Propeller TV

History

The channel launched on 6 February 2006 on British Sky Broadcasting's satellite platform, Sky.

It was run by the Image Channel Company Ltd, a subsidiary of the Grimsby Institute in the United Kingdom until it was acquired in June 2009 by the Xiking Group, after six months of talks. There are plans to overhaul the channel and produce programmes promoting Chinese culture, brands and people, with some possibly broadcast in Chinese.

Programmes

Anime Network block

On 3 June 2007, Propeller TV began airing anime as part of its Anime Network block, which was produced by A.D. Vision.† The Anime Network block was aired 2 hours with 4 different anime series from 8:00pm to 10:00pm daily. Propeller TV ended its Anime Network block on 1 January 2008.

†Really, Propeller TV's Anime Network block turned out to be a British version of the 1st North American all-anime cable network, the Anime Network, now a joint venture between AEsir Media Group LLC and Valkyrie Media Partners LLC and formerly a division of A.D. Vision from its foundation in 2002 up until 1 September 2009. 1 January 2008 was the same day Anime Network discontinued its 24/7 linear service to continue to support a VOD service on its main website too. Currently, the network focuses on anime & Japanese films property of Section23 Films, Sentai Filmworks, AEsir Holdings, Maiden Japan, Nozomi Entertainment (currently unstreamed, however the Section23, Sentai, AEsir and Maiden Japan are streamed on VOD) and Kraken Releasing, and formerly of ADV Films, a division of the producer of the Anime Network UK block, A.D. Vision.

China-UK Film and TV Conference

Propeller TV and Xiking Media and Culture organised the China UK Film and TV Conference on 20 September 2015 in London.

The conference aimed to promote strong partnerships between China and the UK in the realms of entertainment, such as television and cinema. It was attended by some big names from various fields, including Chinese Vice Premier, Yandong Liu and UK Minister of Culture, Media and Sport, Ed Vaizey, who both opened the show season together.

The conference held various seminars, from co-production to financing, and was attended by various professionals working in the related sectors, who were looking towards partnerships in China for the future of the industry.

Hosted at the Institute of Directors in London, the conference marks a significant development following the signing of the China/UK Film Co-production Treaty, which was ratified in 2015.

Supported by the UKTI, the China-UK Film and Television Conference aims to help film industry professionals learn more about China and to enable Chinese professionals to get in touch with their peers and provide a platform that promotes international business connections.

With the Chinese audiences growing, more theaters are being built, and the movies are getting better, the Chinese want to work with the UK’s renowned creative industries in order to develop new content for the Chinese domestic market, as well as international distribution.

Notable attendees at the conference included influential figures from both China and the UK. Guests from China included Yu Dong, Founder and CEO of Bona Film Group; Ye Ning, Vice President of Wanda Media; and Wang Guijun, Executive Vice President of Perfect World Pictures. Attendees from the UK side included Amanda Berry, CEO of BAFTA; Andrew M Smith, CEO of Pinewood China; Brent Hoberman, Business Ambassador of the UK; Edward Vaizey, HM Minister of State for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries ; Richard Badley, CEO of Lion TV; and Sue Bishop, Director of Creative Economy, Tech and Construction at UKTI.

Whilst the conference opened with a ceremony attended by the influential figures mentioned above, this opening ceremony was followed by various seminars and panels, aimed to provide knowledge in a wide array areas. The second day of the events saw seminars as listed follow

These seminars and talks were hosted by big Chinese and English companies, including ITV Studios, making the event a definite must in the calendar of business insiders.

China-UK Media Roundtable

Hosted by the State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China, UK Trade and Investment, and organized by Propeller TV, the China-UK Media Roundtable was held in London on 23 November 2015.

Representatives from government organizations of two nations, principles from the media industry, and other specialists raised a heated discussion over the issues such as media industry development, media convergence and development between new media and traditional media, and co-operations between Chinese and UK in terms of media.

Jing Junhai, the Vice minister of the publicity Department of the CPC, attended the opening ceremony, along with Bi Xiaopu, Sue Bishop, Director of Creative Economy, Tech and Construction at UKTI, and Ye Zhenzhen, Executive Director of Propeller TV. They addressed their expectation that this conference will bring new opportunities for China-UK media and promote further achievement for China-UK media pragmatic cooperation.

House of Fraser Partners with Propeller TV

On 22 September 2016, a joint signing ceremony was held between Propeller TV and House of Fraser, overseen by House of Fraser’s parent company Sanpower, signaling the start of a prosperous and strategic partnership for the three companies.

The signing ceremony was held in House of Fraser London head office, and was attended by Managing Director of Propeller TV Zhenzhen Ye, Executive Chairman of House of Fraser Frank Slevin, and Senior Vice-President of Sanpower Group Lei Yue. At the ceremony, the three companies expressed their desire to cultivate a steady and strategic partnership, and use this beneficial partnership to increase the brand impact and power of the House of Fraser and Sanpower brands within the UK and China.

Why Propeller TV?

Propeller TV is in a fantastic position to lead this partnership in the UK – established in 2006 and acquired by the Xiking Group in 2009, Propeller TV produces and airs high-quality Sino-English content on Sky Channel 189, and exists as a respected member of the multimedia community within the UK and in China. With the leadership of Xiking Group, Propeller TV sits as the perfect bridge between the UK and China.

Executive Chairman of House of Fraser Frank Slevin echoed these sentiments in his speech prior to the document signing, stating his excitement to work with Propeller TV, and understanding the crucial importance of working with a company that understands China, and can understand House of Fraser. Frank Slevin stated, “China, as we know, is an extremely important market to us as we look to grow our business, and having a strong partnership with somebody to help us promote the brand is clearly very important to the future success of our business in that market.”

Propeller TV’s Managing Director Zhenzhen Ye warmly accepted Frank Slevin’s comments, and added that “Propeller TV intends to promote the benefits of Chinese investment to the local economy and as an opportunity for UK brands to enter the Chinese market. It's a great opportunity to break through culture differences”, sharing the excitement in bringing House of Fraser to the Chinese market.

Storror Partners with Propeller TV

Propeller TV is excited to announce it's exclusive partnership for the Chinese-speaking world with leading British parkour team Storror. Storror, a team of young and exciting top athletes with a strong passion for adventure, are looking to reach out to the Chinese-speaking market, where Propeller TV's expertise lie.

Storror's recent projects are focusing on the Asia region, in particular Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seoul, which makes this partnership with China-facing Propeller TV a beneficial one. With Storror not only focusing on producing their own original parkour content, but also being hired for exciting blockbuster films, one of Storror's founding members Drew Taylor expressed his excitement at the partnership, stating "the opportunity in Mainland China with its established Parkour scene and opportunities to delve into the Chinese movie industry has always been something we have had our eye on, but just didn’t know where to start."

Propeller TV also hopes to help Storror utilize the unique cities and landscapes of China, to bring parkour fans both in the UK and overseas fantastic new content, and help open the doors to China's underground parkour scene. Similarly, Simon Dalton, Director of Access China at Propeller TV echoed his sentiment, saying "We are really thrilled to have this opportunity to help such a fantastic and elite parkour group break into the exciting Chinese market."