????過(guò)去的幾個(gè)月以來(lái),，身在中國(guó)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(guó)高清電視節(jié)目,，比如《周六夜現(xiàn)場(chǎng)》(Saturday Night Live),、《國(guó)土安全》(Homeland)、《紙牌屋》(House of Cards)和《艾倫秀》(Ellen),。中國(guó)門(mén)戶(hù)網(wǎng)站搜狐（Sohu.com）上個(gè)月剛剛與《艾倫秀》達(dá)成了一項(xiàng)協(xié)議,，13億中國(guó)觀眾從此有機(jī)會(huì)欣賞這檔風(fēng)靡全美的脫口秀節(jié)目。對(duì)于像我這樣的外籍人士來(lái)說(shuō),，這是一種幸福,。對(duì)于億萬(wàn)中國(guó)觀眾來(lái)說(shuō)，這是最新一波的娛樂(lè)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(gè)在華播出的美國(guó)脫口秀節(jié)目,。此外,，在透露這則消息時(shí)，艾倫?德杰尼勒斯用中文說(shuō)了6次“你好,！”但她的節(jié)目?jī)H僅是最近登陸中國(guó)的幾十個(gè)美國(guó)電視節(jié)目之一,。過(guò)去兩年來(lái)，中國(guó)視頻網(wǎng)站一直在瘋狂購(gòu)買(mǎi)美國(guó)情節(jié)劇和情景喜劇的版權(quán),，為中國(guó)觀眾帶來(lái)了《迷失》(Lost),、《犯罪現(xiàn)場(chǎng)調(diào)查》(CSI)和《絕命毒師》(Breaking Bad)等熱播劇集?！栋瑐愋恪返馁I(mǎi)家搜狐公司已經(jīng)購(gòu)買(mǎi)了50多部美國(guó)電視節(jié)目,。它更大的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手優(yōu)酷網(wǎng)（Youku.com）購(gòu)買(mǎi)了60部,。

????中國(guó)網(wǎng)絡(luò)視頻行業(yè)規(guī)模巨大——據(jù)艾瑞咨詢(xún)公司(IResearch)估計(jì)，今年的在線廣告應(yīng)該會(huì)為這個(gè)行業(yè)帶來(lái)約29.5億美元的營(yíng)收,。由于中國(guó)的盜版現(xiàn)象正受到遏制,，各大視頻網(wǎng)站開(kāi)始了最新一輪的搶購(gòu)風(fēng)潮。它們爭(zhēng)先恐后地購(gòu)買(mǎi)中國(guó)和海外的視頻內(nèi)容,，推動(dòng)電視節(jié)目和電影的版權(quán)價(jià)格一路高歌猛進(jìn),。視頻網(wǎng)站高管已經(jīng)著手開(kāi)拓各自的細(xì)分市場(chǎng)：搜狐一直專(zhuān)注于“最好的”美國(guó)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(gòu)買(mǎi)了英國(guó)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(chǎng)調(diào)查》的版權(quán)；愛(ài)奇藝（Iqiyi.com）則專(zhuān)注于名人娛樂(lè)節(jié)目,。

????繼劇情片和喜劇之后,，這些視頻網(wǎng)站現(xiàn)在開(kāi)始涉足下一個(gè)美國(guó)電視節(jié)目類(lèi)型——完全脫稿的直播娛樂(lè)節(jié)目。

????上個(gè)月,，《周六夜現(xiàn)場(chǎng)》對(duì)外宣布了一項(xiàng)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(yáng)表示,，除了老觀眾外，他還希望《周六夜現(xiàn)場(chǎng)》能吸引備受廣告客戶(hù)垂青的高中生和大學(xué)生群體,。他說(shuō),，年輕觀眾認(rèn)為做一名美國(guó)文化粉絲是品味和地位的象征。在12月份的《周六夜現(xiàn)場(chǎng)》推介會(huì)上,，有記者問(wèn)張朝陽(yáng),，搜狐準(zhǔn)備怎樣解釋這檔節(jié)目中時(shí)常出現(xiàn)的文化背景知識(shí)。他似乎沒(méi)有這個(gè)煩惱：有字幕??！

????美國(guó)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(chǎng)》相同的綜藝節(jié)目類(lèi)別,，符合搜狐一貫的購(gòu)買(mǎi)風(fēng)格——生動(dòng)活潑，有大量名人亮相的美國(guó)節(jié)目,。在這項(xiàng)交易達(dá)成之前,，這檔脫口秀的分銷(xiāo)商華納兄弟電視集團(tuán)全球分銷(xiāo)公司(Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Distribution)聽(tīng)說(shuō)搜狐為了對(duì)抗更大的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手優(yōu)酷網(wǎng)和愛(ài)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(gòu)了競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手PPS），有意購(gòu)買(mǎi)《艾倫秀》,。對(duì)于這家制作公司來(lái)說(shuō),，《艾倫秀》進(jìn)入中國(guó)是一個(gè)巨大的勝利,?！鞍选栋瑐愋恪藩?dú)特的輕娛樂(lè)品牌帶入中國(guó)是我們長(zhǎng)期以來(lái)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(xiě)道。

????最近一個(gè)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(gòu)買(mǎi)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(gòu)買(mǎi)數(shù)十個(gè)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(jì)，搜狐的視頻業(yè)務(wù)在2015年前不會(huì)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.