Culture, Creative Industries & Sports Industries in China

At the beginning of 2019, China’s creative and sports industries were worth RMB 8.66 trillion (GBP 1.007 trillion) to the economy, a 7% increase from 2018 – and continues to grow at pace.

CBBC works extensively in the culture, creative and sports industries – providing a range of services to guide our Members and clients across the UK sector to develop their business in China.

Our goal is to raise the profile and attractiveness of the UK creative and sports industries seeking to enter the China market. We share our expertise with the UK creative and sports industries at all levels - supporting businesses to generate leads from Chinese buyers and distributors, guiding publishers and film & TV studios and producers towards building strategic partnerships; developing links to potential investors in the gaming sector; and enabling the UKs world-class cultural and sports assets to reach target consumers and grow fanbase.

Our IP programme supports the UK creative industries to safeguard their intellectual property rights in China and build a strong foundation for in-market growth and acceleration.

To get advice from a Member of CBBC’s team or to make an enquiry, please contact us.

An Overview of China’s Creative Industry Sector:

Sport

Driven by technology and financial support from the government, as well as changing habits and rising health awareness, the sports industry in China has experienced rapid development in recent years.
Hosting the 2008 Summer Olympics gave China an opportunity to become a world leader in sports through developing sporting activities and programming oriented towards the public.

With the forthcoming 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, China has become the world’s largest beginner market for winter sports, visitors to resorts tripling over ten years to 15million in 2016. As of 2019, less than 3% of the population are currently gym Members (compared to 14% of the UK), meaning there is significant opportunity for development in this area.

Film & TV

The Chinese Box Office routinely breaks records, especially around holiday periods such as the National Day Holiday on 1st October and the Spring Festival holiday (normally falling late January – mid-February). In 2019, the latter week-long festival accounted for 5.9 billion yuan (£671m), 9.2% of the total box-office takings that year.
A film studio which is allowed into the annual foreign-films quota laid out by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) is given access to one of the largest movie-going populations in the world.

Literature

In 2019 China’s book market recorded a growth rate of 14.4% over the previous year – online sales reaching $10.4 billion. Current trends are towards Chinese authors and foreign classics in fiction, with more foreign openings within non-fiction, especially within self-help, history, and science.
The UK Children book sector is one of the most competitive and vibrant in the world. JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series has sold over 500m copies worldwide and other internationally successful publications include the Oxford University Press Reading Tree, The House at Pooh Corner, Hobbit, Alice’s Adventures Wonderland. Peppa Pig has also become a phenomenon in China and set a benchmark for UK creative industry IP.

Gaming

Gaming is a lucrative industry in China with successful titles offering a stable and long-term revenue stream.
Foreign games entering the market correctly can turn over substantial profits. Call of Duty Mobile launched in China on Christmas Day 2020, accumulating over $14m in its first week alone.
Total War: Three Kingdoms produced by Creative Assembly has been a success in China since its launch in 2019.

Related Webinars