Zhang Haihua, 28, has spent every Chinese New Year's Eve the same way: Bunkered down with her relatives in front of the television from 8 pm to midnight watching a kaleidoscopic array of dancers and comedians.

But for the Shanghai office worker and her netizen friends, watching China Central Television's (CCTV) end-of-year TV gala is a tradition that is now outdated, or at best, a nostalgia trip.

The press conference on the first online New Year's Eve gala program.

Despite the amount of revenue the program creates, complaints about the show from disgruntled viewers who bemoan its staid stand-up routines and traditional singing and dancing performances have been gathering steam in recent years.

Critics say it is out of touch with modern China's taste for new entertainment and progress.

For a growing number of people who spend hours each day tailor-making their own online agendas while reading news feeds or posting tweets, more New Year entertainment galas provided by competitors like www.tianya.cn and Beijing TV (BTV) are more engaging.

"The Spring Festival TV gala is like a grand end-of-year banquet," said Zhang. "In the past, we audiences were like babies who ate whatever CCTV fed us. But now we are finally granted the right to order the dishes we like. It's very exciting."

BTV launched its first online Spring Festival gala this year. The gala was broadcast on television and online on sina.com.cn from Feb 6-12. Tianya broadcast its online gala, already in its fourth year, on Feb 11 for its 33 million registered members.

Both ran before the traditional CCTV gala on Feb 13, Chinese Lunar New Year's Eve.

The BTV program was selected by Internet users like Zhang, rather than officials and bureaucrats, as in the case of CCTV.

Netizens argue that, in a country of 1.3 billion people, with 56 ethnic groups spread over 9.6 million sq km, it is impossible to cater to all tastes, and the rise of the Internet serves a demand that no single supplier can fulfill.

Responding to this grassroots demand for a bigger say in the broadcasting schedule, the BTV organizing committee began soliciting advice from the public in mid- December about what to include in its show.

Zhang voted to have one of her idols, Zeng Yike, the star of last year's reality TV show "Super Girls", sing on the gala. She soon found out that Zeng received 3.3 million votes and would be appearing on the show.