MUMBAI: Despite the rise of digital entertainment AXS TV president Mark Cuban remains optimistic on the future of the television business.

Delivering a keynote address at Natpe he noted that the internet was designed for everything but video.

"Television has become the medium for starting the social conversation that more people participate in than any other medium," he said.

He stressed the point by noting that even middle of the night programming on cable gets more viewers than most internet videos.

He also feels that OTT companies like Netflix will find it tough to compete with traditional cable and satellite companies. Cuban also does not believe that cord cutting will happen.

Cuban asserted that television has become the medium for starting the social conversation that more people participate in than any other medium.

"The reality is, by the time you?ve watched it on YouTube, you already missed it," he noted.

MUMBAI: Canada?s DHX Media which is an independent producer, distributor and licensor of mainly children?s entertainment content, has signed a deal with China Mobile Entertainment Holdings (CME) and Alebrije Entertainment for a new SVOD edutainment channel on PPTV extending the reach of key brands into the Chinese market.

PPTV has a registered user base of 300 million and PPLive is one of the largest OTT content distribution networks in the region. The deal encompasses over 900 episodes from series including ?Arthur?, ?Caillou?, ?The Busy World of Richard Scarry? and ?Care Bears?.

DHX Media senior VP distribution Josh Scherba said, "This is a significant deal for us - one which expands the reach of our brands into the rapidly growing Chinese digital market. We already have a number of shows performing strongly on VOD platforms in the territory but this will add to the content available."

DHX Media properties such as ?Super WHY!?, ?Inspector Gadget? and ?Sonic the Hedgehog? already have a Mandarin-language presence in China on SVOD platforms including Cheers Media, Qiyi TV and Beijing Kanngiongsneng.