A woman views TV screens showing Chinese President Hu Jintao delivering a speech during the opening ceremony of the 17th CPC National Congress, at a department store on Oct. 15, 2007, in Nanjing. (Photo : Getty Images)
China's state broadcaster on Saturday launched a multilingual, multi-platform media network that aims to expand its reach globally.
Meant as a rebranding of China Central Television (CCTV) News, the China Global Television Network (CGTN) consists of six TV channels, three overseas branches, a video content provider, and a digital media division, according to the state-owned Xinhua News Agency.
In his congratulatory letter, Chinese President Xi Jinping said CGTN should serve as a platform to "tell China stories well" to the rest of the world.
"The relationship between China and the rest of the world is undergoing historic changes. China needs to know more about the world and the world needs to know more about China," Xi said.
The rebranding is seen by industry observers as Beijing shifting its broadcasting strategy from domestic Chinese television shows to greater international discourse, with some comparing it to Russia Today, an English-language news channel funded by the Russian government.
"The successful experience of Russia Today shows that in the age of global information, in which discourse is imbalanced, such media can work wonders," Zhang Shengjun, an international politics professor at Beijing Normal University, told the Global Times on Monday.
The CGTN will provide China's view on global affairs, including commentary from Chinese analysts and opinions from citizens, which could be shared to the rest of the world, he said.
However, Zhang warned against the platform taking on a narrow-minded nationalistic approach and should report with a global view instead.
"CGTN is a good start, and in the future we can have two or three such platforms competing with each other."
In February last year, Xi called for innovation in concept, content, and methods and urged media groups to reach out to people and amplify their voices on the international stage as well as establish media groups with a strong global influence.
