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DW Chinese: CCTV “Self-Upgraded” to a “Global Network”

Deutsche Welle Chinese reported that China Central Television (CCTV) recently announced the establishment of the China Global Television Network (CGTN), which includes six TV channels, three overseas channels, one video reporting station, and a group of new media branches. The Chinese government has long been complaining about the Western media’s control of international public opinion. In recent years, as part of the government’s “Grand International Publicity” strategy, China has spent a large amount of capital to spread China’s opinion on international issues. CCTV had five foreign language channels in English, Arabic, French, Spanish, and Russian. CCTV also has one branch in Washington DC and another in Nairobi. The new CGTN has three mobile apps; all CCTV accounts on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Tumblr have been renamed and assigned to CGTN. <Editor’s note: All these Western social media are blocked by the Great Firewall and Chinese residents cannot have access and accounts like CCTV does.> Major Chinese broadcasting agencies have spent many years to expand their reach to the West. In 2009, the announced spending was around US$6.4 billion. The Chinese budget for CCTV, China Radio International, and Xinhua English TV in 2016 (as well as in 2017) was 1.84 billion euro (US$1.94 billion), way higher than the BBC (0.47 billion euro, US$.49 billion) and the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG, 0.68 billion euro). China is also sending more and more reporters to the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa for daily news reporting.

Source: Deutsche Welle Chinese, December 31, 2016
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