Television in China
Encyclopedia
The television industry in the People's Republic of China
has grown into a complete system with high-tech program production, transmission and coverage. China Central Television
, China's largest and most powerful national television station, has established business relations with more than 250 television organizations in over 130 countries and regions.
. Communications in China were established rapidly in the early 1950s. By 1952 the principal telecommunications network centered on Beijing
, and links to all large cities had finally been established, also launching television
broadcast
s. The first national broadcasts began on May, 1, 1958, and Beijing Television (now China Central Television
since 1978) was formally launched on September 2, 1958. Liaoning Television
, the first regional station, began operations a year later, on October 1, 1959, the 10th PRC National Day..
Growth in telecommunications halted with the general economic collapse after the Great Leap Forward
(1958–60) but revived in the 1960s: radio-television service was installed in major cities in these years. By 1965 there were 12 television station
s in mainland China (compared to approximately 700 conventional television stations and about 3,000 cable
channels
today). Similarly, in 1978, there was less than one television
receiver per 100 people, and fewer than ten million Chinese had access to a television set (in 2003 there were about 35 TVs for every 100 people, and roughly a billion Chinese had access to television); expansion and modernization of the broadcasting
systems continued throughout the late-1970s and early 1980s.
, Radio Beijing
, and China Central Television
. Additionally, the various broadcasting training, talent-search, research, publishing, and manufacturing organizations were brought under the control of the Ministry of Radio and Television. In 1986 responsibility for the movie industry was transferred from the Ministry of Culture to the new Ministry of Radio, Cinema, and Television.
Radio and television expanded rapidly in the 1980s as important means of mass communication and popular entertainment. By 1985 television reached two-thirds of the population through more than 104 stations (up from 52 in 1984 and 44 in 1983); an estimated 85 percent of the urban population had access to television. During this time, the content of the programming changed drastically from the political lectures and statistical lists of the previous period. Typical television shows were entertainment, including feature films, sports, drama, music, dance, and children's programming. In 1985 a survey of a typical week of television programming made by the Shanghai publication Wuxiandian Yu Dianshi (Journal of Radio and Television) revealed that more than half of the programming could be termed entertainment; education made up 24 percent of the remainder of the programming and news 15 percent. A wide cross section of international news was presented each evening. Most news broadcasts had been borrowed from foreign news organizations, and a Chinese summary was dubbed
over. China Central Television also contracted with several foreign broadcasters for entertainment programs. Between 1982 and 1985, six United States television companies signed agreements to provide American programs to China.
China launched its first television-broadcast satellite in 1986.
In 1987 China Central Television
(CCTV), the state network, managed China's television programs. In 1985 consumers purchased 15 million new sets, including approximately 4 million color sets. Production fell far short of demand. Because Chinese viewers often gathered in large groups to watch publicly owned sets, authorities estimated that two-thirds of the nation had access to television. In 1987 there were about 70 million television sets, an average of 29 sets per 100 families. CCTV had four channels that supplied programs to the over ninety television stations throughout the country. Construction began on a major new CCTV studio in Beijing in 1985. CCTV produced its own programs, a large portion of which were educational, and the Television University in Beijing produced three educational programs weekly. The English-language lesson was the most popular program and had an estimated 5 to 6 million viewers. Other programs included daily news, entertainment, teleplays, and special programs. Foreign programs included films and cartoons. Chinese viewers were particularly interested in watching international news, sports, and drama (see Culture of the People's Republic of China
).
satellite network, Rupert Murdoch
publicly declared:
After this, the former prime minister Li Peng
requested and obtained the ban of satellite dish
es throughout the country. Subsequently the STAR TV network dropped the BBC
channels from its satellite offer. This, and many ensuing declaration from Murdoch, led critics to believe the businessman was striving to appease the Chinese government in order to have the ban lifted. It is also alleged that the PRC government was unhappy with BBC
coverage and threatened to block STAR TV in the huge mainland Chinese
market if the BBC was not withdrawn. This is despite technology that is capable of blocking BBC World in China, while making it available in other countries they serve.
The State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television
(SARFT), founded at the end of 2001, integrated the resources of central-level radio, television and film industry plus those of the radio and television, Internet companies into China's biggest and strongest multi-media group covering the fields of television, Internet, publishing, advertising, etc. At the same time Chinese media industry is cooperating with overseas media groups.
By 2003, 30 overseas television networks, including Phoenix Television
, Bloomberg Television
, STAR TV
, Eurosport
, BBC World, CNBC
, and China Entertainment Television had entered into China with limitations. At the same time, the English language channel of CCTV
entered the United States through Fox News Internet under the jurisdiction of News Corporation
.
In conformity with trends in the international television industry, CCTV has made progress in the direction of specialization, introducing three specialized channels between 2003 and 2004, CCTV-News, CCTV-Children
and CCTV-Music
.
Since September 1, 2006, the Chinese government has banned foreign-produced animation between the hours of 5:00 to 8:00 P.M. on state-run television to protect struggling Chinese animation studios that have been affected by the popularity of such cartoons.
Despite these advances, a considerable gap remains between the eastern coastal region and the Chinese hinterland, where television sets and regional broadcasters are far less common.
Besides judging and conferring awards, these festivals conduct academic exchange and the import and export of TV programs. Shanghai has become the largest television program trading market in Asia.
Since China entered the World Trade Organization
, the trend within China's media industry is to form inter-media and trans-regional media groups operated with multiple patterns so as to meet competition and challenges from powerful overseas media groups.
of People's Republic of China (PRC) and targets the overseas programs (including those from Hong Kong and Macau), that can be watched in Mainland China
. In addition receiving satellite TV signals without permission is against the law in Mainland China.
Foreign and Hong Kong SAR news broadcasts in mainland China such as TVB, Phoenix TV, CNN
, BBC World
, BBC World Service
, CNBC
and Bloomberg Television
are occasionally censored by being "blacked out" during controversial segments. CNN has reported that their broadcast agreement in China includes an arrangement that their signal must pass through a Chinese-controlled satellite. In this way, Chinese authorities have been able to blackout CNN segments at will. CNN has also said that their broadcasts are not widely available in China, but rather only in certain diplomatic compounds, hotels, and apartment blocks.
Blacked out content has included references to the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
, the Dalai Lama
, the death of Zhao Ziyang
, the 2008 Tibetan unrest
, the Chinese milk scandal of 2008
and negative developments about the Beijing Olympics
.
During the Summer Olympics in Beijing
all Chinese TV stations were ordered to delay live broadcasts by ten seconds, a policy that was designed to give censors time to react in case free-Tibet
demonstrators or others staged political protests.
In January 2009, during a television report of the inauguration
of U.S. President Barack Obama
, the state-run China Central Television
abruptly cut away from its coverage of Obama's address when he spoke of how "earlier generations faced down fascism and communism".
Enforcement in television censorship is increasingly difficult and ineffective in the early part of the twenty-first century, partly due to satellite signal hacking systems that can be purchased in most major cities for as low as 2000 ¥ RMB ($285), which access channels and programs on many satellites serving the Asian Pacific region.
To realize the above goals, NDRC, MII and SARFT will be responsible for organizing special projects for implementing digital television services. Support will be given to digital TV related enterprises' listings and more investment will be injected into them.
According to China's national strategy, the country aims to shift from a major television manufacturer to a digital television power during the development of digital television industry. The policies show that by 2010, the annual sales of China's digital television sets and related products will reach RMB
250 billion and the export volume will reach US$10 billion. By 2015, China's digital television industry scale and technology level will rank among the top in the world and it will become one of the world's largest digital television set and key components development and production bases.
- television aerials are an extremely rare sight. Cable systems usually carry all the CCTV
channels in Mandarin, plus all the channels of municipal, provincial or regional station in question (such stations are listed below). The remaining slots carry the main channels from several other province-level stations, and may carry additional channels from metropolitan stations such as BTV and Shanghai Media Group
. They may also carry a local channel for a particular sub-provincial municipality, prefecture or county. Individual compounds (hotels, housing estates, etc.) often add a request channel showing karaoke music video
s and animations. An extremely small number of compounds with many foreign residents (e.g. five star hotels in Beijing
) will also carry selected channels from Hong Kong
, Taiwan
and the West
. Phoenix Television
has the widest carriage under this rule.
Mainland China had more than 44.5 million digital cable television users in 2008.
Unlike many cable television operators in other countries that support two-way modes, China's cable television runs in a one-way mode (download only, no upload).
has two broadcast television networks, ATV
and TVB. The latter, launched in 1967, was the territory's first free-to-air
commercial station, and is currently the predominant TV station in the territory. Paid cable and satellite television have also been widespread. The production of Hong Kong's soap drama, comedy series and variety show
s have reached mass audiences throughout the Chinese-speaking world. Broadcast media and news is provided by several companies, one of which is government-run. Television provides the major source of news and entertainment for the average family.
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
has grown into a complete system with high-tech program production, transmission and coverage. China Central Television
China Central Television
China Central Television or Chinese Central Television, commonly abbreviated as CCTV, is the major state television broadcaster in mainland China. CCTV has a network of 19 channels broadcasting different programmes and is accessible to more than one billion viewers...
, China's largest and most powerful national television station, has established business relations with more than 250 television organizations in over 130 countries and regions.
Origins
When the People's Republic was founded in 1949, the telecommunications systems and facilities in China were outdated and rudimentary, and many had been damaged or destroyed during the war yearsSecond Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
. Communications in China were established rapidly in the early 1950s. By 1952 the principal telecommunications network centered on Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, and links to all large cities had finally been established, also launching television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
broadcast
Broadcast
Broadcast or Broadcasting may refer to:* Broadcasting, the transmission of audio and video signals* Broadcast, an individual television program or radio program* Broadcast , an English electronic music band...
s. The first national broadcasts began on May, 1, 1958, and Beijing Television (now China Central Television
China Central Television
China Central Television or Chinese Central Television, commonly abbreviated as CCTV, is the major state television broadcaster in mainland China. CCTV has a network of 19 channels broadcasting different programmes and is accessible to more than one billion viewers...
since 1978) was formally launched on September 2, 1958. Liaoning Television
Liaoning Television
LRTV or Liaoning Radio and Television is located in Shenyang, Liaoning, China. The television was launched on October 1, 1959. And it is one of the earliest launched televisions in China. LRTV now has 8 radio channels and 8 TV channels for the public, 18 LNVOD for the viewers in Liaoning Province...
, the first regional station, began operations a year later, on October 1, 1959, the 10th PRC National Day..
Growth in telecommunications halted with the general economic collapse after the Great Leap Forward
Great Leap Forward
The Great Leap Forward of the People's Republic of China was an economic and social campaign of the Communist Party of China , reflected in planning decisions from 1958 to 1961, which aimed to use China's vast population to rapidly transform the country from an agrarian economy into a modern...
(1958–60) but revived in the 1960s: radio-television service was installed in major cities in these years. By 1965 there were 12 television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
s in mainland China (compared to approximately 700 conventional television stations and about 3,000 cable
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
channels
Channel (communications)
In telecommunications and computer networking, a communication channel, or channel, refers either to a physical transmission medium such as a wire, or to a logical connection over a multiplexed medium such as a radio channel...
today). Similarly, in 1978, there was less than one television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
receiver per 100 people, and fewer than ten million Chinese had access to a television set (in 2003 there were about 35 TVs for every 100 people, and roughly a billion Chinese had access to television); expansion and modernization of the broadcasting
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
systems continued throughout the late-1970s and early 1980s.
1980s
The Ministry of Radio and Television was established as a separate entity in 1982 to administer and upgrade the status of television and radio broadcasting. Subordinate to this ministry were the Central People's Broadcasting StationChina National Radio
China National Radio is the national radio station of the People's Republic of China. Its headquarters are in Beijing.- History :The infrastructure began with a transmitter from Moscow to set up its first station in Yan'an...
, Radio Beijing
China Radio International
China Radio International , the former Radio Beijing and originally Radio Peking, founded on December 3 of 1941, is one of the three state-owned media in China along with China National Radio and China Central Television in the People's Republic of China .As the PRC's external radio station, CRI...
, and China Central Television
China Central Television
China Central Television or Chinese Central Television, commonly abbreviated as CCTV, is the major state television broadcaster in mainland China. CCTV has a network of 19 channels broadcasting different programmes and is accessible to more than one billion viewers...
. Additionally, the various broadcasting training, talent-search, research, publishing, and manufacturing organizations were brought under the control of the Ministry of Radio and Television. In 1986 responsibility for the movie industry was transferred from the Ministry of Culture to the new Ministry of Radio, Cinema, and Television.
Radio and television expanded rapidly in the 1980s as important means of mass communication and popular entertainment. By 1985 television reached two-thirds of the population through more than 104 stations (up from 52 in 1984 and 44 in 1983); an estimated 85 percent of the urban population had access to television. During this time, the content of the programming changed drastically from the political lectures and statistical lists of the previous period. Typical television shows were entertainment, including feature films, sports, drama, music, dance, and children's programming. In 1985 a survey of a typical week of television programming made by the Shanghai publication Wuxiandian Yu Dianshi (Journal of Radio and Television) revealed that more than half of the programming could be termed entertainment; education made up 24 percent of the remainder of the programming and news 15 percent. A wide cross section of international news was presented each evening. Most news broadcasts had been borrowed from foreign news organizations, and a Chinese summary was dubbed
Dubbing (filmmaking)
Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
over. China Central Television also contracted with several foreign broadcasters for entertainment programs. Between 1982 and 1985, six United States television companies signed agreements to provide American programs to China.
China launched its first television-broadcast satellite in 1986.
In 1987 China Central Television
China Central Television
China Central Television or Chinese Central Television, commonly abbreviated as CCTV, is the major state television broadcaster in mainland China. CCTV has a network of 19 channels broadcasting different programmes and is accessible to more than one billion viewers...
(CCTV), the state network, managed China's television programs. In 1985 consumers purchased 15 million new sets, including approximately 4 million color sets. Production fell far short of demand. Because Chinese viewers often gathered in large groups to watch publicly owned sets, authorities estimated that two-thirds of the nation had access to television. In 1987 there were about 70 million television sets, an average of 29 sets per 100 families. CCTV had four channels that supplied programs to the over ninety television stations throughout the country. Construction began on a major new CCTV studio in Beijing in 1985. CCTV produced its own programs, a large portion of which were educational, and the Television University in Beijing produced three educational programs weekly. The English-language lesson was the most popular program and had an estimated 5 to 6 million viewers. Other programs included daily news, entertainment, teleplays, and special programs. Foreign programs included films and cartoons. Chinese viewers were particularly interested in watching international news, sports, and drama (see Culture of the People's Republic of China
Culture of the People's Republic of China
The culture of the People's Republic of China is a rich and varied blend of traditional Chinese culture with communist and other international modern and post-modern influences. During the Cultural Revolution, an enormous number of cultural treasures of inestimable value were seriously damaged or...
).
1990s
In September 1993, after acquiring the STAR TVSTAR TV
Satellite Television Asia Region is an Asian TV service owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. It is headquartered in Hong Kong, with regional offices in mainland China, Taiwan....
satellite network, Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
publicly declared:
After this, the former prime minister Li Peng
Li Peng
Li Peng served as the fourth Premier of the People's Republic of China, between 1987 and 1998, and the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislative body, from 1998 to 2003. For much of the 1990s Li was ranked second in the Communist Party of China ...
requested and obtained the ban of satellite dish
Satellite dish
A satellite dish is a dish-shaped type of parabolic antenna designed to receive microwaves from communications satellites, which transmit data transmissions or broadcasts, such as satellite television.-Principle of operation:...
es throughout the country. Subsequently the STAR TV network dropped the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
channels from its satellite offer. This, and many ensuing declaration from Murdoch, led critics to believe the businessman was striving to appease the Chinese government in order to have the ban lifted. It is also alleged that the PRC government was unhappy with BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
coverage and threatened to block STAR TV in the huge mainland Chinese
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
market if the BBC was not withdrawn. This is despite technology that is capable of blocking BBC World in China, while making it available in other countries they serve.
2000s
In 2001, the Chinese government put forward a goal of promoting media amalgamation by establishing trans-regional multi-media news groups. It also instituted detailed regulations on media industry fund raising, foreign-funded cooperation and trans-media development.The State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television
State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television
The State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television is an executive branch under the State Council of the People's Republic of China...
(SARFT), founded at the end of 2001, integrated the resources of central-level radio, television and film industry plus those of the radio and television, Internet companies into China's biggest and strongest multi-media group covering the fields of television, Internet, publishing, advertising, etc. At the same time Chinese media industry is cooperating with overseas media groups.
By 2003, 30 overseas television networks, including Phoenix Television
Phoenix Television
Phoenix Satellite Television Holdings Ltd or Phoenix Television is a Hong Kong-based Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese television broadcaster that serves the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong along with other markets with substantial Chinese viewers...
, Bloomberg Television
Bloomberg Television
Bloomberg Television is a 24-hour global network broadcasting business and financial news. It is distributed globally, reaching over 200 million homes worldwide. It is owned and operated by Bloomberg L.P...
, STAR TV
STAR TV
Satellite Television Asia Region is an Asian TV service owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. It is headquartered in Hong Kong, with regional offices in mainland China, Taiwan....
, Eurosport
Eurosport
Eurosport is a pan-European television sport network operated by French broadcaster TF1 Group. The network of channels are available in 59 countries, in 20 different languages providing viewers with European and international sporting events...
, BBC World, CNBC
CNBC
CNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
, and China Entertainment Television had entered into China with limitations. At the same time, the English language channel of CCTV
CCTV News
CCTV News may refer to:* CCTV News, the news department itself, of China Central Television* CCTV News , a Chinese language news channel* CCTV NEWS, formerly CCTV-9, an English language news channel...
entered the United States through Fox News Internet under the jurisdiction of News Corporation
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
.
In conformity with trends in the international television industry, CCTV has made progress in the direction of specialization, introducing three specialized channels between 2003 and 2004, CCTV-News, CCTV-Children
CCTV-Children
CCTV-14 is a network for children in the People's Republic of China since 2003 & owned by China Central Television. It airs cartoons such as SpongeBob SquarePants and other cartoon programs broadcast in this channel....
and CCTV-Music
CCTV-Music
CCTV-15 is one of the official broadcasting channels of China Central Television launched on March 29, 2004. It aims to broadcast a diverse assortment of different music genres, including Classical music, Chinese traditional and minority music, as well as popular music. It also has periodic music...
.
Since September 1, 2006, the Chinese government has banned foreign-produced animation between the hours of 5:00 to 8:00 P.M. on state-run television to protect struggling Chinese animation studios that have been affected by the popularity of such cartoons.
Despite these advances, a considerable gap remains between the eastern coastal region and the Chinese hinterland, where television sets and regional broadcasters are far less common.
Today
Altogether there are 3,000 television stations across the country. Large international TV expositions, including the Shanghai Television Festival, Beijing International Television Week, China Radio and Television Exposition and Sichuan Television Festival, are held on a regular basis.Besides judging and conferring awards, these festivals conduct academic exchange and the import and export of TV programs. Shanghai has become the largest television program trading market in Asia.
Since China entered the World Trade Organization
World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...
, the trend within China's media industry is to form inter-media and trans-regional media groups operated with multiple patterns so as to meet competition and challenges from powerful overseas media groups.
Censorship
Television censorship is conducted by State Administration of Radio, Film, and TelevisionState Administration of Radio, Film, and Television
The State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television is an executive branch under the State Council of the People's Republic of China...
of People's Republic of China (PRC) and targets the overseas programs (including those from Hong Kong and Macau), that can be watched in Mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
. In addition receiving satellite TV signals without permission is against the law in Mainland China.
Foreign and Hong Kong SAR news broadcasts in mainland China such as TVB, Phoenix TV, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, BBC World
BBC World
BBC World News is the BBC's international news and current affairs television channel. It has the largest audience of any BBC channel in the world...
, BBC World Service
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
, CNBC
CNBC
CNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
and Bloomberg Television
Bloomberg Television
Bloomberg Television is a 24-hour global network broadcasting business and financial news. It is distributed globally, reaching over 200 million homes worldwide. It is owned and operated by Bloomberg L.P...
are occasionally censored by being "blacked out" during controversial segments. CNN has reported that their broadcast agreement in China includes an arrangement that their signal must pass through a Chinese-controlled satellite. In this way, Chinese authorities have been able to blackout CNN segments at will. CNN has also said that their broadcasts are not widely available in China, but rather only in certain diplomatic compounds, hotels, and apartment blocks.
Blacked out content has included references to the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, also known as the June Fourth Incident in Chinese , were a series of demonstrations in and near Tiananmen Square in Beijing in the People's Republic of China beginning on 15 April 1989...
, the Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
, the death of Zhao Ziyang
Zhao Ziyang
Zhao Ziyang was a high-ranking politician in the People's Republic of China . He was the third Premier of the People's Republic of China from 1980 to 1987, and General Secretary of the Communist Party of China from 1987 to 1989....
, the 2008 Tibetan unrest
2008 Tibetan unrest
The 2008 Tibetan unrest, also known from its Chinese name as the 3•14 Riots, was a series of riots, protests, and demonstrations that started in Tibetan regional capital of Lhasa and spread to other Tibetan areas and a number of monasteries including outside the Tibet Autonomous Region...
, the Chinese milk scandal of 2008
2008 Chinese milk scandal
The 2008 Chinese milk scandal was a food safety incident in the People's Republic of China, involving milk and infant formula, and other food materials and components, adulterated with melamine....
and negative developments about the Beijing Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
.
During the Summer Olympics in Beijing
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
all Chinese TV stations were ordered to delay live broadcasts by ten seconds, a policy that was designed to give censors time to react in case free-Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
demonstrators or others staged political protests.
In January 2009, during a television report of the inauguration
Inauguration of Barack Obama
The inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States took place on Tuesday, January 20, 2009. The inauguration, which set a record attendance for any event held in Washington, D.C., marked the commencement of the four-year term of Barack Obama as President and Joe...
of U.S. President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, the state-run China Central Television
China Central Television
China Central Television or Chinese Central Television, commonly abbreviated as CCTV, is the major state television broadcaster in mainland China. CCTV has a network of 19 channels broadcasting different programmes and is accessible to more than one billion viewers...
abruptly cut away from its coverage of Obama's address when he spoke of how "earlier generations faced down fascism and communism".
Enforcement in television censorship is increasingly difficult and ineffective in the early part of the twenty-first century, partly due to satellite signal hacking systems that can be purchased in most major cities for as low as 2000 ¥ RMB ($285), which access channels and programs on many satellites serving the Asian Pacific region.
Digital technology
According to the Chinese government's plans, by 2010 the existing cable television in cities above county levels in eastern and middle parts of China as well as in most of cities over county level in western parts of the country will be digitalized. By 2015, the analog signals within the country will be generally stopped. In the meantime, the policies emphasize the continued amalgamation of the three networks of Internet, television and telecom.To realize the above goals, NDRC, MII and SARFT will be responsible for organizing special projects for implementing digital television services. Support will be given to digital TV related enterprises' listings and more investment will be injected into them.
According to China's national strategy, the country aims to shift from a major television manufacturer to a digital television power during the development of digital television industry. The policies show that by 2010, the annual sales of China's digital television sets and related products will reach RMB
Renminbi
The Renminbi is the official currency of the People's Republic of China . Renminbi is legal tender in mainland China, but not in Hong Kong or Macau. It is issued by the People's Bank of China, the monetary authority of the PRC...
250 billion and the export volume will reach US$10 billion. By 2015, China's digital television industry scale and technology level will rank among the top in the world and it will become one of the world's largest digital television set and key components development and production bases.
Cable television
Cable television in the usual transmission method in all urban areas of mainland ChinaMainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
- television aerials are an extremely rare sight. Cable systems usually carry all the CCTV
China Central Television
China Central Television or Chinese Central Television, commonly abbreviated as CCTV, is the major state television broadcaster in mainland China. CCTV has a network of 19 channels broadcasting different programmes and is accessible to more than one billion viewers...
channels in Mandarin, plus all the channels of municipal, provincial or regional station in question (such stations are listed below). The remaining slots carry the main channels from several other province-level stations, and may carry additional channels from metropolitan stations such as BTV and Shanghai Media Group
Shanghai Media Group
Shanghai Media Group , under the Shanghai Media & Entertainment Group , is a multimedia television and radio broadcasting, news and Internet company...
. They may also carry a local channel for a particular sub-provincial municipality, prefecture or county. Individual compounds (hotels, housing estates, etc.) often add a request channel showing karaoke music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s and animations. An extremely small number of compounds with many foreign residents (e.g. five star hotels in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
) will also carry selected channels from Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and the West
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
. Phoenix Television
Phoenix Television
Phoenix Satellite Television Holdings Ltd or Phoenix Television is a Hong Kong-based Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese television broadcaster that serves the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong along with other markets with substantial Chinese viewers...
has the widest carriage under this rule.
Mainland China had more than 44.5 million digital cable television users in 2008.
Unlike many cable television operators in other countries that support two-way modes, China's cable television runs in a one-way mode (download only, no upload).
China Central Television
| Name | Hanzi | Launch | CNTV Ai Bugu (Online TV Internet television Internet television is the digital distribution of television content via the Internet... ) a |
|---|---|---|---|
| CCTV-1 CCTV-1 CCTV-1 is the primary channel of the Chinese television network, CCTV in the People's Republic of China. It has a mixture of all kinds of TV programs, and is available to both cable and terrestrial television viewers.-External links:*... (General Channel) |
中央综合 | 1958 | CCTV-1 |
| CCTV-2 CCTV-2 CCTV-2 is the finance focused channel of the CCTV Network in the People's Republic of China.The primary concerns of this channel include:* Energy conservation* Stock exchange... (Finance Channel) |
中央财经 | 1973 | CCTV-2 |
| CCTV-3 CCTV-3 CCTV-3 is the art focused channel of the CCTV Network in the People's Republic of China.-External links:*... (Art Channel) |
中央综艺 | 1989 | CCTV-3 |
| CCTV-4 CCTV-4 CCTV-4 is the international broadcast for CCTV International in the Mandarin language. It is one of six CCTV channels that broadcasts outside of China, the other five being CCTV News, CCTV-E, CCTV-F, CCTV-Русский and CCTV-العربية.... (International Chinese Channel Asia) |
中央中文国际 亚洲版 | 1992 | CCTV-4 Asia |
| CCTV-4 CCTV-4 CCTV-4 is the international broadcast for CCTV International in the Mandarin language. It is one of six CCTV channels that broadcasts outside of China, the other five being CCTV News, CCTV-E, CCTV-F, CCTV-Русский and CCTV-العربية.... (International Chinese Channel Europe) |
中央中文国际 欧洲版 | 1992 | CCTV-4 Europe |
| CCTV-4 CCTV-4 CCTV-4 is the international broadcast for CCTV International in the Mandarin language. It is one of six CCTV channels that broadcasts outside of China, the other five being CCTV News, CCTV-E, CCTV-F, CCTV-Русский and CCTV-العربية.... (International Chinese Channel America) |
中央中文国际 美洲版 | 1992 | CCTV-4 America |
| CCTV-5 CCTV-5 CCTV-5 , also known as the Sports Channel, part of the China Central Television family of networks, is the main sports broadcaster in the People's Republic of China. CCTV-5 began broadcasting on 1 January 1995... (Sports Channel) |
中央体育 | 1994 | CCTV-5 |
| CCTV-6 CCTV-6 CCTV-6 or China Movie Channel of the CCTV in the People's Republic of China.-Programs:* World Film Report * China Film Report * Movie Weekly * Golden Times * Love Movie Series... (Movie Channel) |
中央电影 | 1994 | CCTV-6 |
| CCTV-7 CCTV-7 CCTV-7 is the military/agricultural focused channel of the CCTV Network in the People's Republic of China.-External links:*... (Military & Agriculture Channel) |
中央军事 农业 | 1994 | CCTV-7 |
| CCTV-8 CCTV-8 CCTV-8 is the television drama channel of the CCTV Network in the People's Republic of China.-External links:*... (Television Series Channel) |
中央电视剧 | 1994 | CCTV-8 |
| CCTV-9 CCTV-9 CCTV-9 is the documentary channel of the television network, CCTV in the People's Republic of China. This channel has a local Mandarin Chinese edition called CCTV-9, and an international English language edition called CCTV-9 Documentary. The English edition is carried by more satellites than the... (Chinese Documentary Channel) |
中央纪录 中文 | 2010 | CCTV-9 Chinese |
| CCTV-9 CCTV-9 CCTV-9 is the documentary channel of the television network, CCTV in the People's Republic of China. This channel has a local Mandarin Chinese edition called CCTV-9, and an international English language edition called CCTV-9 Documentary. The English edition is carried by more satellites than the... (English Documentary Channel) |
中央纪录 英语 | 2010 | CCTV-9 English |
| CCTV-10 CCTV-10 CCTV-10 is the science and education focused channel of the CCTV Network in the People's Republic of China. Its schedule includes mostly local and imported documentaries, as well as educational studio productions.-External links:... (Education Channel) |
中央科教 | 2001 | CCTV-10 |
| CCTV-11 CCTV-11 CCTV-11 is the Chinese opera channel of the CCTV Network in the People's Republic of China.-Programming:* Film and Television Theater* Local Opera* Pear Garden Appreciation* Studies with Me... (Opera Channel) |
中央戏曲 | 2001 | CCTV-11 |
| CCTV-12 CCTV-12 CCTV-12 is the law and society focused channel of the CCTV Network in the People's Republic of China.-External links:*... (Law & Society Channel) |
中央社会与法 | 2005 | CCTV-12 |
| CCTV-13 (News Channel) | 中央新闻 | 2005 | CCTV-13 |
| CCTV-14 (Children Channel) | 中央少儿 | 2004 | CCTV-14 |
| CCTV-15 (Music Channel) | 中央音乐 | 2004 | CCTV-15 |
| CCTV-NEWS | 中央新闻英语国际 | 2000 | CCTV-NEWS |
| CCTV-Français (International French Channel) | 中央法语国际 | 2007 | CCTV-Français |
| CCTV-Español (International Spanish Channel) | 中央西班牙语国际 | 2007 | CCTV-Español |
| CCTV-العربية CCTV International Arabic CCTV International Arabic is an Arabic-language channel launched by China Central Television in 2009.-Launch:... (International Arabic Channel) |
中央阿拉伯语国际 | 2009 | CCTV-العربية |
| CCTV-русский CCTV International Russian CCTV International Russian is a Russian language international news, entertainment, and education television channel which is owned by China Central Television.- Launch :The Russian language channel was launched on September 10, 2009 on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the... (International Russian Channel) |
中央俄语国际 | 2009 | CCTV-русский |
| CCTV-22 (High-definition Channel) | 中央高清 | 2008 | CCTV-22 |
Provincial Satellite Television
| Name | Hanzi | Origin | Launch | Owner | CNTV Ai Bugu (Online TV Internet television Internet television is the digital distribution of television content via the Internet... ) a |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anhui Satellite Television | 安徽卫视 | Anhui | 1997 | Anhui Television Anhui Television Anhui Television , is a television network in the Hefei and Anhui province. It was founded and started to broadcast on September 1960. AHTV currently broadcasts in Mandarin.-External links:*... (AHTV) |
Anhui STV |
| Aniworld | 金鹰卡通卫视 | Hunan | 2005 | Hunan Broadcasting System (HBS) | |
| Bingtuan Satellite Television | 兵团卫视 | Xinjiang | 2009 | Bingtuan Television (BTTV) | Bingtuan STV |
| Beijing Satellite Television | 北京卫视 | Beijing | 1979 | Beijing Television (BTV) | Beijing STV |
| Chongqing Satellite Television | 重庆卫视 | Chongqing | 1997 | Chongqing Broadcasting Group (CBG) | Chongqing STV |
| Dragon Satellite Television DragonTV Shanghai Dragon Television or Dragon TV is a provincial satellite TV station. It launch in October 1998 as 'Shanghai Television' but changed its name to Dragon Television on October 23, 2003... |
东方卫视 | Shanghai | 1998 | Shanghai Media Group Shanghai Media Group Shanghai Media Group , under the Shanghai Media & Entertainment Group , is a multimedia television and radio broadcasting, news and Internet company... (SMG) |
Dragon STV |
| Gansu Satellite Television | 甘肃卫视 | Gansu | 1998 | Gansu Media Group (GSMG) | Gansu STV |
| Guangdong Satellite Television Guangdong TV Guangdong Television is a television network owned by Southern Media Corporation in Guangzhou, Guangdong province in China. Guangdong TV is the oldest television station in Guangdong province, based in Guangzhou, near the Guangzhou TV Station. The station covers Guangdong and Guangxi provinces... |
广东卫视 | Guangdong | 1960 | Southern Media Corporation Southern Media Corporation Southern Media Corporation , is China's biggest and world third biggest Cantonese television network. The network is based in Guangzhou, Guangdong it was found on 18 January 2004 between the merge of Guangdong Television and Southern Television... (SMC) |
Guangdong STV |
| Guangxi Satellite Television | 广西卫视 | Guangxi | 1970 | Guangxi Television (GXTV) | Guangxi STV |
| Guizhou Satellite Television | 贵州卫视 | Guizhou | 1998 | Guizhou Television (GTV) | Guizhou STV |
| Hebei Satellite Television | 河北卫视 | Hebei | 1998 | Hebei Television Hebei Television Hebei Television , is a television network in Hebei province and all parts of the Beijing and Tianjin television viewing areas. Hebei Television also covers parts of Shandong, Henan and Shaanxi provinces and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. More than 120 million people enjoy access to the... (HEBTV) |
Hebei STV |
| Heilongjiang Satellite Television | 黑龙江卫视 | Heilongjiang | 1997 | Heilongjiang Television (HLJTV) | Heilongjiang STV |
| Henan Satellite Television | 河南卫视 | Henan | 1996 | Henan Television (HNTV) | Henan STV |
| Hubei Satellite Television | 湖北卫视 | Hubei | 1997 | Hubei Network Radio and Television | Hubei STV |
| Hunan Satellite Television | 湖南卫视 | Hunan | 1997 | Hunan Broadcasting System (HBS) | Hunan STV |
| Jiangsu Satellite Television | 江苏卫视 | Jiangsu | 1997 | Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation , is a television network in the Nanjing and Jiangsu province. It was founded and started to broadcast on June 2001. JSTV currently broadcasts in Mandarin.-External links:*... (JSBC) |
Jiangsu STV |
| Jiangxi Satellite Television | 江西卫视 | Jiangxi | 1970 | Jiangxi Television (JXTV) | Jiangxi STV |
| Jilin Satellite Television | 吉林卫视 | Jilin | 1997 | Jilin Television (JLTV) | Jilin STV |
| Kaku | 卡酷动画卫视 | Beijing | 2004 | Beijing Television (BTV) | |
| Liaoning Satellite Television | 辽宁卫视 | Liaoning | 1959 | Liaoning Radio and Television Liaoning Television LRTV or Liaoning Radio and Television is located in Shenyang, Liaoning, China. The television was launched on October 1, 1959. And it is one of the earliest launched televisions in China. LRTV now has 8 radio channels and 8 TV channels for the public, 18 LNVOD for the viewers in Liaoning Province... (LRTV) |
Liaoning STV |
| Nei Mongol Satellite Television | 内蒙古卫视 | Inner Mongolia | 1997 | Nei Mongol Television Nei Mongol Television Nei Mongol Television , is a television network in the Hohhot and Inner Mongolia autonomous area. It was founded and started to broadcast on April 1960. NMTV currently broadcasts in Mandarin and Mongol.-External links:*... (NMTV) |
Nei Mongol STV |
| Ningxia Satellite Television | 宁夏卫视 | Ningxia | 1998 | Shanghai Media Group Shanghai Media Group Shanghai Media Group , under the Shanghai Media & Entertainment Group , is a multimedia television and radio broadcasting, news and Internet company... (SMG) |
Ningxia STV |
| Qinghai Satellite Television Qinghai Television Qinghai Television ), is a television network under Hunan Broadcasting System in the Xining and Qinghai province area. It was founded and started to broadcast on January 1, 1971. QHTV currently broadcasts in Mandarin.-External links:*... |
青海卫视 | Qinghai | 1997 | Hunan Broadcasting System (HBS) | Qinghai STV |
| Shandong Satellite Television | 山东卫视 | Shangdong | 1994 | Shandong Television (SDTV) | Shangdong STV |
| Shannxi Satellite Television | 陕西卫视 | Shannxi | 1997 | Shaanxi Television Station Shaanxi Television Shaanxi Television, also known as SXTV, is a Chinese television network based in Xi'an, Sha'anxi Province, China.-History:SXTV was created in 1960. It went under a major merger with Sha'anxi cable television in 2001. The new SXTV went on air on 1 January 2002.-Channels:SXTV's flagship channel is... (SXTVS) |
Shaanxi STV |
| Shanxi Satellite Television | 山西卫视 | Shanxi | 2004 | Shanxi Television Shanxi Television Shanxi Television , is a television network in the Taiyuan and Shanxi province. It was founded and started to broadcast on November 2004. SXTV currently broadcasts in Jinhua.-External links:*... (SXTV) |
Shanxi STV |
| Shenzhen Satellite Television | 深圳卫视 | Guangdong | 2004 | Shenzhen Media Group Shenzhen Media Group Shenzhen Media Group is a media company based in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China. It owns four radio stations which broadcast Chinese music, report news and Chinese talk shows.-Shenzhen Radio:... (SZMG) |
Shenzhen STV |
| Sichuan Satellite Television | 四川卫视 | Sichuan | 2003 | Sichuan Radio and Television | Sichuan STV |
| Southeast Satellite Television | 东南卫视 | Fujian | 1994 | Fujian Media Group (FMG) | Southeast STV |
| Television Southern | 南方卫视 | Guangdong | 2000 | Southern Media Corporation Southern Media Corporation Southern Media Corporation , is China's biggest and world third biggest Cantonese television network. The network is based in Guangzhou, Guangdong it was found on 18 January 2004 between the merge of Guangdong Television and Southern Television... (SMC) |
Guangdong / overseas only |
| Strait Satellite Television | 海峡卫视 | Fujian | 2005 | Fujian Media Group (FMG) | Fujian / overseas only |
| The Travel Channel | 旅游卫视 | Hainan | 1999 | Travel Channel Inc. | The Travel Channel |
| Tianjin Satellite Television | 天津卫视 | Tianjin | 1998 | Tianjin Television Tianjin Television Tianjin Television is a television network in Tianjin, China. Its official website is called Tian Shi Wang... (TJTV) |
Tianjin STV |
| Toonmax | 炫动卡通卫视 | Shanghai | 2005 | Shanghai Media Group Shanghai Media Group Shanghai Media Group , under the Shanghai Media & Entertainment Group , is a multimedia television and radio broadcasting, news and Internet company... (SMG) |
|
| Xiamen Satellite Television | 厦门卫视 | Fujian | 2005 | Xiamen Media Group XMG | Xiamen STV |
| Xinjiang Satellite Television | 新疆卫视 | Xinjiang | 1997 | Xinjiang Television (XJTV) | Xinjiang STV |
| Xizang Satellite Television | 西藏卫视 | Tibet | 2002 | Xizang Television (XZTV) | Xizang STV |
| Yanbian Satellite Television | 延边卫视 | Jilin | 2006 | Yanbian Television (YBTV) | |
| Yunnan Satellite Television | 云南卫视 | Yunnan | 2000 | Yunnan Television (YNTV) | Yunnan STV |
| Zhejiang Satellite Television | 浙江卫视 | Zhejiang | 1960 | Zhejiang Television Zhejiang Television Zhejiang Television , is a television network in the Hangzhou and Zhejiang province. It was founded and started to broadcast on October 1960. ZJTV currently broadcasts in Standard Wu.-External links:*... (ZJTV) |
Zhejiang STV |
Non-local Chinese Satellite Television
| Name | Hanzi | Launch | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asia Television Home ATV Home ATV Home , also call aTV1, is one of the free-to-air Cantonese language television channels in Hong Kong, the other being its arch-rival TVB Jade. Its sister station, ATV World, broadcasts in English... |
亚洲电视本港 | 2002 | Asia Television.,Ltd Asia Television Limited Asia Television Limited is one of the two free-to-air television broadcasters in Hong Kong, the other being rival Television Broadcasts Limited . It launched in 1957 under the name Rediffusion Television as the first television station in Hong Kong... |
| China Entertainment Television | 华娱卫视 | 1995 | China Entertainment Television Broadcast.,Ltd |
| Macau Asia Satellite Television Macau Asia Satellite Television Macau Asia Satellite Television or MASTV is a television station located in Macau. It is known for its critical news coverage.-History:The station was commenced and made its first broadcast in 1 June 2001... |
澳亚卫视 | 2001 | Macau Asia Satellite Television Co.,Ltd |
| Macau Lotus Television Lotus TV Macau Lotus TV Macau, owned by Macau Lotus TV Media via Satélite, Limitada, is a Cantonese and Mandarin speaking TV channel based in Macau and broadcasted through Satellite AsiaSat 3S.... |
澳门莲花卫视 | 2002 | Macau Lotus Television Co.,Ltd |
| Phoenix Television InfoNews Phoenix InfoNews Channel Phoenix InfoNews Channel is one of the six channels that Phoenix Television operates. It is the first channel to report news across the Greater China region, which includes Mainland China, Macau, Taiwan and Hong Kong. This channel was established on January 1, 2001, as a 24-hour channel on news... |
凤凰卫视资讯 | 2001 | Phoenix Satellite Television Holdings.,Ltd |
| Phoenix Television Movies Phoenix Movies Channel Phoenix Movies Channel is one of the six channels that Phoenix Television operates. It was launched on 28 August 1998 and serves as an encrypted pay-television service. Currently the encrypted signal is beamed via AsiaSat 3S across Mainland China. In the beginning, it was broadcast via cable in... |
凤凰卫视电影 | 1998 | Phoenix Satellite Television Holdings.,Ltd |
| Phoenix Television Chinese Phoenix Television Phoenix Satellite Television Holdings Ltd or Phoenix Television is a Hong Kong-based Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese television broadcaster that serves the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong along with other markets with substantial Chinese viewers... |
凤凰卫视中文 | 1996 | Phoenix Satellite Television Holdings.,Ltd |
| Phoenix Television Hong Kong Phoenix Hong Kong Channel Phoenix Hong Kong Channel is one of the six channels that Phoenix Television operates. It was launched on 28 March 2011 in order to serve Chinese viewers in Hong Kong, and it is Phoenix Television's first Yue Chinese language channel that is available across Hong Kong. This channel now broadcasts... |
凤凰卫视香港 | 1996 | Phoenix Satellite Television Holdings.,Ltd |
| Television Broadcasts Jade (City Network) TVB Jade TVB Jade is a flagship TV channel in Hong Kong, established by Television Broadcasts Limited, and is one of the free-to-air Cantonese language television channels in Hong Kong, the other being its arch-rival ATV Home... |
无线电视翡翠(市网) | 2004 | Television Broadcasts.,Ltd |
| Television Broadcasts Jade (Province Network) TVB Jade TVB Jade is a flagship TV channel in Hong Kong, established by Television Broadcasts Limited, and is one of the free-to-air Cantonese language television channels in Hong Kong, the other being its arch-rival ATV Home... |
无线电视翡翠(省网) | 2004 | Television Broadcasts.,Ltd |
| Xing Kong Television Xing Kong Xing Kong is a Mandarin language TV channel owned by STAR TV, also known as STAR Chinese Channel China, It was voted "Satellite Channel of the Year" at the 2002 China Television Programme Awards. The channel is packed with more than 700 hours of original programming each year, with content that... |
星空卫视 | 2002 | STAR Greater China.,Ltd |
Hong Kong
Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
has two broadcast television networks, ATV
Asia Television Limited
Asia Television Limited is one of the two free-to-air television broadcasters in Hong Kong, the other being rival Television Broadcasts Limited . It launched in 1957 under the name Rediffusion Television as the first television station in Hong Kong...
and TVB. The latter, launched in 1967, was the territory's first free-to-air
Free-to-air
Free-to-air describes television and radio services broadcast in clear form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscription or one-off fee...
commercial station, and is currently the predominant TV station in the territory. Paid cable and satellite television have also been widespread. The production of Hong Kong's soap drama, comedy series and variety show
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
s have reached mass audiences throughout the Chinese-speaking world. Broadcast media and news is provided by several companies, one of which is government-run. Television provides the major source of news and entertainment for the average family.
Macau
Macau citizens can receive most of the terrestrial transmissions broadcast in Hong Kong.See also
- China Central Radio and TV UniversityChina Central Radio and TV UniversityThe Open University of China was established in Beijing in 1979. It's old name was China Central Radio and TV University , which reflects its heritage of providing a system of higher education through radio and television. The university is directly under the supervision of the Ministry of...
- Chinese Central Television
- Communications in the People's Republic of ChinaCommunications in the People's Republic of ChinaThe People's Republic of China possesses a diversified communications system that links all parts of the country by Internet, telephone, telegraph, radio, and television...
- Media of the People's Republic of ChinaMedia of the People's Republic of ChinaMedia of the People's Republic of China primarily consists of television, newspapers, radio, and magazines. Since 2000, the Internet has also emerged as an important communications medium....