AOL to broadcast content from Shanghai Media Group

Time Warner’s internet division AOL has said that they would soon be broadcasting content provided by Shanghai Media Group’s broadband unit.

AOL would be broadcasting this content on their recently launched AOL’s Chinese language Web site and would be focusing on content related to Chinese social, business, sports, and entertainment topics.

Wang Xiaotang, a spokeswoman for SMG Broadband said in a statement: “AOL aims to broadcast that content to Chinese all over the world.” The AOL Chinese web portal already has a section that carries news and programming, webcasts of sports events and other Internet services related to China.

Norman Koo, an AOL Web strategy executive added his views on this new initiative: “By creating this free, language-specific portal, we can better serve the millions of people in the United States who want access to critical features and communications tools, especially the latest news and entertainment video, in Chinese.”

SMG Broadband happens to be the lone company in China to provide Internet Protocol Television, or IPTV, services. It is owned by Shanghai Media Group and has been trying to collaborate with major international media groups such as Viacom Inc., Vivendi Universal SA, and Discovery Channel.