Rebecca Yang, the chief executive of International Programme Content Network in Shanghai, has sold foreign TV show formats including China's Got Talent to Chinese networks. She talks about the market for foreign programmes in the second-biggest economy in the world.
What types of foreign programmes work well in China?
There are a lot of formats unsuitable for Chinese markets, so companies like us work hard to allocate a format that will work and localise. We have to respect the local producers in terms of their judgement. Just thinking you can come into the market won't work.
Which foreign programme types have been most popular?
To date, one of the most successful foreign-originated formats is China's Got Talent. We tried a lot of localisation … to make it a success. You have other big formats like X-Factor. It's a massive format. It's about launching at the right time on the right channel with the right promotion.
How does localisation work?
When you licence a format you get the formula, the whole skeleton. As a local production team working with the editorial from the channels and working with the local brand, we need to put the meat on the bones, like finding the right cast, together with the right stories and the right story angles that will create an impact with the audience. This is the localisation that comes into it.
Does bringing in foreign programmes stifle creativity within Chinese television stations?
I'm against that [idea]. Learning from our colleagues in the West, from a simple idea, there's a lot of strength in that. All our partners have learnt a great amount.
How much of a problem is there with Chinese television companies taking foreign programme formats without authorisation?
I don't think that's completely gone, but it's not a China thing. It happens everywhere, only because [China's] such a massive country, it seems it happens. There's definitely a demand for genuine creativity.
SPECS
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
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RESULT
Huddersfield Town 2 Manchester United 1
Huddersfield: Mooy (28'), Depoitre (33')
Manchester United: Rashford (78')
Man of the Match: Aaron Mooy (Huddersfield Town)
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 2 (Heaton (og) 42', Lindelof 64')
Aston Villa 2 (Grealish 11', Mings 66')
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Company%20profile
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
Company%20Profile
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The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA
Price, base / as tested Dh150,900 / Dh173,600
Engine 2.0L inline four-cylinder
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 211hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 1,200rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Uefa Nations League: How it Works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
