Asia/English-language media outlets

IHT: Asia's English readers miss in-depth media

"A host of new English-language media outlets has sprung up around Asia in recent years to try to fill the void."

Japan/Newspaper readership

The Japan Times Online: Readership of newspapers dips slightly: survey

"A survey shows that 92.5 percent of the public reads newspapers, on average 5.6 days a week. The finding apparently reflects Japanese people's continued confidence in conventional print media, though the rate of readership is down from 94.5 percent in the previous survey in 2003."

Singapore/Mobile-TV

Xinhuanet.com: Singapore telecom company launches mobile TV channel

"Mobile One (M1), one of the three major telecom operators in Singapore, and Media Corp Studios on Monday launched a Mobile Channel which enables M1's third generation (3G) service users to watch local television (TV) programs on their phones."

Asia/Print Investments

Printingtalk: Asia-Pacific, China Lead Way For Print Investment

"Based on levels of orders received during the trade show, the UK and the Asia-Pacific region, including China, are leading the way, according to Heidelberg's experience at Ipex 2006."

China/Television/Foreign News

The China Post: China clamps down on TV news

"China's top media body has ordered television broadcasters to stop using international news footage and called for greater "political and propaganda discipline". New regulations posted on the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television's Web site said all stations must only use the international news reports of China Central Television and China Radio International. "Recently, some overseas news services and media have used various methods to sell international news material to domestic stations and the reports have a clear political intention," the regulations said."

China/Ad Markets

AdAgeChina: China's ad market rising fast

"Between 2005 and 2008, six of the 10 largest contributors to advertising growth will be emerging markets including China, the seventh-largest ad market in 2005. China is expected to grow 66% over the coming three years, overtaking Italy in 2006, and France in 2008, becoming the fifth-largest market by 2008."

Korea/Newspapers

AsiaMedia: Newspapers face anti-trust probe

"The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) is poised to crack down on unfair business practices of some newspaper companies. The anti-trust regulator’s probe will likely be focused on allegations of free newspaper subscriptions and gifts such as bicycles being given away to lure more subscribers, according to an FTC director general Tuesday."

China/Magazines

The Guardian: China clamps down on foreign magazines

"China has imposed a limit on the number of foreign magazines being sold in China in a blow to publishers hoping to cash in on the country's booming media market."

China/Journalists

People´s Daily Online: Journalist number doubles in 20 years

"The number of journalists in China has doubled compared with 20 years earlier, official statistics show. Figures released by the General Administration of Press and Publication indicated that more than 700,000 people chose journalism as their career last year, 150,000 of them armed with a journalist certificate."

China/English TV Channel

Xinhua: Guangzhou launches 1st regional English TV channel

"China's first regional English TV channel started broadcasting on Tuesday in Guangzhou, capital of the southern Guangdong Province. The channel is broadcast to the entire south of China and mainly deals with news and stories around the Pearl River Delta."

India/TV-media-business

The Guardian: TV jobs face Indian outsourcing threat

"Two of India's biggest corporate names launched a joint venture yesterday to offer editing, post-production and archiving services to the world's media companies."

Thailand/Ad Growth

Thai Day: No growth seen for advertising industry

"One of the country’s leading advertising industry groups is predicting zero growth for Thailand’s advertising industry this year.Industry watchers had previously predicted growth of five to six percent, but political uncertainty is causing advertisers to hold back on big-money projects, including new product launches and branding campaigns."

India/Predictions on Media Growth

The Times of India: Entertainment, media to grow 19%: Study

"The Indian entertainment and media (E&M) industry is poised to grow at an annual compounding rate of 19% per annum to reach at Rs 83,740 crore by 2010, from the present size of Rs 35,300 crore, according to a Ficci-PricewaterhouseCoopers report Indian Entertainment and Media Industry Unravelling the Potential. The main drivers for such a high growth are rising income level, consumerism coupled with technological advancements and policy initiatives taken by government, the report said."

New Regional Magazine

IJNet: Asian newspaper network launches regional magazine

"A weekly, regional news magazine published its inaugural issue on February 10, with the publishers calling it a groundbreaking event in pan-Asian cooperation. The 32-page AsianNews, published by the Asia News Network (ANN), is a joint effort of 14 newspapers across the region. The magazine will cover a wide range of issues and Asian perspectives on business, politics, personalities, lifestyles, sports and society. The Germany-based Konrad Adenauer Foundation is sponsoring the collaborative magazine."

Japan/News Agencies

Journalism.co.uk: AFP launches interactive news site for Japan

"International news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) has launched an innovative, interactive news site in Japan that invites users to personalise their own news pages. AFP-BB combines 24-hour agency news coverage and photos with blogs and bulletin boards, inviting users to comment on breaking news stories. The site also features news photography from across the AFP network, which users can bookmark and add to their own profile on the site."

China/Search Engines/Imprisonment

Reuters: Yahoo accused in jailing of 2nd China Internet user

"Yahoo Inc. provided evidence to Chinese authorities that led to the imprisonment of an Internet writer, lawyers and activists said, the second such case involving the U.S. Internet giant. The Committee to Protect Journalists and media watchdog Reporters Without Borders called on Yahoo to disclose information on all Internet journalists and writers whose identities it has revealed to Chinese authorities."

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."