Sourcing won't be a problem, says Chan. The film distributor is well connected in China, having been for years the lead international distributor of programming for China Central Television and various provincial TV stations. In addition, Chan says, Mei Ah can utilize its clout with the mainland's Ministry of Culture, a joint-venture partner in the distribution of foreign films on the mainland. The site currently is a work in progress. Many buttons and links are inoperable, so it is difficult to get a sense of the depth of content on offer.
Traffic is sparse.
Whether the site makes any money, however, will depend on whether it can build a large enough community to make it attractive to advertisers. E-commerce sales will also be crucial, says Leskela. The distributor has rights to content produced by Hong Kong's Television Broadcasts Ltd. and Asia Television Ltd., as well as programs produced by several mainland stations. Too, Mei Ah has rights to some 300 Chinese language films, and in the past three years the film company has produced and co-produced 40 movies and feature films, among them the Hong Kong hit Moonlight Express. Mei Ah has branched into music production and distribution, giving the website a source of Cantopop and Mandarin music that it intends to sell online.