Note: First Russia, now THIS. Note the section in bold. We're through the looking glass!

Teletubbies Debut in China

BEIJING, China (Reuters) -- U.K.-based television creatures Teletubbies will
start speaking Mandarin this month when the popular children's programme
airs on prime time television, officials at China's national broadcaster
said on Friday.

China Central Television will broadcast the half-hour show, distributed by
BBC Worldwide, three nights a week on its children-focused channel CCTV 7,
said Yu Peixia, a CCTV official in charge of children's programmes.
The voices of Teletubbies Tinky Winky, Dipsy, La La and Po will be dubbed
into Chinese.

The show, owned by Ragdoll Productions and featuring four high-tech babies
who show images of children on television screens on their bellies, will
debut on February 11, the eve of the Chinese New Year, Yu told Reuters.

Other media firms such as the Walt Disney Co have gained similar ground in
China -- one of the world's largest TV audiences -- with children's
programmes and cartoons, he said.

Although China is opening up its TV market to foreign media firms, it is
moving slowly and the Communist Party views television as a key tool of
power at a time when the country faces rapid economic and social
transformation.

Copyright 2002 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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