DISH DIFFUSION: PIRATE SATELLITE TV THRIVES IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIJING 006498 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/06/2022 TAGS: PGOV PROP PHUM SOCI KCUL KIPR CH TW HK JA RP SUBJECT: DISH DIFFUSION: PIRATE SATELLITE TV THRIVES IN BEIJING REF: FBIS/OSC CPP20070822710014 Classified By: Political Internal Unit Chief Dan Kritenbrink. Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) China's State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT) has been cracking down on illegal satellite television since July 2007, according to news reports. While police in several cities are confiscating illicit receivers, enforcement of China's long-standing ban on private satellite dishes is uneven. In Beijing, three satellite installers tell us police are mainly turning a blind eye, except when dishes point to satellites carrying Falun Gong-related programming. Pirate satellite hookups that can receive programming from Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Philippines and Japan are readily available in China's capital for USD 300-500. No accurate estimates exist for market penetration rates of illegal satellite dishes, but one installer says the number is "growing fast." Contacts tell us that, for now at least, the social impact of satellite television is limited due to the lack of Mandarin content. Nevertheless, one source warned against underestimating satellite television's significance, calling illegal dishes an "uncontrolled window to the outside world" that, unlike the Internet, remains outside the control of Chinese officials. End summary. Pre-Congress Crackdown on Satellite TV -------------- ¶2. (U) China's State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT) in July 2007 ordered a nationwide crackdown on illegal foreign satellite television, according to Hong Kong and foreign media reports. The PRC-affiliated, Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV is apparently the major victim. An article in the August 26 edition of the Hong Kong magazine Yazhou Zhoukan (see ref) describes how SARFT has forced many local cable television systems to stop unauthorized reception and retransmission of Phoenix, which, the magazine says, has an estimated 200 million viewers in Mainland China. On August 10, SARFT issued a statement reiterating China's policy that only hotels rated at three stars and above can receive foreign satellite broadcasts. In the statement SARFT denied the crackdown was aimed at any one channel, a clear reference to Phoenix. ¶3. (U) The SARFT crackdown also apparently extends to individual satellite hookups. In July and August, several city governments across China announced campaigns to confiscate dishes and fine owners. An August 27 Xinhua News Agency report on the anti-dish campaign in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region specifically linked the crackdown to "ensuring the successful opening of the 17th Party Congress." In Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, according to a July 29 domestic news report, authorities offered a public reward of up to RMB 5,000 (USD 670) in exchange for tips on the location of illegal satellite equipment storehouses. Other crackdowns have taken place in Liaoning Province, Anhui Province, Guangdong Province and Chongqing Municipality, among other areas. But Dishes Still Easy to Get in Beijing -------------- ¶4. (C) Enforcement of SARFT's rules against private satellite receivers is hardly uniform. Three Beijing- based dish installers told us authorities in the capital are currently paying little, if any, attention to illegal satellite television. Beijing-based satellite installer Han Xiaolong (strictly protect) told Poloff July 27 that the last major crackdown in Beijing occurred in 2001 and 2002. Since then, installers have had little to fear. Han said the only close call he has encountered was in 2005 when security guards at a housing community detained his workers and threatened to call police. Han bribed the guards RMB 5,000 (USD 670) to let his workers go. Police, however, will take action if a dish is pointed at a satellite known to carry Falun Gong programming, Han said. ¶5. (C) Han described three categories of satellite BEIJING 00006498 002 OF 003 service available to private dish owners: -- The first includes domestic programming (e.g., the popular Hunan Satellite TV) that is carried on Chinese satellites. Reception of domestic television via a private, unauthorized downlink is technically illegal, but the content is not threatening to authorities. Han placed Phoenix in this category. -- Second is a Chinese government-run service for star-rated hotels and foreign-only resident compounds. This service is easily pirated, Han said, and includes many English-language channels (e.g., HBO, CNN and Discovery Channel). Much of the programming includes Chinese subtitles and the Chinese government is able to censor sensitive content via a 20-second delay. Many hotels and compounds, Han claimed, are stealing this service themselves to avoid paying the high fees. -- The third category includes foreign pirated satellite services aimed at Hong Kong, Taiwan and other East Asian markets. Mandarin-language Taiwan channels are the most popular among Mainland Chinese dish owners. The Philippines' Dream TV is also widely pirated in China even though most of its programming is in English. Pornographic channels (from Taiwan, Japan and Hong Kong) are also in very high demand, Han said. Just a Phone Call Away -------------- ¶6. (C) While Han wins business by word-of-mouth, other Beijing dish installers promote their services via cell phone text messaging and makeshift roadside advertisements. After receiving a text message August 12 touting satellite service, Poloff spoke to an installer, surnamed Zhao, who quoted a price of RMB 2,800 (USD 370) to install a dish and decoder that could receive "all the Taiwanese channels." Zhao also charges a RMB 450 (USD 60) yearly subscription fee to reconfigure the decoder when the satellite services periodically re-scramble their signals. Another installer, surnamed Zhang, spray paints his cell phone number on old, dented satellite dishes he then places along busy roadways. Reached by phone, Mr. Zhang offered Poloff a RMB 3,500 (USD 460) setup that could receive Hong Kong, Taiwan and Philippine television plus a wide array of adult channels. Both Zhao and Zhang were dismissive of any possible police interest. Zhang told Poloff September 26 that he had noticed no tightening as a result of the upcoming 17th Party Congress. How Many Dishes Are There? -------------- ¶7. (C) Few, if any, reliable estimates exist of the prevalence of illegal satellite hookups in China. Han said he believes less than 15 percent of Beijing households have an illegal dish, but the market is growing fast. According to a September 3 local news report, in Fushun, Liaoning Province, a city of 1.3 million people, local authorities estimated that 3,000 to 4,000 households have an illegal receiver. Recent data points like this, however, are few and far between. Phoenix's estimated 200 million viewers gives a hint at the growing power of satellite television, but most of this audience receives Phoenix through local cable television service, not private dishes. Victor Yuan, president of the polling firm Horizon Research Consultancy Group, told Poloff that he once attempted to conduct a poll on illegal satellite reception but abandoned the project. Such surveys cannot be accurate, Yuan said, because Chinese are obviously reluctant to admit illegal activity to pollsters. Impact Limited...For Now -------------- ¶8. (C) Xu Fangzhou (protect),a professor at the Communication University of China, told Poloff September 11 that authorities tolerate illegal satellite dishes because their societal impact is still limited. The most popular satellite channel, Phoenix, enjoys close connections to China's leadership and engages in self-censorship to maintain a kind of "semi-legal" status in Mainland China. Xu predicted recent SARFT actions against Phoenix will not significantly curtail the channel's long-term BEIJING 00006498 003 OF 003 success in China. (Note: A television in the lobby of Xu's office building was tuned to Phoenix. Xu said the University had been receiving Phoenix without authorization for several years. Phoenix is also available in the dorms of Qinghua University, according to an Embassy contact there, and is received in all high-level government compounds.) Aside from Phoenix, Xu dded, dish owners generally watch non- political Taiwanese entertainment shows. ¶9. (C) Han, the installer, however, warned against underestimating satellite television's significance. Illegal dishes represent an "uncontrolled window to the outside world" that, unlike the Internet, remains outside the control of Chinese officials. Han told Poloff many customers initially buy dishes for the Taiwanese soap operas and porn but eventually become interested in Taiwan's uncensored news programs. Li Xiaoping (protect),a producer for China Central Television's (CCTV) English-language Channel 9, told Poloff that while CCTV already feels competition from Phoenix, other illegal satellite services do not yet present a real threat to CCTV. However, Li added, leaders at China's state broadcaster are concerned that satellite TV will eventually challenge CCTV for ratings. Comment: Content is King -------------- ¶10. (C) Though nothing to cheer about from the standpoint of intellectual property rights, pirated satellite television represents a growing chink in the Chinese government's information-control armor. According to our contacts, English-speaking elites are among the most enthusiastic consumers of personal satellite receivers. Much of what is currently available via-satellite, however, is in languages incomprehensible to the average Mainland Chinese. Taiwan news programs may be linguistically accessible, but given the cultural and societal differences across the Strait, they do not necessarily resonate with wider Mainland audiences. As with the Internet, Mainland Chinese seem primarily drawn to content designed with them in mind, hence the success of Phoenix. Piccuta