An essential book for anyone seeking to understand the dynamics that drive the convergent Chinese television industry. Lin's account moves fluently between the levels of historical, technological, political and personal determinants. The exemplary use of production studies provides a comprehensive view of both the complexity and the internal contradictions of the Chinese TV industry, demonstrating how canny producers work at the edges of what is possible.

-Professor John Ellis, Royal Holloway University of London

Professor Lin makes a crucial contribution to our understanding with this book, bringing the rich expertise needed to appreciate the distinct dynamics of Chinese television industries and their incorporation of and negotiation with streaming video. This carefully researched book offers deep accounts of production practices informed by substantial field observations and interviews to bring new insight about major questions.

• Professor Amanda D. Lotz, Queensland University of Technology, Digital Media Research Centre

  This book provides a rich description of the shifting production cultures in convergent Chinese television industries across strategic, programming and individual levels. Dr. Lin argues that the current moment of Chinese television is an ideological, cultural and financial paradox in which China's one-party ideology clashes with consumer-oriented capitalism and technological advancements. Drawing upon in-depth ethnography of production cultures across Chinese broadcast and digital streaming sectors, this book illuminates how Chinese producers have placed their aspirations for creative freedoms within edge ball practices. Nuanced and timely, Convergent Chinese Television Industries unveils a complex picture of an industry undergoing dramatic transformations.

  Lisa Linis a television producer and university professor specialising in factual and documentary production in the UK, Singapore and China. Her producing credits include I Wouldn't Go in There (National Geographic, 2015), G-Force (Hummingbird Music, 2017), The Truth about Fake News (Channel News Asia, 2018), Frontline Medics Diaries (Channel 4, 2020). Dr. Lin holds a PhD in Media and Communications from Royal Holloway, University of London.

  Autorentext

  Dr Lisa Lin is a television producer and consultant specialising in factual and documentary production in the UK, Singapore and China. Her producing credits include I Wouldn't Go in There WW2 Specials (National Geographic, 2015), G-Force (Hummingbird Music, 2017) and The Truth about Fake News (Channel News Asia, 2019), Frontline Medics Dairies (Channel 4, 2020). She is the CEO and founder of GEM Media specialising in international documentary production and format adaptation across Europe and Asia.

  Klappentext

  This book provides a rich description of the shifting production cultures in convergent Chinese television industries, through the examination of daily production practices, showing how they embody a new set of opportunities and tensions across strategic, programming and individual levels. Lin argues that the current Chinese television landscape is an ideological, cultural and financial paradox in which China's one-party ideological control clashes with consumer-orientated capitalism and technological advancement. These tensions are finely poised between new opportunities for innovation and creative autonomy, and anxiety over political interference marked by censorship and state surveillance. Through its in depth study of ethnographic data across Chinese broadcast and digital streaming sectors (including CCTV, Hunan Broadcasting System, and Tencent Video), this book illuminates how Chinese producers have placed their aspirations for creative freedoms within technological advancements and rhetorical strategies, both demonstrating compliance with ideological control, and leaving room for resistance and resilience to one-party state ideology. Nuanced and timely, Convergent Chinese Television Industries unveils a complex picture of an industry undergoing dramatic transformations.

  Inhalt

  Chapter 1. Introduction.- Chapter 2. Production Ecology in Chinese Television Industries.- Chapter 3. Convergent Production Strategies: CCTV and HBS.- Chapter 4. Digital Fiefdoms: The Rise of Chinese Internet-distributed Television.- Chapter 5. Production Cultures and Convergent Screen Forms: CCTV and HBS.- Chapter 6. Streaming Screen Forms and Aesthetics: Tencent Video.- Chapter 7. Producers' Fears in Post-TVIII Chinese Television Industries.- Chapter 8. Creative Freedoms and Autonomy in Convergent Chinese Television.- Chapter 9. Playing Edge Ball in the Grey Area.- Chapter 10. Conclusion: Towards Technologically-Empowered Creative Freedoms in Convergent Chinese Television.