Entity Type: PRC Media Group

Shanghai Media Group, also known as Radio and Television Station of Shanghai (上海廣播電視台), is one of China’s largest state-owned media conglomerates, headquartered in Shanghai. Formed in 2001 through a merger of Shanghai’s People’s Radio Station, East Radio Shanghai, Shanghai Television, and Oriental Television, SMG operates a comprehensive portfolio including Dragon Television, multiple specialized channels, and radio stations. The group launched China’s second English-language news channel, International Channel Shanghai (ICS), in 2008. SMG owns Yicai Global (formerly China Business Network), which received a $193.5 million investment from Alibaba Group in 2015 for a 30 percent stake. In 2020, the U.S. State Department designated Yicai Global as a foreign mission of the Chinese government. SMG has partnerships with Disney for film development and produces content across news, entertainment, sports, and financial programming, spanning television, radio, and digital platforms.

The Guangming Daily, founded on June 16, 1949, is a major national newspaper directly under the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee, and administered by the Central Propaganda Department. Initially established by the China Democratic League (中國民主同盟), the paper later became a joint publication of various democratic parties before coming under direct CCP control in 1982. Before it brought directly under the CCP, the paper was a favorite of intellectuals in China, and contributors included the philosopher and historian Feng Youlan (馮友蘭) and the writer and translator Ba Jin (巴金). Following the 1957 Anti-Rightist Campaign, when 18 staff members were labeled “rightists,” including the liberal Chinese journalist and editor-in-chief Chu Anping (儲安平), the paper came under the direct supervision of the CCP’s Propaganda and United Front Work departments. Today, the Guangming Daily Media Group operates multiple publications and reportedly maintains 37 domestic bureaus and correspondents in 23 countries.

Established on June 7, 1949, Jiangxi Daily serves as the primary mouthpiece of the Jiangxi Provincial Communist Party Committee, and is proud to claim that the calligraphy for its masthead written by Mao Zedong. The paper, which claims a circulation of 200,000 copies, began international distribution in September 1984 — though independent verification of these circulation figures is unavailable. According to Baidu Baike, citing the China Journalism Yearbook (中国新闻年鉴), the newspaper employs 656 staff members, including 216 editors and reporters. The newspaper, like all CCP-run outlets, states explicitly that it adheres to “correct public opinion guidance” and propaganda directives.

Founded in 1949 and headquartered in Guangzhou, Nanfang Media Group is one of China’s most internationally recognized media conglomerates, with a strong commercial and professional spirit in spite of its oversight by the propaganda office of Guangdong province. The group operates a comprehensive multimedia ecosystem covering over 460 million users through its integrated communication system (全媒体传播体系). The group operates across multiple segments, including publishing, advertising, printing services, and logistics. It is the parent company of some of China’s most vibrant and professional media outlets, including Southern Weekly (南方周末), Southern Metropolis Daily (南方都市报), Nandu Weekly (南都周刊), and Southern People Weekly (南方人物周刊). In 2024, new media and diversified revenue accounted for over 70% of the group’s income, with the combined brand value of its flagship publications reaching 219.81 billion yuan. In January 2013, during Xi Jinping’s early tenure as Communist Party general secretary, the group gained international attention when Southern Weekly employees went on strike protesting excessive censorship—marking a pivotal moment in China’s media landscape.

The Ningxia Daily Media Group (寧夏日報報業集團) is an institution directly affiliated with the Propaganda Office of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), established as a media conglomerate on July 26, 2006, and headquartered in Yinchuan. The group encompasses seven newspapers, two magazines, one website, and one mobile newspaper platform. The group is responsible for news propaganda and public opinion guidance (輿論導向) under the provincial leadership, operating with a 12-member Party Committee and 13-member Editorial Committee. The conglomerate operates through five service departments and eleven business units, including the All-Media Command Center, while maintaining subsidiary units such as New Message Daily (新消息報), Ningxia Internet News Center (寧夏互聯網新聞中心), and Little Dragon Learning News (小龍人學習報). The group has engaged in media cooperation activities internationally, including participation in Belt and Road Initiative exchanges with Southeast Asian media organizations.

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 the 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.

Changsha Media Group (長沙市廣播電視台集團) is a state-run broadcaster directly under the leadership of the Municipal Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in Changsha, the capital of China’s southern Hunan province. The group operates four radio frequencies and five television channels, including news, politics and law, mobile subway TV, shopping, and cultural tourism channels. Its business spans film and television investment, cable network operations, and theater management. The conglomerate oversees 13 subsidiary units, including the publicly-listed Zhongguang Tianze (中廣天擇), which became China’s first state-controlled program production company to list on the main board in 2017. With nearly 1,500 employees and total assets of 2.5 billion yuan, the group promotes itself as a “market-oriented and corporate transformation” of “mainstream media” — in this context referring specifically to CCP-run media — to enhance competitiveness while maintaining state control. Its core operations include broadcasting, television, new media, and video content production, positioning it as a key instrument for local CCP messaging and cultural influence.