China, UK cooperate on TV production

The China-UK Media Industries Exchange was launched in Beijing on Jan 24, in a bid to promote cooperation between the two countries in the media sector during the 2015 UK-China Year of Cultural Exchange.

Communication University of China (CUC) and the British company Zespa Media will be carrying out a year-long series of activities that include exchanges between TV industry practitioners, seminars on TV programs and copyright issues in different countries, and the Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival.

In this program, CUC hopes to invite renowned international media experts, primarily those from Britain, to give lectures oriented to Chinese media practitioners as well as students, a move to raise the standard of TV program production in China. CUC has a reputation for being China's top institute for training media talents.

At the same time, the British Council, which is overseeing the 2015 UK-China Year of Cultural Exchange, believes the launch of the China-UK Media Industry Exchange will be a unique opportunity to deepen bilateral collaboration in the creative industries, particularly in the media industry, according to Meera Saujani, consul of education at the British Council in China.

"The program provides a platform to develop new connections and deepen collaboration, including traditional media and new media. It also opens up opportunity to promote connections through culture and arts, and to profile the strength of the UK and China," Saujani said, adding that exchanges in the cultural and creative industries are essential to overall UK-China cooperation.

"Sherlock" and "Downton Abbey" are among the favourite British TV series in China, and Saujani referred their popularity to as evidence of Britain's strength in the culture and creative industries. She said that TV programs that tell Chinese stories will be equally accepted in the UK, because China's internal diversity means it has abundant resources for media production.

While the exchange program will enhance cooperation in TV production, Saujani reiterated that it would not seek to transfer or sell a particular TV format from one market to another, but increase co-productions of TV programs and films.