At CASBAA in Macau earlier this month China was discussed formally and informally on the sidelines.
Majority opinion was the recent Chinese 5 Year Congress meeting has signalled a crack down on technology operators inside the Bamboo firewall in China.
Vendors expect China to trust Alibaba or a State funded tech play using Western building block hardware and control dissemination of content as you do effectively influence the masses through the opium of digital content, which is strictly regulated beyond norms we take for granted.
Chinese are less concerned with piracy as with control of what is seen and consumed. Chinese Hollywood is becoming like Hollywood in output by them and Hollywood undergoes political censorship more so than our R or M or X rating frameworks.
The likelihood of the Chinese granting licences to TV2U even with Alan Boyd is slim IMO as the generation of metadata that the govt will want to trawl to see what citizens watch and follow, and the need to control what gets streamed, makes an OTT service of National critical risk and priority to oversee IMO.
Alibaba already have a strong grip there. Others exist in that market so its already got this technology and some vendors tell you they find it all too hard to engage there and reap better returns in other markets.
Far better to target India IMO.
For LT ers the mention of "7c soon" as per thread title or mention of China again "No Child in China will be in piracy by 2020!!" risks raising the spirits of TY and Schumaker back from their hellish graves. I hope we all stay grounded and don't end up back in that false goldrush that burnt many and benefited the insider few when the run to 7.2c ran on an illusion in that shameful era.
Much prefer an orderly sustainable rush over time which is underway.
All IMO.
TV2 Price at posting:
2.1¢ Sentiment: Hold Disclosure: Held
