[CUBE Customer Gets Prime Slot]
Chinese VCD Maker is Biggest TV Ad Spender
November 11, 1997 (BEIJING) -- A leading Chinese VCD maker has offered RMB210 million (US$25.3 million) to purchase what will be China's most expensive television advertising slot in 1998.
In public bidding, the Guangdong Idall Electronics Co., Ltd. outbid 124 other companies to win a five-second daily primetime advertising slot for one year on China Central Television Station's (CCTV) channel 1.
The Guangdong enterprise also has the right to air a number of ads on other CCTV channels, which is RMB130 million higher than the bidding floor price of RMB80 million.
This is the first time in China that primetime advertising slots were offered by public bidding. Other primetime advertising slots will be offered by private bidding.
CCTV is the only television station broadcasting to the whole country.
In 1996, China's TV ad turnover reached RMB9.7 billion, more than a third of which came from the station.
China's primetime viewing hours are from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., when popular programs as well as news and weather forecasts attract more than 400 million viewers.
The bidding for the primetime advertising slot has attracted widespread public attention.
In the biddings for the last three years, purchasers were all China's liquor distilleries. The 1996 winner, Qinchi Distillery of Shandong province, set an ad record of RMB320 million for 1997.
However, from this bidding, distilleries are banned from bidding in line with government controls on liquor ads.
(Xinhua News Agency) |
