NEW YORK: Business Wire (BW) has forged an agreement with a Chinese government agency to offer news distribution to businesses, media outlets, government and educational institutions, and consumers in Hong Kong and mainland China.
BW's new partner, China's Technology Information Promotion System (TIPS), is part of a communications network that provides Chinese enterprises and other subscribers with news, primarily in the hi-tech industry. The agency has 30 bureaus throughout China, and is part of a satellite network of close to two-dozen worldwide partners.
Through its arrangement with TIPS, which officially begins December 1, BW will be able to offer clients more widespread distribution throughout the region. Previously, BW's Asia-Pacific circuits were limited by the reach of Asia Wire, BW's partner service for reaching Chinese audiences.
Neil Hershberg, BW's VP of global media relations, said BW would maintain its relationship with Asia Wire, and offer distribution through the TIPS partnership in addition. He said there would be no price increase for the enhanced offering through the end of the year, but that BW is "reviewing our international rates for 2004."
In addition to broadened distribution, the partnership means all BW releases sent to China will be automatically translated into simplified and traditional Chinese. Previously, translated releases were optional.
For now, BW's dissemination of Chinese news is limited to that region, but Hershberg said, "Our long-term goal is to get copy out of China and into the US and elsewhere."
