Tom.com expects Chinese Entertainment Television Broadcast (CETV), which it bought from Time Warner earlier this year, to break even in two to three years after its relaunch next year.
Chief executive Sing Wang said yesterday that the firm was considering moving its production base from Hong Kong to Shenzhen and relocate its advertising, marketing and public relations team to Guangzhou and sales offices to Beijing and Shanghai.
The broadcaster would keep its headcount of 100 to 120 staff, he said.
'We aim to have localised programmes to attract domestic viewers,' Mr Wang said, speaking on the sidelines of a week-long pay-television conference hosted by the Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia. He said CETV might also increase in-house production from 10 to 15 per cent of total programming to 40 to 45 per cent after the re-launch next June to take advantage of low production costs in the mainland.
CETV - founded by television veteran Robert Chua - is one of only four overseas channels with landing rights in southern China, as well as hotels and other specified venues nationwide.
But due to a lack of localised content, the broadcaster has captured less than 2 per cent of the market.
