Skip to main content

Entity Type: Domestic Media Company

Independent Media

Written by Editors on .

Independent Media is a South African multi-platform media company that publishes several influential newspapers, including the daily newspapers Cape Times, Cape Argus, The Star, Pretoria News, and Isolezwe, and operates the news website Independent Online. The company has substantial Chinese state investment through Interacom Investment Holding Limited, which represents China International Television Corporation (中國國際電視總公司), a wholly owned subsidiary of China Central Television that distributes television content, and the China-Africa Development Fund (中非發展基金), an state-run PRC investment fund established in 2007. Founded initially as the Argus Publishing Group with the launch of the Cape Argus in 1857, the company was purchased by the Sekunjalo Independent Media Consortium in August 2013 for 175 US million dollars. The ownership structure includes Sagarmatha Technologies Limited, a subsidiary of the Sekunjalo Group, which holds 55 percent; the Public Investment Corporation, which owns 25 percent; and the Chinese entities, which together have the remaining 20 percent through Interacom.

Chongqing Jiazuo Film and Culture Media

Written by Editors on .

Established in Chongqing, Jiazuo Film and Television Culture Media Co., Ltd., specializes in film production, distribution, digital cultural creative activities, and broadcast media services. The company is headquartered in Building 7 of Jingyu International Cultural and Creative Park in Jiulongpo District. With a registered capital of 5 million yuan, the firm is majority-owned by CEO Zuo Yue (左越), with 80 percent, and Yin Boyu (尹博宇) as a minority shareholder with 20 percent. While there is no evidence of direct state involvement in Jiazuo Film and Television Culture Media, the company has been involved in international content distribution with explicit governmental involvement. The company has participated in the “China Time Slot” initiative in Peru and Colombia, facilitating the distribution of Chinese visual content abroad. The National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) pushed these initiatives “under the auspices of the National Radio and Television Administration and the Chongqing Municipal People’s Government.” The NRTA, a ministry-level agency controlled by the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party, has promoted international cooperation and exchange in radio, television, and online audio-visual content. In November 2024, Jiazuo signed a trilateral cooperation agreement with Peru’s Willax TV and Classic Media China International Ltd. to expand Chongqing’s film and television industry in the Latin American market.

Apsara Media Services

Written by Editors on .

Apsara Media Services (AMS) is a Cambodian multimedia television organization that operates Apsara TV11 and describes itself as a “newly formed” multimedia channel aimed at establishing itself in the online media industry. The company is headquartered in Phnom Penh and operates from the Khemrany Building on Fine Arts Street. AMS states its mission is to “provide high-quality content” to audiences across Cambodia and internationally, with a vision to “become the leading innovative broadcasting platform” that produces quality content. The organization produces content in the form of videos, articles, and programs for educational and entertainment purposes, operating specialized divisions including AMS Central for news, AMS Sports, and AMS Khmer Civilization, focusing on cultural programming.

Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão (SBT)

Written by Editors on .

Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão or SBT, owned by Brazilian TV host Silvio Santos, began its broadcasts on August 19, 1981, by airing its own license signing ceremony from the Ministry of Communications in Brasília. Operating as Brazil’s third-largest commercial television network according to recent audience data, SBT stepped into the place of the defunct Tupi network, which operated from 1950 until bankruptcy in 1980. Santos gained licenses to former Tupi channels in São Paulo, Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro, and Belém, having already owned TVS Rio de Janeiro channel 11 since 1976. The network broadcasts entertainment programming, including Mexican telenovelas from Televisa, children’s shows through a Disney partnership that ended in August 2018, and news programs. While historically second in Brazilian ratings, SBT now ranks third behind Globo and Record TV, operating eight owned stations and over 90 affiliates nationwide.