China Central Television (CCTV) will launch six digital channels on Aug. 9 for 58 yuan (US$7) monthly since, according to a recent report from the China News Service.

Fengyun Olympics 1 and Fengyun Olympics 2, two of the six channels with the name of their producer, the Fengyun Communication Company, will mainly focus on various matches of the upcoming Athens Olympic Games, said Wang Yan, the company's general manager.

Two other channels, First Theater and Fengyun Theater, will show TV series from ancient martial art dramas to romantic love stories.

The channel World Geography will feature classic documentaries. The programs will be newsreels from World War II and those unveiling inside stories of the war.

The channel Fengyun Music will rebroadcast concerts of the most popular singers, Wang revealed.

He said that the paid channels will enjoy more freedom than general access stations. Authorities have banned foreign TV series involving criminal cases for the general station but pay stations are allowed to show the series. Adult programming, frequently a component of paid channels in the west, will not be available.

"It's impossible to open an adult channel full of sex and violence under the conditions of our country," Wang said.

Shanghai, Guizhou, Chongqing and Sichuan will be the first places able to receive the six channels. Another 33 cities are also making technological preparation to connect with the network. Beijing will soon be able to receive the channels.

The second batch of four charged digital channels will be staged at the end of August.

(Xinhua News Agency August 3, 2004)