Fox affliliate Star TV set to air in Guangdong
( 2001-12-20 11:03 ) (3 )

Star Group, News Group's Asia satellite TV unit, announced on Wednesday it has gained approval from the Chinese Government to beam an entertainment channel to South China's Guangdong Province early next year.

Star signed an agreement Wednesday in Beijing with China Central Television (CCTV), the country's national TV network, China International Television Corp, CCTV's wholly-owned subsidiary in Hong Kong, and Guangdong Cable TV Networks Co.

Star's Chinese-language entertainment channel will be downlinked to networks in the areas of Guangzhou, the capital city of Guangdong, and Zhaoqing, a mid-sized city in the province, Zhao Huayong, president of CCTV, said at the signing ceremony.

In return, Star has agreed to air CCTV's Channel 9, an English-language news and current affairs channel in San Francisco and Los Angeles through its US sister company Fox Cable Networks from April.

"We are excited about this landmark agreement, which represents a milestone for Star's development in China," James Murdoch, Star's chairman and chief executive officer, said in a statement.

"It comes at a most opportune time with China's accession to the WTO, which provides a unique growth opportunity for the whole broadcasting industry," he added.

Ding Guangen, head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China's (CPC) Central Committee, said: "The agreement is a good start for our co-operation which will be further developed in steps."

"China attached great importance to this agreement," said Xu Guangchun, director of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT), adding that the agreement "will set a new level of co-operation between China and News Corp".

Star is the third foreign broadcaster allowed access to mainland cable viewers in affluent Guangdong, which borders Hong Kong.

In October, AOL Time Warner's Chinese-language channel China Entertainment Television and Hong Kong-listed Phoenix Satellite Television, which is 38 per cent-owned by News Corp, also got similar approvals.