ITN Source Signs Deal With Chinese

Leading archive footage business ITN Source is continuing to strengthen its grip on Chinese market by signing a deal with the country's largest commercial broadcaster, Shanghai Media Group.
The agreement brokered by IPCN, the Anglo-Chinese media company created by Mick Desmond and Rebecca Yang, will see ITN Source supply footage to the documentary films production unit of Shanghai Media Group.
Initially, Shanghai Media Group will take footage from ITN Source's one million hours covering areas such as the Chinese-Japanese war, the former Portuguese colony Macao and lifestyle material covering Chinese dress fashions in the twenties.
ITN Source represents the world's largest and most diverse catalogue of moving image libraries including ITN, Reuters, ITV, UTV, ANI, Setanta Sports News, Channel 9 News (Australia), FOX News and FOX Movietone and other specialist collections.
The agreement follows an announcement earlier this year which saw ITN Source sign its first content deal in China through IPCN with The Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, the country's largest foreign language publisher. ITN already has a relationship with Shanghai Media Group producing a daily primetime programme for ICS, the biggest English speaking channel in China, attracting ten million viewers every night.
Neil Meadows, Sales Director of ITN Source, said: "International revenue growth is key to our success. Through our direct and indirect sales efforts we are building new partnerships with major players such as Shanghai Media Group."
Rebecca Yang, Managing Partner, IPCN, added: "IPCN has built a strong relationship with SMG at a variety of levels. This deal between ITN Source and SMG is just the beginning of a very long-term and prosperous cooperation."
A spokesperson for Shanghai Media Group said: "ITN Source's archive contents are very precious and useful for us. We are very happy to work with them and we look forward to more cooperation between the two companies going forward."
(KMcA/BMcc)