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CCTV to launch online TV station

By Li Weitao (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-02-18 20:11

China Central Television (CCTV) is planning to start a national online TV station, the country's broadcasting authority said on Wednesday.

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The move is seen as part of CCTV's efforts to expand its influence in the cyberspace where video-sharing websites such as YouTube are gaining increasing popularity.

CCTV.com, the website of CCTV, which already provides VOD (video on demand) service, is researching "well-known video websites at home and abroad", and is working on a plan to launch a national online TV station, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) said in a statement posted on its website, without providing a timetable.

The broadcaster will also start building a video-sharing platform globally, the statement said.

CCTV is also considering forming a strategic partnership with China Mobile, the country's top mobile phone carrier, it said.

China had 173 million online video viewers by the end of last year, according to Beijing-based research house Analysys International.

The online video market peaked during the Olympics when many people turned to the Internet to watch the games. CCTV.com, which enjoyed the exclusive rights to broadcast Olympics online, was the biggest beneficiary.