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Li
Yong, flamboyant TV host at China Central Television (CCTV).
| Flamboyant TV host Li Yong has
been ranked as China's most bankable TV personality, with a projected
brand value of 500 million
yuan (US$60 million).
Wang Xiaoya, Li's colleague at China Central Television (CCTV) and Dou
Wentao, who works for Hong Kong-based Phoenix Television, came second and
third with projected brand values of 340 million yuan (US$42.5 million)
and 320 million yuan (US$40 million) respectively.
The annual rating,
conducted by World Brand Laboratory, is regarded as an authoritative
measure of the value of Chinese television celebrities.
The top 10 most bankable hosts on the list, five men and five women,
had a total projected brand value of 2.5 billion yuan (US$312.5 million).
Li has ranked first each time since the launch of the list in 2004. Li
is the host of programmes "Lucky 52" and "Dream of China," and for the
last five years he has hosted the prestigious CCTV Spring Festival Gala.
For the first time two provincial television hosts, including "Super
Girls" host Wang Han, made the list.
Analysts said brand value has been a backbone of the entertainment,
advertising and sports industries for decades.
Ding Haisen of World Brand Laboratory told reporters that the purpose
of the ranking is to promote brand awareness and emphasize the value of
popular hosts.
While Li's value seems impressive, it is just 4.4 per cent of the queen
of US daytime TV Oprah Winfrey, Ding said.
Oprah's show attracts a weekly audience of 30 million in the United
States, while Li is seen by 50 million.
"It shows that we do not pay enough attention to the value of TV hosts
and their brand," Ding said.
(Agencies) | 
