Chinese companies seeking a global clientele will find it easier to reach worldwide TV audiences after the opening Thursday of a sales office in Beijing by CNN.
The Beijing team will be led by Cindy Zhan who joins CNN International from BBC Worldwide. Zhan will work with CNN’s regional headquarters and production center in Hong Kong, reporting into executive director for Greater China, Sally Young.
China is the world’s second largest economy and now boasts increasingly successful consumer goods companies including Lenovo (best known for laptops), Haier (air conditioning), and Xiaomi and Huawei (both, smartphones).
Like most foreign channels, CNN is not widely distributed in China and is restricted to hotels, diplomatic compounds and certain apartment blocks.
"Opening the Beijing office is a major milestone for CNN and emphasizes just how important the China market is. This is just a sign of things to come as we continue to boost our boots on the ground and capitalize on marketing and revenue opportunities both locally and internationally,” said VP, CNN Advertising Sales Asia Pacific, Sunita Rajan.
CNN International Commercial has sales offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Delhi, and Mumbai. Within Asia, CNN has editorial offices in Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Jakarta Mumbai, Seoul and Tokyo.