Can a Single Remote Control Revive the TV Market: Government Intervention Takes Action

Can a Single Remote Control Revive the TV Market: Government Intervention Takes Action In recent years, the television market has been sluggish, with declining viewership rates, leading to the industry being dubbed "the most trendy decoration." The main reasons for this decline are complex operations, layers of hidden charges, and annoying advertisements, making users reluctant to use their TV sets

Can a Single Remote Control Revive the TV Market: Government Intervention Takes Action

In recent years, the television market has been sluggish, with declining viewership rates, leading to the industry being dubbed "the most trendy decoration." The main reasons for this decline are complex operations, layers of hidden charges, and annoying advertisements, making users reluctant to use their TV sets. However, this year, the government has taken action to address these "nested" charging issues, introducing a series of measures aimed at improving user experience and reviving the television market.

Viewership Rates Below 30%, Television Market Suffers

Data shows that in the first half of 2024, China's color television market retail volume decreased by 7.9% year-on-year, with retail sales reaching 52.2 billion yuan. Although August figures indicate an increase in shipments, the overall trend remains concerning. Sales figures have been declining year-on-year for seven consecutive months. More alarmingly, the decline in television sales has been ongoing since 2016, with China's television sales dropping by almost 15 million units.

Complex Operations, Confusing Charges, Poor User Experience

Once, a single remote control was sufficient to access all local channels; now, two remotes are needed for channel switching, and advertisements abound, easily leading users to paid content interfaces. Free broadcasts have transformed into subscription-based services, with local channels offering clear broadcasts only to paying members, prompting the lament, "You're not a member, you don't deserve to watch TV."

Even more disheartening is the IPTV platform's practice of locking away engaging content behind "VIP" memberships and establishing layered charging schemes, including VIP-SVIP-single-episode fees. The more money spent, the only reward is "ultra-high definition" clarity. Membership fees exceeding 100 yuan are deemed unreasonable by consumers, leading to constant complaints.

Government Intervention for Market Renewal

To improve user experience, the government has been tackling "nested" charging issues for over a year, achieving significant progress.

• Reducing Fee Packages, Enabling Single-Remote Viewing: Currently, 560 million cable TV, IPTV, and internet TV terminals have achieved a fee package reduction of over 50%.

• Eliminating Startup Ads, Enhancing User Experience: Cable TV and IPTV have completely abolished startup advertisements and will launch a new three-mode universal remote control by the end of the year.

• Simplifying Hotel TV Operations, Boosting Customer Satisfaction: Addressing the complexity of hotel TV operations, 200,000 hotels and 11 million rooms have implemented "easy TV viewing."

• Accelerating Ultra-HD Development, Elevating Viewing Experience: The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television plans to fully launch 13 ultra-HD channels, including CCTV and local channels, by the end of 2025, followed by the addition of 11 more in 2026.

Challenges Remain, Future Efforts Needed

While the government has implemented various measures, the existence of "VIP-SVIP-single-episode payment" models raises the question of how to ensure consumers enjoy watching television. Further consideration is needed.

The revival of the television market hinges on the strength of government regulation and consumer acceptance of television viewing.

References:

• China Achieves: Cable TV, IPTV Startup Ads Completely Eliminated! Startup Time Limited to 35 Seconds - Daily Economic News

• State Administration of Radio, Film and Television: Deepening Remediation of Television "Nested" Charging and Complex Operations - The Paper

• State Administration of Radio, Film and Television Tackles Television "Nested" Charging Issues, Audiences Return to the Living Room - Interface News

• Multiple Departments Take Action! Targeting Television "Nested" Charging! Faster Startup, Fewer Fee Packages - Global Times

• Cable TV and IPTV Completely Abolish Startup Ads - Qingtong Perspective

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