Canadian content and programming will be made available across multiple Chinese digital media platforms.
A new strategic media partnership has plans to offer Chinese Internet users access to films produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB); the content will be distributed via the NFB ZONE, a Canadian branded channel on a website operated by Chinese media outlet Phoenix New Media, aka, ifeng.
It’s the first digital channel designated to distribute Canadian films in mainland China.
Under the agreement, ifeng has the exclusive right to air and redistribute NFB's current content library of over 130 documentaries and animated films; available titles will be updated regularly over the next three years.
Beginning in late June 2012, the entire portfolio will be made available for both on-demand viewing and downloading on ifeng's NFB ZONE channel.
"We are excited that the NFB ZONE will be the first-ever online channel in Mainland China devoted to Canadian entertainment content. By leveraging ifeng's prominent media brand in China, we are now able to deliver globally acclaimed NFB documentaries and animated films. This collaboration represents the latest initiative for Canada's producers and Chinese partners in seeking to strengthen cultural bridges between our two countries by leveraging state-of-the-art digital media distribution platforms," said Tom Perlmutter, Government Film Commissioner and Chairperson of the National Film Board of Canada.
"As one of the most influential media companies in China, we believe such an initiative continues to demonstrate our dedication to further promoting cultural communications between the Chinese and the rest of the world, in the pursuit of our mission of bringing China closer to the world," Mr. Shuang Liu, Chief Executive Officer of Phoenix New Media, commented in a release.
"We are very pleased to partner with NFB, arguably the most reputable video content powerhouse in Canada. By offering Chinese audiences a dedicated channel to watch and interact with the best Canadian films, we will not only enhance NFB's exposure and brand awareness amongst ifeng's over 220 million monthly users, but we will also enrich ifeng's video content library with differentiated and thought-provoking content.”
Having originated from a leading global Chinese language TV network based in Hong Kong, Phoenix TV, the Company enables consumers to access professional news and other quality information and share user-generated content on the Internet and through their mobile devices. Phoenix New Media's platform includes its ifeng.com channel, consisting of its ifeng.com website, its video channel, comprised of its dedicated video vertical and video services and applications, and its mobile channel, including its mobile Internet website and mobile Internet and value-added services ("MIVAS").
Canada's public producer and distributor, the National Film Board of Canada creates interactive works, social-issue documentaries, auteur animation and alternative dramas that provide the world with a unique Canadian perspective. The NFB is developing the entertainment forms of the future in groundbreaking interactive productions, while pioneering new directions in 3D stereoscopic film, community-based media, and more. Over 2,000 NFB productions can be streamed online, at theScreening Room as well as via partnerships with the world's leading video portals, while the NFB's growing family of apps for smartphones, tablets and connected TV delivers the experience of cinema to Canadians everywhere.