China moves to unify cable firms into one network

China showcased its determination on Wednesday to consolidate its hundreds of cable television networks by establishing a national network company.

China Broadcasting Network Ltd, a newly launched firm with a registered capital of 4.5 billion yuan ($728.48 million), will build a unified cable network in China. It is also expected to become the nation's fourth-largest network operator, following China Mobile Ltd, China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd and China Telecom Corp Ltd.

There are many cable television networks in China, all run by different operators at various administrative levels. Though the Chinese government has vowed to cut the number of cable networks since 2010, analysts said the actual number of cable television carriers may be in the "hundreds".

It was a long journey since the State Council, China's cabinet, proposed to establish a national cable television company as early as the start of 2010. However, because of a delayed plan approval, together with some capital and human resource issues, it was not until this year that all the problems were settled.

China Broadcasting Network will run businesses in cable network construction, operation and maintenance, as well as some related consulting and technology research and development work. Zhao Jingchun, former bureau chief of Henan Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, is to be chairman.

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