Shanghai plans to set up an English-language television station, probably late next year. Industry officials said yesterday that moves towards setting up the station had faced some opposition from state broadcaster China Central Television, which operates the mainland’s only nationwide English channel, CCTV9.
Shanghai’s English station could bring more competition for both advertising revenue and viewers, depending on the geographical scope of its broadcasts. “This will be a competing channel. They want to do better than CCTV and they want to make money,” said a professor of journalism at a Shanghai university.
The group aims to beam the English channel nationally and even internationally. Officials in the industry said such a plan would need approval from the central government authorities.
Shanghai started its 24-hour satellite channel in 1998. Dragon TV said on its web site that its programming could now be seen domestically as well as in Japan, Australia and Hong Kong, with plans to expand to North America.