????過去的幾個月以來,，身在中國的我發(fā)現(xiàn)，我的iPad上突然涌現(xiàn)出了一大堆免費(fèi)的美國高清電視節(jié)目,，比如《周六夜現(xiàn)場》(Saturday Night Live),、《國土安全》(Homeland)、《紙牌屋》(House of Cards)和《艾倫秀》(Ellen),。中國門戶網(wǎng)站搜狐（Sohu.com）上個月剛剛與《艾倫秀》達(dá)成了一項協(xié)議,，13億中國觀眾從此有機(jī)會欣賞這檔風(fēng)靡全美的脫口秀節(jié)目。對于像我這樣的外籍人士來說,，這是一種幸福,。對于億萬中國觀眾來說，這是最新一波的娛樂浪潮,。

????1月末達(dá)成的《艾倫秀》授權(quán)協(xié)議備受關(guān)注,，部分原因是，它將成為首個在華播出的美國脫口秀節(jié)目,。此外,，在透露這則消息時，艾倫?德杰尼勒斯用中文說了6次“你好,！”但她的節(jié)目僅僅是最近登陸中國的幾十個美國電視節(jié)目之一,。過去兩年來，中國視頻網(wǎng)站一直在瘋狂購買美國情節(jié)劇和情景喜劇的版權(quán),，為中國觀眾帶來了《迷失》(Lost),、《犯罪現(xiàn)場調(diào)查》(CSI)和《絕命毒師》(Breaking Bad)等熱播劇集?！栋瑐愋恪返馁I家搜狐公司已經(jīng)購買了50多部美國電視節(jié)目,。它更大的競爭對手優(yōu)酷網(wǎng)（Youku.com）購買了60部,。

????中國網(wǎng)絡(luò)視頻行業(yè)規(guī)模巨大——據(jù)艾瑞咨詢公司(IResearch)估計,，今年的在線廣告應(yīng)該會為這個行業(yè)帶來約29.5億美元的營收。由于中國的盜版現(xiàn)象正受到遏制,，各大視頻網(wǎng)站開始了最新一輪的搶購風(fēng)潮,。它們爭先恐后地購買中國和海外的視頻內(nèi)容，推動電視節(jié)目和電影的版權(quán)價格一路高歌猛進(jìn),。視頻網(wǎng)站高管已經(jīng)著手開拓各自的細(xì)分市場：搜狐一直專注于“最好的”美國電視節(jié)目,，比如《艾倫秀》和《生活大爆炸》(The Big Bang Theory)等,；優(yōu)酷網(wǎng)購買了英國劇集《神探夏洛克》(Sherlock )和《唐頓莊園》(Downton Abbey)等；騰訊（v.qq.com）擁有《犯罪現(xiàn)場調(diào)查》的版權(quán),；愛奇藝（Iqiyi.com）則專注于名人娛樂節(jié)目,。

????繼劇情片和喜劇之后，這些視頻網(wǎng)站現(xiàn)在開始涉足下一個美國電視節(jié)目類型——完全脫稿的直播娛樂節(jié)目,。

????上個月,，《周六夜現(xiàn)場》對外宣布了一項授權(quán)協(xié)議，合作伙伴依然是搜狐公司,，后者將在旗下的網(wǎng)站同步播出這檔新節(jié)目,。搜狐CEO張朝陽表示，除了老觀眾外,，他還希望《周六夜現(xiàn)場》能吸引備受廣告客戶垂青的高中生和大學(xué)生群體,。他說，年輕觀眾認(rèn)為做一名美國文化粉絲是品味和地位的象征,。在12月份的《周六夜現(xiàn)場》推介會上,，有記者問張朝陽，搜狐準(zhǔn)備怎樣解釋這檔節(jié)目中時常出現(xiàn)的文化背景知識,。他似乎沒有這個煩惱：有字幕?。?/p>

????美國電視節(jié)目占搜狐視頻點(diǎn)擊量的20%,?！栋瑐愋恪繁粴w入了與《周六夜現(xiàn)場》相同的綜藝節(jié)目類別，符合搜狐一貫的購買風(fēng)格——生動活潑,，有大量名人亮相的美國節(jié)目,。在這項交易達(dá)成之前，這檔脫口秀的分銷商華納兄弟電視集團(tuán)全球分銷公司(Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Distribution)聽說搜狐為了對抗更大的競爭對手優(yōu)酷網(wǎng)和愛奇藝（這家隸屬于百度公司的視頻網(wǎng)站最近斥資約3.7億美元收購了競爭對手PPS）,，有意購買《艾倫秀》,。對于這家制作公司來說，《艾倫秀》進(jìn)入中國是一個巨大的勝利,?！鞍选栋瑐愋恪藩?dú)特的輕娛樂品牌帶入中國是我們長期以來的目標(biāo)之一，”該公司總裁杰弗里?施萊辛格在一封電子郵件中寫道,。

????最近一個季度,，搜狐視頻的收入增加了兩倍。這家公司仍然在繼續(xù)斥資購買視頻內(nèi)容,，進(jìn)一步打造網(wǎng)絡(luò)基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施,。但由于購買數(shù)十個像《艾倫秀》這樣的電視節(jié)目花費(fèi)巨大，晨星公司(Morningstar)的分析師預(yù)計，搜狐的視頻業(yè)務(wù)在2015年前不會轉(zhuǎn)虧為盈,。

????Over the past couple of months, a bunch of free, HD American TV shows have started popping up on my iPad in China. Shows like Saturday Night Live, Homeland, House of Cards, and Ellen, which just struck a deal last month with Sohu.com (SOHU), one of China's Internet portals, to bring the talk show to China's potential 1.3 billion viewers. For an expat, this is bliss. For Chinese viewers, it's the newest wave of entertainment.

????The Ellen deal got attention in late January in part because it's the first U.S. talk show to be carried in China. Also, Ellen DeGeneres said "Ni Hao!" six times while breaking the news. But her show is just one of dozens of U.S. hits to arrive in China recently. Online videos sites have spent the past two years buying rights to U.S. dramas and sitcoms in a fevered attempt to bring Lost, CSI, Breaking Bad, and others to Chinese watchers. Sohu, the Ellen buyer, has purchased the rights to more than 50 U.S. shows. Youku.com (YOKU), its bigger competitor, has added 60.

????The Chinese online video industry is massive -- this year online ads should generate $2.95 billion in sales, according to IResearch. And now that piracy is being contained in China, the video sites are on a new buying spree. They started by acquiring Chinese and foreign content as fast as they could. Prices for shows and films skyrocketed. The video execs have started to carve out niches for themselves: Sohu has focused on "premier" U.S. fare like Ellen and The Big Bang Theory; Youku has British hits Sherlock and Downton Abbey; v.qq.com has CSI; and Iqiyi.com is focused on celebrity entertainment.

????After buying dramas and comedies, the sites are now wading into the next American genre -- live and unscripted entertainment.

????Last month Saturday Night Live announced a deal, again with Sohu, to carry new shows on the site. Sohu CEO Charles Zhang said he hoped SNL would attract not just the audience they already had, but also more high school and university viewers that advertisers clamor for. He said young audiences think being a fan of American culture exhibits class and standing. Zhang spoke at a December event promoting SNL where journalists asked him how the show's cultural references would be interpreted. He didn't seem bothered: subtitles!

????American TV shows account for 20% of Sohu's video clicks. Ellen falls into the same live entertainment niche as SNL and follows Sohu's formula of buying upbeat U.S. shows with tons of celebrity appearances. The deal came about after Warner Bros. Television, which distributes the show, heard interest from Sohu for Ellen as part of the site's push to take on bigger rivals Youku and Baidu's iQiyi, which recently merged in a $370 million deal with rival PPS. Ellen was a big win for the studio. "It has long been a goal to bring Ellen's unique brand of light entertainment to China," said Jeffrey Schlesinger, president of Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Distribution, in an email.

????Sohu's video revenues tripled in the latest quarter, and the company continued to spend on video content and web infrastructure. But in a show of the costs involved in purchasing dozens of foreign TV shows like Ellen, Morningstar analysts don't expect the video business to turn profitable until 2015.