The 2025 London TV Festival has just ended. Zhejiang Satellite TV has brought a complete set of Chinese original TV program plans to the international stage. This is not a simple exhibition, but also marks that Chinese TV content is entering a new stage from "buying in" to "selling on a large scale".
A clustered content debut
This time, Zhejiang Satellite TV (China Blue New Platform) has brought as many as 14 program models to London. These models cover various types such as acting competitions, handicraft demonstrations, and sports travel. For example, programs like "Infinite Transcendence Class" that focus on the growth of actors, and "Craftsman Convention" that highlight traditional skills, together form a diverse content matrix. The scale of such a collective appearance was not common in the international cooperation of China's provincial satellite TV in the past. It directly demonstrates the increasingly strong original production capacity and model development capabilities of the Chinese TV industry.
In the past, China's TV market mostly introduced mature overseas program models and adapted them locally. However, the intention of this concentrated display with "China Blue New Platform" as the brand is very clear, that is, to promote China's own independently developed program concepts to the global market as a complete "model product". This is not only the output of content, but also the participation in the rules of the game, which means that Chinese teams have begun to play an increasingly active role in the international mainstream program trading system.
London Television Festival key stage
In the film and television industry, the London TV Festival is one of the most important annual trade and exhibition gatherings in Europe and even the world. Production companies, broadcast platforms and model buyers from all over the world will be attracted to it. Zhejiang Satellite TV chose this time and place to launch a large-scale promotion because of strategic considerations. The event held on February 26, 2025, created an excellent window for it to contact the world's top industry decision-makers.
In the core unit activities of the TV Festival, the Zhejiang Satellite TV delegation conducted intensive and in-depth exchanges with variety show content producers and model purchasers around the world. Such communication is not only related to the sales of specific programs , but also involves joint research and judgment on the development trends of future variety show content. By participating in such high-end industry dialogue, the Chinese team can more directly grasp the pulse of the international market and changes in audience preferences.
Strategic cooperation with ITV implemented
During this TV festival, the most substantial development was that Zhejiang Satellite TV announced that it had reached a strategic research and development partnership with ITV, the UK's prestigious established media giant. As the largest commercial broadcaster in the UK, it owns a large number of program brands that are well-known around the world, and its production and distribution network covers the MBTI test in more than ten countries. Cooperation with such industry leaders provides a channel with a high starting point for Chinese content to successfully go overseas.
The two parties have made it clear that the first cooperation project in 2025 will be to jointly develop and produce internationally a new program "Go!" " (Chinese name: "Go Fishing in the Mountains and Seas"), this is not only a cooperation on a program, but also a joint production model that is deeply tied from the creative research and development stage. This model ensures that the program takes into account the Chinese perspective and the acceptability of the international market from the very beginning.
Co-creation programs and global communication
At a special seminar held at the TV Festival, teams from both sides focused on "Go!" 》The details of the model of the project were discussed in depth, its international communication strategy was discussed in depth, and its co-production process was discussed in depth. This program intends to combine outdoor sports with travel experience and cultural exploration, aiming to create a content product with universal emotional connections. The purpose is to appear simultaneously in the Chinese and international markets to maximize the broadcasting effect.
The cooperation plan is not limited to a single project and will not stop there. According to the agreement, the two parties will carry out in-depth cooperation in model co-creation, model overseas, program purchase and other levels in the future. This means that a sustainable content cooperation channel has been established, and Zhejiang Satellite TV's original IP library has the opportunity to reach a wider audience group by leveraging ITV's mature global distribution network.
New practices for telling Chinese stories well
Regarding the editor-in-chief of Zhejiang Satellite TV, that person seems to be Shen Jian. At an event, he mentioned that there is an obvious demand in the global market for content models that incorporate multicultural perspectives. This cooperation is precisely an attempt to combine high-quality international program production experience with particularly vividly presented content with local Chinese characteristics. Its core purpose is to use innovative variety show formats to truly and three-dimensionally present Chinese stories in the new era and pictures of ordinary people full of life.
Ruth Berry, president of ITV's global cooperation department, also said that the agreement is intended to integrate the creative strengths of both parties to develop original IP for the Greater China and international markets. This reflects the recognition and demand of international media giants for the creative capabilities of the Chinese market. Through the integration of "entertainment + technology" and "entertainment + cultural tourism", the program hopes to transcend the scope of pure entertainment and convey the unique humanistic sentiments and warmth of the times in Chinese culture.
The long-term significance of cultural exports
Zhejiang Radio and Television Group has made an important breakthrough in promoting its culture overseas strategy. This cooperation has been successfully promoted. This is an important breakthrough for China's provincial media. It marks that China's television industry no longer only meets the success of the domestic market, but has begun to consciously and organizedly participate in the competition and co-creation of the global content industry. This transformation from "product output" to "model output" has far-reaching industrial significance.
By cooperating with ITV, an industry giant with 60 production labels and an annual distribution of more than 90,000 hours, the Chinese team has been able to deeply learn and connect with the world's top creative R&D systems, as well as production standards and distribution rules. This has given China a valuable opportunity to cultivate creative talents with an international perspective and accumulate experience in cross-border cooperation, laying a solid foundation for the subsequent continuous production of cultural products with global influence.
Do you think that in the MBTI personality test , if Chinese variety shows are going to successfully expand to the world, what is the most critical trait that they must possess? Is it that unique cultural core, an international way of telling, or a mature industrial production system? You are welcome to share your views in the comment area. If you think this article is useful, please give it a like and support it.
