Here comes the part of China… Here is a country with over 3,500 TV stations and thousands upon thousands of hours of programming that has served well in a market of 1.3 billion people. Why wouldn’t this make sense?
Unfortunately for those looking at China with big money signs, China has not exactly been exemplary in the world of media innovation. TV stations and production companies in China are definitely busy; however, they are busy producing “knock-offs” of programs (thanks to the poor intellectual property laws) and spend very little effort in creating new and original formats. Fortunately for the rest of us, these TV folks are no longer driving the decisions. The new driving forces are:
Global Advertisers
‘Super Girl’ was a knock-off imitation of the popular program, ‘American Idol’. Broadcast over Hunan Satellite TV, the show was sponsored by a local Chinese yogurt brand. Riding the coattails of ‘Super Girl’, Unilever quickly snatched up the ‘Ugly Wudi’ format despite paying much more than they had anticipated (season 2 included many more brands to offset costs). These are two prime examples of format success in China albeit one legitimate (‘Ugly Wudi’) and the other not (‘SuperGirls’).
So, here’s the breakdown of China’s media landscape: relatively cheap(er) media costs on TV, the largest consumer market in the world, and 31 nation-wide TV networks without much quality content on-air. All of this means China is becoming one of the very cost-effective markets for global brands to test-run different ideas on television. Imagine if global brands can outright pay for a format and test its validity in China. Test the China market and eventually export the formats to Tier 1 markets (like the US). For brands, it’s another way to generate revenue and a low(er) risk method to get proven formats at the cheap.
“Other” Media Companies
Other Chinese media entertainment companies will also jointly push the innovation of entertainment formats business in China. Companies that are not typically aligned with television and film are now showing their own respective swing at television production.
In 2009, Shanda Interactive Entertainment, a company that is well-known for online games versus that of television, co-produced a reality TV program with Zhengjiang Satellite TV around the art of Karaoke (if that really IS an art). Part of the hook was integrating Shanda’s online Karaoke game engine into the program that showcases the scores of participating contestants.
New media companies such as Shanda are driving cross-platform integration of TV formats alongside with the global brands. Moreover, Shanda is also taking a chapter out of comics and acquiring comic / fiction formats from emerging artists and writers around China to develop them into film, television, games and comics. Especially with the ability to create a true multi-platform viewing experience alongside of television, Shanda is poised to be one of the few companies in China that will proven formats with that capability.
Conclusion:
Many things remain to be seen about the emerging trends of exporting formats from China to other international markets. However, when it does happen (and I truly believe that it will), we’ll see a flurry of activity in the China market as production companies, global brands, and new media companies built up their portfolio of this new and untapped resource of media gold.
Gordon Chu is the VP of Business Development at METAN Development Group. For comments/questions, email gchu@metanmedia.com.
