Ellen DeGeneres’ daytime talk show to be aired in China

Comedienne Ellen Degeneres’ daytime talk show is set to become the first American programme of its kind to be aired in China. The funnywoman’s TV series has been a staple in the U.S. since its inception in 2003, and now executives at Warner Bros., who distribute the show in America, have struck a deal with bosses of China’s leading online video service provider, Sohu Video, to broadcast The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
While Chinese media officials tend to be strict with all western programming aired in the country, president of Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Distribution Jeffrey Schlesinger believes DeGeneres’ show is family-friendly enough to appeal to many viewers in China.
He has released a statement that reads: “Ellen has clearly differentiated herself and her talk show from so many of the controversial conflict-oriented talk shows… She has an unmatched and unique brand of family-friendly humor and love of pop culture that appeal to audiences of all ages in a very fun one-hour of programming.”
DeGeneres, who will be hosting the Academy Awards for a second time on 2 March (14), announced the deal on Tuesday’s show (21Jan14), greeting Chinese viewers with, “‘Ni hao! Ni Hao. Ni hao, y’all!’ … It’s basically the same show, but it will have subtitles and be called The Happy Lady Dance Hour.'”
The Ellen DeGeneres Show averages about four million viewers per episode, making it one of the highest-rated programmes on American daytime television.