Promotional material for Chinese entertainment shows Photo: Courtesy of Xu Liang

 

 Ni Jinma Photo: Courtesy of Xu Liang

The year 2019 has seen various entertainment shows dominate small screens in China, from reality shows revealing the lives of celebrities to dating shows involving ordinary people and stars. 

"The most popular were reality shows featuring stars, and then music, competition and traditional culture programs. However, some of these shows are becoming increasingly homogenized, which has caused a sharp decline in their reputation," veteran TV industry insider Ni Jinma, founder of Purity Media, which has produced a number of entertainment shows, told the Global Times. 

In his eyes, the most pressing action these shows need to take is to upgrade their content by focusing on trending topics that can catch the attention of today's audiences. 

In the long run, no matter what form an entertainment show may take, they need to also feature in-depth and positive messages that go beyond pure amusement, said Ni. 

Live cast hosts and multi-channel networks (MCN) have quickly risen to lead China's internet culture, creating both opportunities and challenges for entertainment shows and various production companies. 

"It will be a trend in the near future that audiences will shop as they watch entertainment shows. This will be much more effective than simply attaching a commercial to a program," said Ni. 

Food show Familiar Taste, also one of the shows that Ni and his team have worked on, is also working with shopping platforms to further develop the potential of IPs on the show. 

Technology has always played an important role in changing people's lives and habits. How will the upcoming 5G era impact the showbiz industry? Ni said it will "redefine the entertainment show market." 

People today, especially young people, have a huge demand for streaming video content, both short- and long-form videos. The high-definition content that 5G will bring is sure to meet the public's desire for content and a vast amount of information on demand. 

"It will be an era of micro-entertainment shows," Ni said, adding that he plans to work with various TV stations and streaming sites on original programming such as shows about food, make-up and families.  

Global Times