So Mrs. Murdoch is going back to her motherland to launch MySpace China. News Corp has long battled (with varying success) to get a foothold in the world\'s most populous market, however getting the wife involved certainly shows that Rupert is taking this one seriously. The question remains, will they succeed?
Let\'s look at the facts: MySpace is not the number one social networking site in Asia. Friendster still rules across South East Asia, matrimonial sites are revolutionising relationships in India, Bebo is number one in New Zealand and Cyworld is the undisputed king of Korea.
As far as China is concerned, the competition is stiff, local networking sites like Mop, Tianya and Qihu all have the headstart in awareness and usage (would you join a network which none of your friends are on?). Even baidu.com (China\'s largest search engine) has announced it\'s launching networking capabilities. Google, Yahoo and Ebay have all found China difficult as it seems that as far as media is concerned, people prefer local brands.
The key for MySpace is that they know China is not some internet backwater, with an estimated online population of 140m and the world\'s second largest broadband penetration, it offers a scale unimaginable anywhere else in the world. One awesome fact from Marlin & Associates states that China\'s population spend a cumulative 1.8 billion hours online each week, 14 times more than the U.S.
Young Chinese love the freedom the internet delivers. Tight family units mean that whilst parents or grandparents rule the television, young people own the internet. Whether it be surfing, IM, gaming or homework, the internet has been revolutionary in their lives.
More than anything, the internet offers the best opportunity for personal expression. Tying the little emperor syndrome with the \"This Is Me!\" DNA of social networking delivers huge potential. Young people have a voice, they want to use it and the internet delivers a relatively unregulated opportunity to deliver it. One great example is the phenomenon of hate walls and how they are acting as an outlet for emotional baggage.
There is no doubt that the opportunity is huge for MySpace China and as long as Mrs. Murdoch can secure a great business partnership, all News Corp would have to do is deliver a product which resonates with Chinese consumers as well as it has done elsewhere in the world.
