Unsurprisingly, mobile and social were at the top of the game during this Chinese New Year, with figures that once again broke all boundaries and portrayed the insatiable commitment of Chinese netizens. What if the “real” novelty was elsewhere? In state channel CCTV’s very traditional televised gala, robots and drones will have choreographed national pride with the precision of a military parade, testifying to Chinese innovation and technological ambitions…
Alipay – WeChat Pay: Match Faster
Is growth slow? Not Chinese Internet stars. Tencent multiplied its 2015 record by 10 to exchange more than 32 billion digital envelopes (1) on its Star application WeChat, and the participation of 516 million mobile users during Chinese New Year Week., This is far ahead of Alipay (Alibaba), for example versus 800 million RMB being exchanged on New Year’s Eve alone.
8 billion for Tencent. And that’s even if Alipay replaced him as the sponsor of the New Year’s gala, quintupling the stake ($42 million) compared to 2015. Let us remind you that Alipay is the leader in mobile payments, with about 45% PdM (2%) versus 20% for Tenpay (WeChat Pay + QQ Wallet) and its 400 million users.
In January, a poll (3) confirmed a positive change for television: 72% of Chinese respondents said they would “definitely” see the New Year’s gala on CCTV, compared to 58% in 2015. No doubt who created this phenomenon in 2015. By bringing together 180 million “shakers” (WeChat function) from 204 countries to achieve these red envelopes, have they contributed to raising high expectations for this 33thediting.
Chinese net player, king of entertainment
Last November 11, Jack Ma and Alibaba had already entered the annals of television history by supporting what would become 11.11 (Singles Day) the largest online global trade event. It is a 3-hour live TV show that beats the Americans to their ground, featuring Daniel Craig as a guest star on stage or even Kevin Spacey in “House of Cards” as Frank J. Underwood, who is on video, has been diverted for the occasion to Glory to Tmall… an evening that reached 30% of the audience share, performing as well or better than New Year’s Gala on CCTV Was.
500 robots and 30 drones to “reach heights”
But this February 8, 2016, 4h30 show – Ritual Unchanged – may not only have demonstrated the extent to which digital channels are reshaping holiday celebrations in Asia, with the phenomenal popularization of mobile payments. Hints of a political climate can sometimes be seen in this New Year’s event, the content of which is controlled by the state.
Filmed by a fleet of drones (part of the show) along the Guangzhou city skyline lit by lasers, an improbable ballet of robots designed and built in Shenzhen, the Guangdong region’s Hub-Tech, follows the military rhythm of a patriotic song ” Rush to the top of the world, chant “The world is in front of me, the future is in sight, the earth is at my feet“(4).
More or less, it was the spirit of Chinese drone maker EHang that caused a stir at the last consumer electronics show in Las Vegas in January, when it presented the EHang1 on 184.er Citizen drone with passenger.
Images of Chinese New Year on CCTV:
chinese new year clip with robot and drone ,
The Chinese government’s emphasis on innovation in cutting-edge areas such as robotics and IT may have found its most beautiful setting here: the largest global television program brought together
690 million
of viewers in 2015 (versus 114 million for the 2015 Super Bowl).
If necessary, a recent study (5) ranked the Chinese as the most optimistic people (41%), far ahead of the Americans (6%), or the last French (3%) or even That’s even the most pessimistic.
About the Author :
Laure de Carayon China Connect www.chinaconnect.fr . is the founder of
(1) The tradition of offering red “Hongbao” envelopes with a little cash that was digitized by Tencent/WeChat in 2014
(2) Source: Analysis International – Q3 2015
(3) Source: Admaster
(4) Running towards the top of the world. “The world is before me; The future is in the dark; The EarthSatmefeet”.
(5) Source: YouGov UK – November – December 2015
image Source: Shutterstock