July 6, 2007. Beijing Campus - Some 400 China media specialists turned out today to attend CEIBS' debut Annual Media Industry Forum, held at Beijing's Kerry Center Hotel. The forum featured 30 VIP speakers and panelists addressing the theme of "Growth of New Media & Transformation of China's Media Industry,"  including Sun Microsystems Industry Marketing/Strategy Director for Global Communications Stefan Rust, China's State Information Office Network News and Publicity Bureau Director Li Wufeng, and Institute of Public Opinions Dean Yu Guoming, as well as other media experts from China's commercial media, government entities, and marketing organizations. The event was organized by CEIBS in conjunction with the CEIBS Media Industry Students Association.

The round-table discussion on China's new media revolution was particularly timely. New media - represented by Internet and mobile media - has become the most prevalent method of information dissemination in the digital era, panelists stressed. The presenters discussed how China's fast-rising new media sector is impacting and enriching the lives of domestic consumers.

In his opening address, CEIBS Dean and Vice President Rolf D. Cremer pointed out that, by exploring the media sector from both academic and commercial angles, the forum has facilitated the development of China's media industry. He predicted that the annual forum will emerge as the most influential forum in China's media industry. Cremer said the 2007 China Media Industry Forum was the latest in a series of high-level annual international forums and round-table sessions hosted by CEIBS. Other key events include the 2007 China Bankers Forum, held on the CEIBS Shanghai campus in June, as well as the upcoming China Auto Forum which will be held on October 29 and 30, and the China Healthcare Forum on September 15, 2007.

CEIBS Dean and Vice President Rolf D. Cremer

In his keynote speech entitled "New Media -Transformation and Mission," State Information Office Network News and Publicity Bureau Director Li Wufeng stressed that new media has become the most vigorously developing area within the media industry. This sector is playing a critical role in enriching entertainment, education and culture, he said. Li believes China's media industry should contribute to the building of a harmonious society by taking advantage of this opportunity for transformation.

The vitality of new media was the topic addressed by CEIBS Honorary President Liu Ji, who is also former deputy dean of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Liu said the motto "Content is King" serves as a conceptual foundation for the media industry's sustainable competitiveness and core competency. "New media and traditional media are complementary, not mutually exclusive. I believe that successful new media is bound to stand on the shoulders of traditional media and learn from it, so that it can see farther and run faster," Liu said.

Drawing upon his analysis of media industry development in China and abroad, Institute of Public Opinion Dean and Renmin University School of Journalism Deputy Dean Yu Guoming spoke on "Trends of Transformation in Media Industry." Yu said the future is full of opportunities for the media industry, and predicted great changes in the industry's rules and operational systems. Yu encouraged China's media practitioners to take advantage of the current environment of rapid economic growth and social development to become more innovative.

In the address on "Creating Business Around Mobile Media," Sun Microsystems' Stefan Rust covered the opportunities to be gained from innovation into new media. Other VIP media speakers at the forum included Internet Society of China Chairman and Chinese Academy of Engineering academician Hu Qiheng; and China International Publishing Group Deputy Director Fang Zhenghui, who also chairs the CEIBS Media Industry Students Association. Both encouraged China's new media industry to grow through innovation.

With the aim of encouraging in-depth discussion on current media industry topics, the forum also included panel discussions on the themes of: Internet Development and Trends, Development Prospects for Mobile Media, Innovation and Transformation of Traditional Media, and New Media in the Eyes of Investors.

Panel I: Internet Development and Trends

The first conference panel considered the question "Can small players in the media sector compete against established players in China's cut-throat Internet development market?"

Panelists showed that, based on industry data, emerging websites adopting Web 2.0 technology have become competent rivals of portals. According to one survey of online media by iResearch Consulting, community websites account for 60% of the total traffic in China, but account for a mere 20% of earnings. This reveals both the opportunities and challenges of this sector for SMEs. Based on the huge internet traffic in China, traditional portals are now consolidating in order to expand their business value, while stepping up their Web2.0 efforts

Representatives from China's traditional and emerging websites and industrial experts joined the discussion including: Ku6.co CEO Li Shanyou; 265.com CEO and President Cai Wensheng; ChinaInterActiveCorp. CEO and Chairman Chen Yizhou; Allyes Holding Inc. (China) CEO Zhu Hailong; iResearch President Yang Weiqing; Qihoo Chairman Zhou Hongwei and Tencent Vice President Liu Shengyi.

Panel II: Development Prospects of Mobile Media

The development and maturity of a mobile media base has led to the era of Media Anywhere ? mobile phones have become everyone's device, anywhere. This may be a double-edged sword for information consumers, but it is definitely a real challenge to Internet Service Providers (ISP): the more developed the market is, the more acute competition there will be.

This was the broad issue discussed by VIP participants who joined the second panel discussion: CEO of Norstar Media Wang Chao; President's Assistant and Director of New Mobile Media at Xinhuanet Li Jun; President of Kaitone Xu Kening; President of Umessage Zhang Zhihao; President of PingCo Wang Wei; Vice President of IDC China Wan Ning and Vice President of TOWONA Cui Bin.

Their goal is to develop unique business models and make providing information profitable, they said.

Panel III: Innovation and Transformation of Traditional Media

InterActive CEO Barry Diller once predicted: "All old media will have more sleepless nights", an idea shared by some industry players who maintain that the "winter of traditional media" has been shockingly freezing. Others have argued, however, that the impact of new media brings both challenge and opportunity.

This was the essence of the issue discussed by: Vice President of Beijing Youth News Liu Han; Chief Editor of China Entrepreneur Magazine Niu Wenwen; Secretary of Party Committee, Chairman and President of Henan Newspapers Group Zhu Xiayan; Director of Programs Center of News of CCTV Liang Xiaotao; General Manager of China News Weekly Qin Lang and CEO of China eCapital Wang Ran.

The general consensus, it appeared, was that transformation and innovation are inevitable.

Panel IV: New Media in Eyes of Investors

The final panel discussion examined the concept that new media offers an opportunity of adding value to investors who, in turn, can ensure the further development of the sector.

This session brought together many top-class investment partners, heads of VC investment institutions and well-known business strategic investment managers. The panel included: CEO of VOC Mao Zhao; Chairman and GM of Hina Group Zhao Xiaobing; founder and CEO of Zero2IPO Holdings Inc. Ni Zhengdong; Vice President of BOC International (China) Limited Chen Hang and Chairman of daqi.com Wang Dingbiao. From their perspectives, the Internet is no longer 'eyeball-attracting'. Instead, they predict that the mobile business, broadband wireless companies and the wireless-related semiconductor industry will become investors' new craze.

During a media interview, Honorary President of CEIBS Prof. Liu Ji commented that the successful staging of China Media Industry Forum 2007 highlighted the initiatives CEIBS has taken in thoroughly examining and studying the media as well as other major industries in China. He added that CEIBS will develop more talents, with internationally competitive power, to continuously make contributions to the growth of China's economy.