BBC Worldwide Strengthens Ties with Shanghai Media Group

LONDON/SHANGHAI: BBC Worldwide and Shanghai Media Group (SMG) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will expand their collaboration to include program and format production, distribution and co-production opportunities.

Under the new agreement, BBC Worldwide will work with a number of SMG’s subsidiaries, including internet TV service BesTV; documentary channel DocuChina; satellite broadcaster Dragon TV; Wings Media, the exclusive agent for SMG-produced content; and Toonmax Media, focused on kids’ content and animation. Key areas of collaboration will include extending the CBeebies brand in China, co-production opportunities involving BestTV, DocuChina and Toonmax Media, and format production with Dragon TV.

“We are delighted to be cementing our relationship with SMG by announcing this exciting new phase of our long-term alliance and look forward to working together towards the exchange of expertise and creation of new business models across media spaces in both China and globally,” said Paul Dempsey, the president of global markets for BBC Worldwide.

Wang Jianjun, the president of Shanghai Media Group, added: “SMG and BBC Worldwide have enjoyed extensive content distribution collaboration over the years. I’m delighted that our collaboration will expand to new territories in the future. We look forward to deepening our relationship with BBC Worldwide to greatly enhance SMG’s original production capacity.”

The MOU was signed in a ceremony at this week’s MIPTV, with Dempsey and Jianjun representing their respective companies.