Are operators entering the television industry to save themselves or to disrupt the market?

Are operators entering the television industry to save themselves or to disrupt the market?

Today, the domestic TV industry is experiencing an unprecedented transformation. Following the entry of video websites and Internet companies, operators have also become newcomers.


Selling TVs is to live a better life

Before the emergence of smart TVs, or in other words, before the emergence of "LeTV Super TV", TV manufacturers only relied on selling hardware to earn high profits. This profit model created a high threshold for new manufacturers, especially the TV assembly line, which cost tens of millions of yuan, which discouraged many potential entrants.

After TVs became smart, the profit model of TVs changed accordingly. Some new manufacturers could be outsourced to large manufacturers, and then widely distribute TV terminals at low prices, and finally make profits through value-added services based on their advantages. It is precisely because of this diversified profit model that Internet manufacturers, broadband operators, license holders, etc. have flocked into the smart TV industry.




Among them, the two broadband operators that launched TV are worthy of attention. Telecom broadband operator Dr. Peng, under the cloud-pipe-terminal strategy, takes advantage of its pipeline advantages to enrich the cloud while making great efforts to make up for the lack of terminals. TV as a strong terminal is one of the focuses of Dr. Peng's strategic transformation. Zhou Liuqing, general manager of Damai Technology, said, "There is no such thing as a profit without early rise. Dr. Peng also wants to change the attributes of a telecom operator and transform into an "Internet +" enterprise. TV and OTT boxes have secondary operation value, and TV has a higher terminal degree, so why not do it?"

Recently, cable TV operator Gehua Cable also launched a 4K integrated all-in-one TV. "After the launch of the all-in-one TV, the burden of set-top boxes has been thrown to TV manufacturers. Gehua has not been able to take this step before. In the future, users can choose to buy Gehua's set-top boxes to match their TVs, or choose an all-in-one TV. Compared with the Beijing market, Gehua has opened up to all TV manufacturers. We will eventually move towards marketization." said Luo Xiaobu, deputy general manager of Gehua Cable.

Neither Gehua Cable nor Dr. Peng has the conditions to produce TVs. Dr. Peng's Damai TV is manufactured by AOC Technology Group and Sino-Singapore Technology Group, while Gehua Cable's 4K integrated TV is supplied by Skyworth and Hisense respectively. This model is very similar to the cooperation model between telecom operators and mobile phone manufacturers. TV manufacturers are responsible for production, and operators are responsible for providing services. The two complement each other. TV manufacturers still make profits from hardware, while operators avoid becoming pipelines, ultimately achieving a win-win situation.

To save yourself or to be a troublemaker?
  Dr. Peng is the largest private broadband telecommunications operator in the country, and Gehua Cable is the largest cable television operator in Beijing. Both operators have entered the television industry. Is it to save themselves or to become disruptors?   It is understood that Gehua Cable is the only network operator responsible for the construction, development, operation, management and maintenance of cable radio and television networks in Beijing, taking advantage of Beijing's "geographical advantages and human resources". After acquiring Great Wall Broadband, Dr. Peng owns the "Pentium No. 1" long-distance backbone network connecting 32 cities across the country, with a backbone network capacity of 1.6T, making it the largest private Internet telecommunications operator in China.

  Compared with some Internet companies, the two operators have obvious pipeline advantages. Their gimmicks for launching TVs are different from those of LeTV and Xiaomi TVs. 4K movies and cloud games have become their main attractions. Dr. Peng Damai TV provides a large number of HD videos and 4K ultra-clear videos, and the playback bit rate of video content is above 20M. In addition, Dr. Peng will invest heavily in building the cloud application and cloud game market. While promoting cloud games, Gehua TV also has the largest 4K movie section in China. There are currently nearly 100 4K blockbusters, and it is expected to update 2 movies per week, exceeding 200 movies within the year.   In fact, whether it is Dr. Peng or Gehua Cable, they all want to use their pipeline advantages to supplement the cloud, develop terminals, connect the "cloud, pipe and terminal" and ultimately achieve platform transformation. More importantly, as a listed company, the role of platform providers has unlimited imagination for investors.   Gehua Cable's eagerness to launch TVs is closely related to the setback in its set-top box business. By the end of December 2014, Gehua Cable had 4.2 million households with high-definition interactive digital TVs, ranking first in the country. The growth rate has slowed down significantly, with an increase of 720,000 households in 2013 compared with 2012, and an increase of 400,000 households in 2014 compared with 2013.   Gehua Cable's DVB business has hit its ceiling and has been hit hard by Beijing Unicom's IPTV, OTT boxes and smart TVs. Its development has slowed down. In this situation, Gehua Cable's launch of the 4K integrated all-in-one machine is equivalent to opening up a new development space for itself, said Liang Zhenpeng, a home appliance expert.  

Dr. Peng also showed signs of decline in some of its main businesses, especially its smart security business, which lost 125.9256 million yuan last year. Its advertising and media business was particularly impacted by new media, and its net profit showed a serious downward trend. Therefore, Dr. Peng is vigorously expanding its network services at home and abroad, and is eager to transform itself into a company with network-based and Internet value-added services as its main business.   Now, Dr. Peng and Gehua Cable are both continuously strengthening the cloud while deploying terminals. Dr. Peng is continuously expanding the data center cluster and cloud platform construction. Gehua Cable is also investing in cloud computing and plans to invest no more than 1.65 billion yuan in the Zhuozhou base smart cloud project.   Obviously, operators have great ambitions to launch TVs. However, in the short term, operators cannot escape the suspicion of self-help when launching TVs. In the long term, operators all have a platform dream and want to become disruptors.     


As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.

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