The 2025 China Media Group's Spring Festival Gala has set a new record in live viewership and interaction across China's media platforms.
By 02:00 on Wednesday, the gala reached a cumulative audience of 16.8 billion, an 18.31 percent increase from last year. Mobile viewership surged to 372 million, up 52.46 percent year on year. On domestic new media platforms, live streaming views hit over 2.13 billion by 08:00, a 26.04 percent rise. The "Vertical Screen Viewing" feature garnered 530 million views, up 25.3 percent, with 300 million users, a 16.73 percent increase from 2024. The accessible broadcast reached 58.97 million viewers.
Television ratings reached a 12-year high, securing a 78.88 percent live viewership share in the national TV market. The gala also dominated online discussions, with social media topics generating 27 billion reads and 1,136 trending topics, 57 of which topped the charts.
Featuring a mix of traditional and modern elements, this year's gala included humanoid robots, regional folk dances, comedy and magic.
CMG’s 2025 Spring Festival Gala sets record with 16.8 billion global reach
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Saturday that nuclear power plant sites or nearby areas must never be attacked, following a fourth strike near an Iranian nuclear power plant.
The IAEA said on social platform X that, according to the information from Iran, a projectile hit the nearby area of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant on Saturday morning. This was the fourth such incident in recent weeks, it said.
One staff member at the site was killed by a projectile fragment, while a building on the site was affected by shockwaves and fragments, the IAEA said, citing the Iranian authorities. There was no increase in radiation levels reported, it added.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi expressed his deep concern about the incident, stressing that nuclear power plant sites or nearby areas "must never be attacked." He warned that the auxiliary site buildings may contain vital safety equipment.
Grossi once again stressed the paramount importance of ensuring nuclear safety and security during a conflict, calling for maximum military restraint to avoid the risk of a nuclear accident.
Iran's nuclear facilities have been struck several times since the joint Israeli-U.S. military actions against the Islamic Republic started on Feb. 28.
Nuclear power plants must never be attacked: IAEA chief
