China's Spring Festival Gala hits 23.06 billion views and counting

China's biggest night of the year, the Spring Festival Gala, proved a roaring success, shattering TV records. This year's event, produced by China Media Group (CMG) and themed around "Joy and Auspiciousness, Festive and Cheerful," served a fusion of timeless tradition and cutting-edge innovation alongside the New Year's Eve dinner, with Chinese and foreign viewers worldwide savoring the spectacle like never before.

As of 8:00 a.m. BJT this Tuesday, the latest records show that domestic all-media viewership soared to 23.063 billion, marking a 37.3 percent increase from 2025. The live broadcast captured 79.29 percent of the national TV audience share, the highest level in 13 years. The broadcast maintained an impressive average of 325 million concurrent viewers and listeners per minute, with peak viewership surging past 400 million.

On domestic new media platforms, the Gala set multiple historical records. Total direct on-demand and live views reached 16.207 billion, marking a 49 percent year-on-year increase. Views on CMG's own platforms totaled 770 million for on-demand content (up 2.7 percent), while cumulative live-stream views reached 605 million, an increase of 60.05 million compared with last year. The accessible version of the Gala recorded 28.34 million views across CCTV News, Yangshipin and Yunting platforms, surging 144 percent year on year.

Online engagement continued to climb, with nearly 2,000 topics trending across major platforms. As of 1:00 p.m. BJT this Tuesday, related topics generated 27.12 billion reads nationwide, with 1,939 topics appearing on trending charts. Younger audiences accounted for 41.82 percent of users, up 1.35 percentage points from the previous year. Interest in programs highlighting new productive forces also rose sharply: content related to AI and humanoid robots drew 20.99 percent of total attention, a 5.4-fold increase from last year.

International outreach saw significant gains. CMG covered the Gala globally in 85 languages. CGTN coverage achieved 2.309 billion reads and 843 million video views, up 32.85 percent and 43.61 percent from the previous year, respectively. CMG partnered with nearly 4,000 media outlets worldwide for simultaneous live broadcasts and coverage, an increase of 37.95 percent. The Gala was also shown on 4,062 public screens across 140 cities in 98 countries, with the number of countries and screens rising 12.6 percent and 15.8 percent, respectively.

Viewers at home and abroad praised the Gala for its visual sophistication and cultural depth, calling it a platform that conveys diverse messages to audiences in China and around the world. Technology-driven performances featuring robots drew widespread attention and praise, while programs rooted in traditional culture and heartfelt songs resonated deeply. Tributes to everyday workers, cross-cultural collaborations, and distinctive sub-venues showcasing regional landscapes and development are projected to further energize local tourism. The prime-time show is widely recognized as a cultural bridge connecting the country with an increasingly China-curious world.