SHANGHAI, Nov. 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- At a meeting
in Shanghai this week, The Walt
Disney Company in Shanghai and
Shanghai Media Group (SMG) announced they would expand their
strategic relationship to include television content development,
movie co-production, content distribution, and co-operation on
marketing. The series of projects represents another significant
step by both organizations to develop a vibrant creative content
industry and connect with audiences in China and globally.
"The strength of this deepening relationship with Disney, and
the volume and diversity of the initiatives that we are pursuing,
helps set the foundation of a multi-faceted strategic alliance with
Disney," said Mr. Li Ruigang, Chairman, Shanghai Media Group.
"The series of projects we are announcing today represents an
exciting new phase in our long-term alliance. We believe that they
will serve as the cornerstone of actualizing SMG's vision in
applying world-class creative process; contribute towards the
success of local content creation for international markets and
create new business models across both digital media and
traditional spaces. The endeavors will help us to transform the
organization and accelerate its path towards digital success," Mr.
Li added.
"Disney is committed to providing high quality entertainment
experiences to audiences worldwide," said Mr. Robert Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer, The Walt Disney Company. "SMG's spirit of innovaton,
diverse platforms, digital destinations and assets provide
unparalleled access to that entertainment in China."
Disney and SMG enjoy a long-standing relationship that would be
expanded to include television content development, movie
co-production, content distribution and marketing cooperation.
- Born in China, a new
Disneynature film currently in production in China, will showcase to the world the
spectacular wildlife and natural beauty of China when it opens at the global box office
in 2016. Disneynature today revealed that the movie includes
rare footage of endangered snow leopards. This film is in addition
to the previously announced multi-year studio movie script and
talent development fund between The Walt Disney Studios and
Shanghai Media Group Pictures (SMG Pictures) with the ultimate goal
of co-developing Disney-branded movies for US-China
co-productions.
- Disney is in active discussion with Toonmax to produce a kids'
animation series that centers on one of China's most popular cultural icons. By
combining the best talent, creative processes, and cultural
insights from both sides, Disney and Toonmax will set out to create
a top quality show for kids and families with an ambition for
global distribution.
- In 2013, Disney and BesTV New Media Company Limited
(China's number one IPTV operator
and the digital media subsidiary of the Shanghai Media Group)
agreed to form, and today are in the final steps of registering, a
joint venture company in Shanghai
that will expand families' and kids' digital choices.
- SMG and Disney intend to work closely on a number of marketing
initiatives, expanding on their prior collaborations in television
and film.
"This unique and far reaching cooperation between Disney and SMG
is testimony to the strength of our 15-year relationship and
commitment to serving audiences with world class family
entertainment," said Mr. Stanley
Cheung, Chairman, The Walt Disney Company Greater China.
Images Copyright (C) Disneynature 2014
-End-
About The Walt Disney Company in China
The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS), together with its
subsidiaries and affiliates, is a diversified international family
entertainment enterprise with five business segments with over 137
000 employees. Our first animation screened in China in the 1930s and today our long
association continues with offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou with over 3000 employees.
Disney is a Dow 30 Company, had annual revenues of over
US$48 billion in its most recent
fiscal year, and a market capitalization of US$155billion as of 19
November 2014.
About SMG
Shanghai Media Group (SMG)
is one of the largest media and entertainment company in
China. SMG boasts the most
valuable and comprehensive business portfolio including radio, TV,
newspaper and magazine traditional media outlets, TV program/drama
and motion picture productions and distribution, multiplatform
video distribution such as IPTV and Internet TV, and online video
offerings, digital advertising, online and console gaming, TV
shopping and ecommerce , live and performing arts and tourism. By
the end of 2013, SMG had RMB 44.6
billion in assets and RMB 21
billion annual income.
In terms of media outlets, SMG currently operates 15 satellite
and cable networks, including news, entertainment, sports, finance,
documentary, children networks, which are based on free-to-air
advertising business model. Among them, the flagship channel Dragon
TV is one of the most influential satellite TV channels in
China, reaching 1 billion audience
members in China and overseas
markets, covering Hong Kong,
Macao, the United States, and Canada. Meanwhile, SMG has 15 pay TV channels
distributed national wide, only based on subscription business
model.SMG also owns and operates 12 radio stations, including news,
sports, finance, music stations ,and 8 newspapers and magazines. In
terms of industrial development, SMG has two public listed
companies: BesTV New Media and Oriental Pearl, with the total
market value exceeding 70 billion RMB
and ranking No1 and No2 in all public listed media and
entertainment companies in market capitalization. Also, SMG runs
the largest home shopping business in China. It also owns several landmark
properties in the city including Oriental Pearl Radio & TV
Tower. Looking forward, SMG will stick to its mission of "spreading
uplifting power and enriching people's life" and strive to become
China's most innovative media and
entertainment conglomerate with global influence.
About Toonmax
Toonmax is China's leading
company in children's programming and animation productions. It
operates two TV networks including a satellite channel targeted at
teenagers and a local cable channel whose core audiences are kids
and families. Its businesses also encapsulate animation investment
& branded exhibition, children's arts education, licensing and
consumer products. It is a core member of the Shanghai Animation
Association, a key national animation production enterprise and
cultural export entity.
About BesTV
BesTV New Media Co Ltd (SHA:600637) is an A-share listed new
media company controlled by Shanghai Broadcasting TV Station and
Shanghai Media Group (SMG). BesTV New Media owns 100 percent equity
of BesTV NetTV Technology Development Co., Ltd, Shanghai Media
& Entertainment Technology Group and Shanghai Film, Radio &
TV Production Co., Ltd. BesTV also controls Funshion Network, and
has established a joint venture with Microsoft, Lenovo and ZTE
Corporation. All of these have led BesTV to build the largest new
media industry cluster in China.
The company covers more than 20 provinces/cities in Mainland China
and South East Asia with a new
media business portfolio including IPTV, internet TV, smart TV, OTT
and mobile TV, and established a presence in Asia-Pacific and Africa regions with technologies, equipment
and film & television production channel.
About Disneynature
Disneynature was launched in April
2008. Its mission is to bring the world's top nature
filmmakers together to share a wide variety of wildlife stories on
the big screen in order to engage, inspire and educate theatrical
audiences everywhere. Walt Disney
was a pioneer in wildlife filmmaking, producing 13 True-Life
Adventure motion pictures between 1948 and 1960, which earned eight
Academy Awards®. The first five Disneynature films, "Earth,"
"Oceans," "African Cats", "Chimpanzee," and "Bears, "are five of
the top six highest overall grossing feature-length nature films to
date, with "Chimpanzee" garnering a record-breaking opening weekend
for the genre. Disneynature's commitment to conservation is a key
pillar of the label and the films empower the audience to help make
a difference. Through donations tied to opening-week attendance for
all five films, Disneynature, through the Disney Worldwide
Conservation Fund, has planted three million trees in Brazil's Atlantic Forest, established 40,000
acres of marine protected area in The Bahamas, protected 65,000 acres of savanna in
Kenya, protected nearly 130,000
acres of wild chimpanzee habitat, cared for chimpanzees, educated
60,000 school children about chimpanzee conservation and funded
research and restoration grants in US National Parks supporting
conservation projects across 2.9 million acres of parkland and
protecting endangered species. For more information about
Disneynature, like us on Facebook:
http://facebook.com/Disneynature and follow us on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/Disneynature
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SOURCE The Walt Disney Company