Sina Joins China Love Fest With Wedding Site 新浪有意推出婚嫁频道

I don’t know if this is really major news, but I just couldn’t resist writing on this relatively quiet Friday about Sina’s (Nasdaq: SINA) latest plans to get into the love business by launching a wedding channel with Xoxo Group (NYSE: XOXO) and Ijie. (company announcement) The weddings industry is huge throughout the world, and China — where most urban families only have one child to give away under the nation’s one-child policy — is perhaps even more exuberant about the business. Having attended several of these affairs, I’ve seen how big they  are, involving lengthy photo shoots, multiple gowns and attire for a single wedding, and huge lavish banquets often involving hundreds of people. People say a Chinese woman won’t marry a man unless he owns a car and an apartment, but then they never add that when she finally does agree to tie the knot she also expects a huge, lavish wedding ceremony. It’s hard to say if this new Sina wedding channel will ever be strong enough to stand on its own and become an independent, major business like Sina’s popular Weibo microblogging site. But perhaps Jiayuan (Nasdaq: DATE), one of China’s top dating sites, could give some clues about the potential of the love business in China. Since limping out of the gate in their trading debut in May with a 4 percent decline (previous post), Jiayuan shares have come bouncing back and are now 13 percent above their IPO price. Similar good things could be waiting for Sina with this latest venture, considering the huge potential of the business in China and Sina’s strong record at executing well in its new business initiatives.

Bottom line: Sina’s new foray into the weddings business is likely to yield positive results, and could even become a new cash cow boosted by China’s growing hunger for lavish weddings.

我不知道这是否算得上是真正的要闻，但我就是忍不住在这个相对平静的周五就新浪<SINA.O>有意携手美国最大婚尚网站XO(NYSE: XOXO)和爱结网推出婚嫁频道的计划发表点儿看法。全世界的婚嫁产业都很庞大，而对於多数城市家庭只有一个孩子的中国而言，这一产业或许更为兴旺。我在中国参加过若干场婚礼，见识过其场面的巨大：长时间的拍照、频繁更换若干套礼服的婚礼仪式，动辄便有数百人参加的豪华宴会。中国人常说，女人不能嫁给一个没车没房的男人，但他们忘了说，当这个女人最终同意结婚时，她还期待举办一场隆重、豪华的婚礼仪式。很难说新浪婚嫁频道能否强大到站稳脚跟，变成一个像新浪微博一样的独立重要业务，但中国最大的婚恋网站–世纪佳缘<DATE.O>或许能就中国婚嫁行业的潜力给出些线索。自从5月赴美上市首日下挫4%以来，世纪佳缘的股价已有所反弹，目前比其IPO价格上涨13%。有鉴於中国婚嫁产业的巨大潜力和新浪新业务拓展的良好执行纪录，新浪婚嫁频道或许也会有类似的好事。

Related postings 相关文章:

◙ No Marital Bliss for Jiayuan as IPO Fever Cools 互联网IPO热潮冷却 世纪佳缘美梦破灭

◙ Sina’s Weibo Steps Outside China 新浪微博进军日本市场

◙ Unicom Builds Legitimacy with Sina Tie-Up 中国联通联手新浪