Author

Jenny Yu-nu Lu

Abstract

Several media consortium, which are mainly composed of western international broadcasters, have already established their bridgeheads in Hongkong so as to get a piece of Asia’s rapidly expanding satellite and cable television market, especially in mainland China.

Despite of this media megatrend and the establishment of mar ket system in China. Mainland China, to the contrary, has announced some punitive regulations to limit ordinary people’s choice of watching programs from satellite and cable television.

This essay tends to focus on the political economy of satellite and cable television development in mainland China, especially comparing the differences between Mao’s era and Deng’s era, to understand its past, present, and future.

Having analyzed related data, a tentative conclusion can be reached. It is true that in the post-Mao era, economic factor has played a more important role in the development of modern media, satellite and cable television in particular. Although Chinese communists have announced several punitive regulations to limit ordinary people’s access to satellite and cable television, media man ager will always pay much attention to profits and effective management.