China Media Group
China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台), also known as “Voice of China,” was established on March 21, 2018, under the direct control of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Propaganda Department (中共中央宣傳部). China’s largest state media conglomerate was formed through the merger of China Central Television (中國中央電視台), founded in 1958, China National Radio (中央人民廣播電台), and China Radio International (中國國際廣播電台). The organization operates 47 television channels and 17 radio frequency bands, with claims of maintaining bureaus in 63 countries and regions. CMG states its flagship news program Xinwen Lianbo (新聞聯播) “attracts an average daily audience of 120 million” and claims 2020 Spring Festival Gala “was watched by 1.232 billion people in China and overseas.” The organization broadcasts in more than 40 languages through subsidiaries, including China Global Television Network (CGTN). As the China Media Project notes, CMG has been “portrayed by state media sources as a key step in advancing China’s international transmission capacity and telling China’s story well,” serving as the Party’s central platform for domestic propaganda and international broadcasting.
