Elisa taking Nordic SVOD to China

Finnish cable and telecom operator Elisa has teamed up with China Broadcasting and Television Media, a subsidiary of China Broadcasting Network, to take Nordic content to China.

The agreement between the pair opens up a potential market of 245 million cable homes for subscriber video-on-demand service Nordic TV in China, according to Elisa.

The moves follows a pilot for the SVOD service in Shenzhen last year that Elsia said confirmed there was a Chinese appetite for Nordic content.

Nordic TV will bring content including drama series Downshifters, documentary short series Tale of a Lake and car-racing show Virittäjät to Chinese audiences.

The pair plan to launch the service in selected provices, starting with Shenzhen later this year. Nordic TV will contribute content acquisition, localisation and delivery, while CBM will take care of the local operation and marketing of the service.

“Last year, Nordic TV succeeded in a pilot in Shenzhen, a top-tier city with a population of over 10 million people. The pilot confirmed that Chinese consumers have a desire for Nordic content and they are willing to pay for it,” said Einari Kanerva, director of Nordic TV.

“The Nordic lifestyle and nature are of interest to Chinese consumers. In partnership with Elisa, we can offer our customers a new kind of content that stands out from other TV shows. Our goal is to build Nordic TV a nationwide brand,” said Chen Kai, general manager of CBM.