City Research Online

Abstract

This research aims to analyze the Greater China television industry in the context of the debate on globalization. It presents an overview of the transnational corporate practices and the resulting transformation of the Greater China's television industry. The objective of this dissertation is threefold. It analyzes the development of the television industry in Greater China, examines the corporate practices of cross-horder management, and discusses the formation of the Greater China television space. A milestone in Greater China's globalization was Mainland China and Taiwan's accession to WTO, which imposed an obligation on the Chinese authorities towards their media policies. However, the beginning of television transnationalization can be traced back to the appearance of Star TV in 1990. Since then. the pan-Chinese market has emerged as a significant power in the world system. Unsurprisingly, global media conglomerates are keen to set foot in a market with huge potential. At the same time, local companies in quest of new markets have also launched numerous regional television channels that reached beyond the boundaries of their home territory. The Greater China television space is multi-layered, composed of global, regional and national/local players. Six first-tier global media conglomerates are present in the region. This research found that most global companies, such as Viacom, Time Warner, Sony and NBC Universal, were inclined to adopt transnational strategies in their approach to the region. News Corporation and Disney, however, usually employed multinational and global strategies. By contrast, the second-tiered players - for instance TVB and Phoenix TV - were more ethnocentric in their approach to international expansion. This study found that the globalization of television in Greater China is driven by multi-layered transnational television companies, their cross-border TV networks, transnational managerial practices and their glocalization strategy. The Greater China regional media space is increasingly transnational and deterritorialized in character. In addition, factors such as linguistic and cultural proximity are powerful forces in determining the formation of the geo-cultural market. Mandarin. Fellg Simi and GlIlIIlX; have transformed Greater China into a distinctive pan-regional media space both in daily life and business culture. In this transnational space, Hong Kong remains the regional hub. But while economic competition is intense, this study highlights the fact that national states do playa crucial role in shaping this pan-regional market. In the near future. such political harriers will remain a determining factor in the development of the Greater China television space.

Publication Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
Departments:	School of Policy & Global Affairs > Sociology & Criminology Doctoral Theses School of Policy & Global Affairs > School of Policy & Global Affairs Doctoral Theses

Export

Downloads