China’s Mei Tian Embraces Web Portals to Launch New Sitcom

BEIJING: Mei Tian Mei Yu is launching the new sitcom Planet Homebuddies, which spotlights China’s white-collar youth who live and work at home, on the Internet portals Youku, iQiyi and SINA, which reach more than 800 million unique monthly viewers.

The show debuts on February 8, coinciding with the week-long Chinese New Year celebration. In a first for China, the series is also being developed as a TV/web format for global audiences. The show will have content specifically designed for smartphones and tablets. The Beijing-based Mei Tian says that the series marks the first time that a China media company will use the web to pilot domestic and global TV projects.

Metan Development Group serves as development and business-strategy consultants on the project.

“Mei Tian has been keeping a close eye on the cultural trends developing among China’s youth,” commented Jean Zhang, the president of Mei Tian. “We noticed that working around the clock on weekdays and hanging out with friends on weekends is how most of today’s youth in China live their lives, with more and more adopting a ‘homebody’ lifestyle. Our new series will serve as the voice of today’s 20- to 30-year-old set in China, and examine this emerging trend.”

“The series represents the current young generation who not only pursue white collar jobs, but also choose to live life on their own terms, be their own boss, and explore a new kind of human dynamic and interaction,” added Larry Namer, the president and CEO of Metan. “The Internet audience in China is used to longer form programming than what we see from Western audiences. Couple that with the sheer size of the potential audience and it provides an ideal testing ground for TV piloting.”