China Central Television (CCTV) will
launch six digital cable channels on August 9, according to a
recent report from the China News Service. The monthly fee for the
service will be 58 yuan (US$7).
Fengyun Olympics 1 and Fengyun Olympics 2, produced by the
Fengyun Communication Company, will mainly focus on the upcoming
Athens Olympic Games, said Wang Yan, the company's general
manager.
First Theater and Fengyun Theater will show a variety of TV
series, from historical martial arts dramas to love stories.
The World Geography channel will feature classic documentaries
and newsreels from the World War II era.
Fengyun Music channel will rebroadcast concerts of popular
singers.
Wang said the cable channels will enjoy more freedom than
general access stations. For example, authorities have banned
foreign crime dramas from the general stations, but pay stations
are allowed to broadcast them. Adult programming, however, will not
be available.
"It is impossible to open an adult channel full of sex and
violence under the conditions in our country," Wang said.
Shanghai, Guizhou, Chongqing and Sichuan will be the first
locations to receive the six channels. Another 33 cities are making
technical preparations to connect with the network.
Four more digital channels are scheduled for launch at the end
of August.
CCTV first broadcast in 1958 under the name Beijing Television.
Its name was changed in 1978. The organization is a subministry of
the central government within the State Administration of Radio,
Film and Television.
Market economy reforms of the broadcasting industry since the
1990s have led CCTV to increase its proportion of popular
commercial programming, as it must now compete with local
television stations for viewers and advertising revenue.
CCTV currently has thirteen different channels of programming
content and foreign programming that is broadcast via
satellite.
(Xinhua News Agency, China.org.cn August 3, 2004)