Chinese TV lifestyle shows draw upmarket, female audience

Over 80 per cent of leisure and fashion programming is broadcast on local TV channels in China. Data over three years from 2007 to 2009 clearly demonstrates this trend.

Over the same period, less and less of this programme type has been broadcast on national level channels.

A closer look at this situation shows an important finding. The market share of channels with either the word ‘life’ or ‘fashion’ in the markets examined is relatively high.

Many of these channels rank in the top ten or even top five channels in their respective markets. This indicates channels with such a programme focus have a strong competitive position.

An investigation of audiences for this programme type indicates that consumption-oriented groups in society are devoted to leisure and fashion programmes.

Longitudinally over time, this has remained the case. Faithful viewers of such programmes and channels continue to be female, both young and middle-aged, with high incomes, high education levels and high occupation characteristics.


Programme reach was the highest among the unemployed, followed by the professional sector in 2009.


The average viewing time for national TV dropped by 17 per cent to 28.04 minutes in 2009 but for provincial TV it increased by 27 per cent to 14.79 minutes.

It is clear to see that audiences of these programmes and channels are a highly desirable audience, filled with individuals with consumption needs and consumption capacity.

This article was originally published in the 28 January 2010 issue of Media.