Meanwhile, for some television channels, big data and such online platforms has become their source of broadcast news.

For instance, Shanghai-based Dragon TV has kicked off a news program Headlines which uses content and data from Toutiao.

Zhou Wei, the producer of Headlines, says: "We have to adjust the content when we broadcast on TV.

"Traditional television still has the advantage of higher credibility. I don't believe that we will be replaced by 'self media' (a term used to describe news channels operated by individuals).

"Maybe it's easy for them to have wide influence, but it is difficult for them maintain an equally high standard every day. We offer them a better platform to maximize their value."

Nevertheless, the trend toward online media looks irreversible as fewer people watch TV in China.

According to a television-ratings analysis company CSM, in China, a TV viewer spent 156 minutes every day watching TV in the first half of 2015, compared with 168 minutes in the first half of 2011.

A statistic from Nielsen China, a research company, released at the forum says that last year 461 million people in China watched videos through the Internet, and 354 million through mobile devices like smartphones.

There were 230 million households of cable TV users in China at the end of June, a decrease of 2.2 percent compared with six months earlier, according to Lyu Yanmei, an official with the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television.

"It is an indisputable fact that television is losing its domination as a mainstream media," Lyu says. "A mixture of television and new media is inevitable."

China's regulations now do not allow regional television channels (with exception of satellite TV) to broadcast their programs to other administrative regions.

"Consequently, they can only expand their influence by turning their programs into online products. So the audiences need to be turned into users to increase interaction," Lyu says.

"China's television administrators often stay away from the Internet, which is operated by telecom firms. Now, they will have to be more active."

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