CCTV+
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA Beijing-based video news agency providing multilingual footage, live signals, archives, and customized news services to broadcasters and media organizations worldwide.
Last updated October 8, 2026
Overview
CCTV+ is a video news agency associated with China Central Television and based in Beijing. It was launched in December 2010 to distribute video news and related editorial materials to media organizations outside China as well as to domestic users. Unlike a conventional consumer television channel, CCTV+ operates primarily as a business-to-business news-content and syndication service: it supplies broadcasters and other media clients with footage, live transmission signals, multilingual scripts, and tailored news packages. The service covers a broad range of subjects, including politics, finance, society, culture and humanity, nature, science, and other domestic and international topics. Its international distribution model is designed to make CCTV-produced or CCTV-sourced reporting available to television channels and media partners in multiple regions. Reference material describes CCTV+ content as being carried by more than 1,600 television channels in over 70 countries and in six languages, although the relevant period for those figures is not specified. CCTV+ also maintains a substantial editorial archive. The cited reference describes approximately 270,000 news materials and 450,000 multilingual manuscripts, alongside a continuous multilingual news-footage service. These resources support both scheduled broadcasting and on-demand use by partner organizations. Its service portfolio includes twenty-four-hour news footage, live signals for media outlets, archive access, and customized products assembled according to a client's editorial or broadcast requirements. International cooperation is a central part of the brand's operating model. CCTV+ has been associated with media-sharing and program-cooperation initiatives involving Latin American, African, Belt and Road, and Pacific Island partners. Named initiatives include the Socios Latinoamericanos platform, cooperation with the Africa Link Union, the Belt and Road News Alliance, Pacific Island Partners, and Newsharing. These arrangements have focused on sharing resources, facilitating program exchange, and expanding the circulation of news between Chinese media and overseas organizations. The brand's role should therefore be distinguished from that of China Central Television's domestic and international television channels. CCTV+ functions as an international video-news distribution and services unit, with clients and partners rather than a conventional mass-market channel schedule as its primary point of contact. Its institutional connection to China's state television system also places it within the country's official media and international communications infrastructure.
History
CCTV+ was launched in December 2010 as an international video news agency affiliated with China Central Television. Its creation extended CCTV's role beyond the operation of television channels by establishing a dedicated service for the distribution and licensing of video news to external media organizations. The agency's focus has been on making news footage, live signals, scripts, and finished or customized programs available for use by broadcasters and other media clients. From its launch, CCTV+ developed a multilingual and international distribution model. Reference material describes coverage of stories from around the world in six languages and distribution through more than 1,600 television channels in over 70 countries. The available material does not specify the six languages or provide a date for those distribution figures, but it presents them as evidence of the agency's international reach. The service's editorial scope includes politics, finance, society, culture and humanity, nature, science, and other areas of domestic and international reporting. Its offering combines continuously available footage with live transmission capability and an archive for on-demand use. The archive is described as containing approximately 270,000 news materials and 450,000 multilingual manuscripts. CCTV+ also offers customized services, allowing client organizations to request news footage, live signals, or complete news programs suited to particular broadcast needs. During the 2010s, CCTV+ expanded cooperation with regional and thematic media networks. In April 2016, it was associated with the launch of Socios Latinoamericanos, a platform for the dissemination of reporting concerning China and Latin America. In June of the same year, it cooperated with the Africa Link Union to promote communication and distribution between Chinese and African media. Newsharing, initiated by CCTV+ in 2016, was described as a news-information service for broadcast media and readers in China. In May 2017, the Belt and Road News Alliance was established in cooperation with CCTV+, with the stated purpose of encouraging communication among official media organizations and supporting news exchange connected with Belt and Road development. In April 2018, CCTV+ and Pacific Island Partners were jointly associated with an initiative intended to promote resource sharing and program cooperation involving China and Pacific Island media partners. These initiatives show a progression from basic international footage distribution toward broader media cooperation, content exchange, and regional networking. CCTV+ remains distinct from a television channel brand such as CCTV-1 or CCTV-5: its core activity is supplying and facilitating news content for other media organizations. Publicly available reference material in this dossier does not provide sufficient information about its current corporate structure, executive leadership, revenue, or present-day operating scale.
- 2018
Pacific Island Partners cooperation begins
[1]CCTV+ and Pacific Island Partners are jointly associated with a cooperation initiative focused on resource sharing and program exchange.
- 2017
Belt and Road News Alliance established
[1]The Belt and Road News Alliance is established in cooperation with CCTV+ to encourage media communication and news exchange among participating official media organizations.
- 2016
Socios Latinoamericanos platform established
[1]CCTV+ is associated with the launch of a platform for news dissemination between China and Latin America.
- 2016
Africa Link Union cooperation begins
[1]CCTV+ cooperates with the Africa Link Union to support communication and distribution between Chinese and African media organizations.
- 2016
Newsharing is initiated
[1]CCTV+ initiates Newsharing as a news-information service aimed at broadcast media and readers in China.
- 2010
CCTV+ launches
[1]CCTV+ begins operating in December as a video news agency affiliated with China Central Television, serving international media distribution and video-on-demand needs.
Products and positioning
An international, business-to-business video-news agency and content syndication service connected with China's state television system.
News-content service · 2010
Multilingual News Footage
CCTV+ provides continuously available video news footage for media organizations. The service covers domestic and international subjects including politics, finance, society, culture, nature, and science, and is described in the reference material as operating in six languages for international broadcast use.
Broadcast transmission service · 2010
Live Signal Service
The live-signal offering provides media organizations with access to live television or event feeds for use in their own broadcasts. It forms part of CCTV+'s business-to-business distribution model and is presented as an international service rather than a consumer subscription product.
Archive and licensing service
News Archive
CCTV+ maintains an archive of news materials and multilingual manuscripts for media use. The cited reference describes approximately 270,000 news materials and 450,000 multilingual manuscripts, though no date is supplied for those figures.
Editorial and production service
Customized News Services
CCTV+ produces tailored news products for client organizations. Depending on the client's requirements, the service may involve selected footage, live signals, or assembled news programs intended for broadcast or other media publication.
Controversies
2020
Ofcom sanctions CGTN over broadcast of Peter Humphrey confession
The United Kingdom communications regulator found that CGTN, previously branded CCTV News, breached broadcasting rules in relation to its airing of a forced confession.
2019
CCTV airs confession of Hong Kong activist Simon Cheng
CGTN aired a video of Hong Kong activist Simon Cheng giving what he described as a forced confession; he subsequently complained to the UK regulator Ofcom.
2016
Broadcasts involving Peter Dahlin and Gui Minhai
CCTV aired forced-confession material involving foreign and Hong Kong-related detainees, prompting criticism from rights advocates and later complaints to regulators.
2014
Broadcast of Gao Yu confession
CCTV broadcast the confession of journalist Gao Yu, adding to concerns about the use of state television to publicize accusations against detainees.
2013
Broadcast of Peter Humphrey and Charles Xue confessions
CCTV aired televised confessions involving detained individuals before their cases had completed normal judicial processes. The practice became a major focus of criticism over coercive state broadcasting.
2011
Xinwen Lianbo uses footage from Top Gun
A report showing a fighter aircraft destroying another plane was found to use imagery from the 1986 film Top Gun rather than authentic news footage.
2001
Tiananmen self-immolation coverage
CCTV attributed a group of people who set themselves on fire in Tiananmen Square to Falun Gong. The characterization was later described by a Canadian regulator as abusive and misleading.
1999
Coverage during the Falun Gong crackdown
CCTV's Focus Talk broadcast numerous programs attacking Falun Gong practitioners during the government crackdown. Critics argued that the coverage demonized the movement and encouraged hostility.
Recent events
- 2020
United States designates CCTV as a foreign mission[4]
Regulation
The United States Department of State designated CCTV as a foreign mission, increasing disclosure requirements for its U.S. operations.
- 2018
CCTV becomes part of China Media Group[4]
M&A
CCTV was transferred into the newly established China Media Group during a reform of central state-media institutions.
- 2009
Beijing Television Cultural Center fire[4]
Other
A fire at the Beijing Television Cultural Center during the Lunar New Year period killed one firefighter and made the high-rise structure unusable. The building was associated with CCTV's facilities.
Sources4 sources
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