China/Freedom of Press

Daily Telegraph: Blow to free speech as China bars journalists from workshop

"Chinese journalists have been ordered to stay away from a media seminar, organised by the British Embassy, marking a new extension of the campaign against freedom of expression."

China/Press Freedom

AsiaMedia: Controls spell bad news for the media

"Mainland journalists are experiencing their worst censorship in recent years, with outspoken media outlets being crushed one by one. Journalists and academics said the momentum to mute forthright journalists and media outlets reached a peak on Tuesday with the closure of the popular four-page China Youth Daily weekly feature section, Bingdian."

China/Web Search

Reuters: Google agrees to censor service to enter China

"Web search leader Google Inc. said on Tuesday it was introducing a new service for China that seeks to avoid a confrontation with the government by restricting access to services to which users contribute such as e-mail, chat rooms and blogs.The new Chinese service at http://www.google.cn will offer a censored version of Google's popular search system that could restrict access to thousands of terms and Web sites. Hot topics might include issues like independence for Taiwan or Tibet or outlawed spiritual group Falun Gong."

China/Ad Spending/2005

AdAgeChina: China's ad spend up 21% in 2005

"China’s ad spend in TV and print grew 21% to $37 billion in 2005, making it the third-largest ad market in the world after the U.S. and Japan (based on published rate cards). China accounted for 56% of total spending across Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) and is now the second-largest television advertising market globally."

China/ Ad Agencies

AdAgeChina: China meets WTO demands

"Foreign ad agencies, particularly creative boutiques and specialists in areas such as direct marketing and real estate advertising, will find it easier to set up shop in mainland China starting this month. As new regulations in China's agreement with the World Trade Organization go into effect, foreign firms can open wholly-owned subsidiaries in China for the first time. Until now, they had to do joint ventures with local partners."

“The entry barriers will be practically nonexistent. The result will be a more diversified market with deeper pockets of specialized expertise,” said Tom Doctoroff, JWT’s Shanghai-based area director, Northeast Asia & CEO, China.

Asia/Foreign Media Giant

The Guardian: Asian Network gets booster signal

"The BBC is investing an extra £1m in its national digital radio station, Asian Network, and has increased the number of full-time staff by 30% in a bid to make British Asian interests a mainstream part of the corporation's output.The extra £1m investment in the financial year beginning this April will boost Asian Network's funding to £6.4m, the biggest budget of the BBC's five digital radio stations."

India/Opening Markets

CNN Money.com: India eases rules for overseas firms

"In a significant step toward opening its retail market to outside competition, India will allow 'single-brand' retailers such as Reebok and Nike to own 51 percent of their business operations in India, according to a published report Wednesday."

Asia/Economic Prospects from Davos

FT: WEF annual meeting

"Business leaders, politicians and a smattering of stars head for the Swiss mountains for the annual World Economic Forum meeting on January 25-29. Among the subjects to be tackled are the rise of China and India as global economic forces and an assessment of the greatest risks facing the global economy. View video interviews with leading business figures, read daily reports and blogs and join our online discussion and poll."

Asia/Advertising

Sun Star: Ad spending rises in Asia, hits $66B

"Chinese consumers buying more lifestyle products drove advertisement spending in key Asia-Pacific media markets up 14 percent to a record $66.6 billion dollars in the year to September 2005, an industry report said yesterday."

"The figures, for regional markets excluding Japan, showed corporate spending on television, newspaper and magazine advertisements in China totalled nearly $37 billion, up 21 percent and accounting for 56 percent of the regional market, Nielsen Media Research said."

Japan/Internet-portal/Investigations

NY Times: Raid on an Internet Company Sends Japanese Shares Down

"An investigation of Livedoor, a popular Internet-portal company, caused a decline in Japanese stock markets Tuesday, as it also raised questions about the nation's tolerance for a more freewheeling version of capitalism."

China/Shanghai Media Group

NY Times: With a Mogul's Touch, a Chinese Media Man Connects to the West

"Mr. Li runs the Shanghai Media Group, a budding Chinese conglomerate with a striking number of tentacles in media and entertainment and a thirst for partnerships with foreign companies chasing the dream of Chinese fortunes. MTV Networks, VNU, CNBC, Universal Music Group, Sony, Discovery Communications and the National Basketball Association are just some of the companies that are in business with SMG, as the company is known."

India/Foreign Media Companies

NewIndPress.com: Liberal rules attract overseas media firms to India

"Faced with slowing sales and dipping profits, foreign media houses are increasingly eyeing India, one of the most attractive markets globally, thanks to a robust economy and easing of stiff investment rules. India's thriving media industry, which was shut for foreign firms until not long ago, today counts Britain's Pearson, publisher of the Financial Times, Independent News and Media, Turner International and BBC Worldwide as its recent investors."

Japan/Reforms needed

FT.com: Japan eyes media and telecoms reforms

"Japan needs to reform outdated business practices and revamp regulation in the telecoms and media industries if it is to regain its edge in these markets, according to a government minister."

Asia/Digitalization/Forecasts

The Japan Times: Legions of bloggers, not so many readers

"Hardly any other industry has developed as dynamically in recent years as the media sector. The impact of the so-called digital revolution is particularly evident in the way we communicate. Sending and receiving digitized data has become faster and faster; at the same time the costs have fallen dramatically. An end to this trend is not in sight. At the heart of all this is the Internet. According to Jakob Nielsen, a leading consultant on Web-design usability, the Internet is growing at an annual rate of 18 percent. It now has 1 billion users, of whom 36 percent are in Asia (24 percent in Europe and 23 percent in North America). Nielsen believes the second billion will be added by 2015. He also predicts that most of the new users will be in Asia."

Thailand/New Business Weekly

Xinhuanet: China Business Weekly launched in Thailand

"China Business Weekly published by China Daily on Monday came out in Thailand with The Nation newspaper as a fruitful result of the long-term cooperation between Chinese and Thai media, and also a new channel for Thai business sector to have a timely and comprehensive understanding about Chinese economy."

China/Digital

BBC News: Chinese revolution turns hi-tech

"The country is already the world's largest producer of mobile phones, PCs and cameras, which it can churn out in their millions - and all because of China's biggest resource: people. It is worth taking a minute to look at the statistics, because they are truly amazing. China is the world's most populous country, with 1.3 billion people.On size alone, it is fast becoming a technology superpower and it almost has no choice in the matter. For example, even though only 8% of its people have access to the internet, this equates to 100 million people online, second only to the US."

China/Economic Growth

CNN Money.com: China revises '04 GDP growth up

"China revised up more than a decade of economic growth Monday, confirming analysts' long-held suspicion that output had been advancing even faster than the torrid pace it had previously reported. Economists said the figures strengthened the case for Beijing to try harder to restrain growth by using measures such as tightening the supply of cash in the banking system."

China/Advertising Space

AFX News Limited/Forbes.com: China's Focus Media to acquire top rival Target Media in 325 mln usd deal

"Nasdaq-listed Focus Media Holding Ltd, which offers advertising space on televisions in office buildings and stores, is to acquire rival Target Media Holdings Ltd in a deal worth 325 mln usd in cash and stock, Focus Media said in a statement."

China/Bloggers vs. Foreign Technology Companies

AP/Yahoo! News: Microsoft Shuts Down Chinese Blog

"Microsoft Corp. has shut down the Internet journal of a Chinese blogger that discussed politically sensitive issues, including a recent strike at a Beijing newspaper. The action came amid criticism by free-speech activists of foreign technology companies that help the communist government enforce censorship or silence dissent in order to be allowed into China's market."

Malaysia/Newspapers/Scandal Claims

BBC News: Scandal 'claims' Malaysia editors

"Two senior editors of one of Malaysia's top selling newspapers have reportedly been transferred after government complaints about its reporting. The editor and executive editor-in- chief were removed from their posts, sources within the organisation that owns the China Press told the BBC."

China/Daily Newspapers

CRI Online: China Becomes World's Top Daily Newspaper Producer

"China has become the world's largest producer of daily newspapers, accounting for 15 percent of the world's total daily production. A report reviewing China's newspaper industry in 2005 is the first time in which the Chinese government detailed the development of the country's newspaper industry. It shows there are currently 90 newspapers in 13 languages in print used by Chinese minorities, and all the main Chinese ethnic groups whose native languages are still in use all have newspapers published in their own languages."

China/Journalism/Strike

The Guardian: Beijing paper's staff strike after editor's removal

"Staff at one of China's most outspoken newspapers have gone on strike following the removal of their authority-baiting editor-in-chief Yang Bin."

"The protest at the Beijing News, a tabloid known for its forthright coverage of official corruption, is the first time in recent years that media workers have reacted so strongly to the political sacking of a senior editor."