Media representatives welcome launch of CMG's specialized channels on FAST platforms

International representatives participating in a key media forum in Xi'an City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, have welcomed the launch of China Global Television Network (CGTN) specialized channels on FAST platforms, hailing the channels' potential to multiply the voices of the Global South and carry vibrant, authentic narratives to numerous viewers worldwide.

CGTN, the international arm of China Media Group (CMG), officially launched three specialized channels on free advert-supported streaming television (FAST) platforms on Thursday at the Global South Media Partners Mechanism Inauguration Meeting and the 13th Global Video Media Forum (VMF), offering up a variety of programming to global viewers.

The newly launched channels -- CGTN Global Biz, China Travel and Discovering China -- will be broadcast 24/7 across 15 major international FAST platforms, reaching nearly 200 million viewers worldwide. It marks a crucial step as CMG explores new business formats in the expansion of its international communications strategy.

Media representatives participating in the event applauded CGTN's new FAST channels.

"Launching the FAST platforms in itself is very exciting news for everyone in the media and for the international audience as well. One of the advantages of it, of course, is being able to watch it free of charge, not only on televisions, but on your phones as well. And the professional technological innovations (represented by launching FAST channels) will promote people-to-people exchanges and development cooperation," said Aminath Namza, chairwoman of the Public Service Media (PSM), the official state media in the Maldives.

"The initiative that we have today, FAST, will help us improve communication between our countries. Undoubtedly, video content that shows real life, which is relevant at the moment, is necessary for all of us," said Igor Lutsky, chairman of the Second National TV Channel (ONT) of Belarus.

The three new channels will focus on delivering specific content that meets the demands of overseas audiences.

The CGTN Global Biz channel aims to establish a round-the-clock financial information service platform. Featuring real-time financial news, market analysis, and in-depth interviews, it will help global viewers decode China's latest economic policies and market trends.

The China Travel channel seeks to spotlight China's tourism and lifestyle trends, serving as a window for the world to better understand the vibrant cultural offerings in today's China.

The Discovering China channel will showcase a selection of documentaries that reflect the achievements of Chinese modernization and highlight exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations, presenting a panoramic view of China's development journey alongside the country's cultural charm. "I believe that the platforms offered by China Global Television Network in English, and the speed with which it delivers news, are crucial in the field of global digital media. And as I mentioned earlier, they are also important for conveying narratives from East to West in an objective, rapid, and comprehensive manner," said Firas Alali, head of programs and podcast of the UAE's Al-Ain News.

"I believe every initiative that widens these voices -- like the FAST platform -- is a space that multiplies the voices of the Global South. These are the voices that are resonating now and will keep resonating: strong, clear, and full of life. So, our congratulations for this platform, and we always wish to walk together, to walk well, all of us," said Monica Modina, founder of Bolivia's Popular Radio and Television (RTP).

According to CGTN, the three channels will air six hours of original programming each day, which will be broadcast in a daily loop, with the content coming from the organization's high-quality production resources.

Since 2023, CGTN has been working on advancing the FAST medium and has already promoted the CGTN English Channel and Documentary Channel on leading global FAST platforms.

As an emerging and fast-growing business format in the global television market in recent years, FAST TV features specialized content, recognizable branding, accessible programming and operational support via advertisements.

Media representatives welcome launch of CMG's specialized channels on FAST platforms

More than 770 high-tech companies have packed into 33 themed buildings at China's Xiong'an New Area, turning floor proximity into business partnerships in a government-engineered experiment to build innovation clusters outside the capital Beijing.

On April 1, 2017, China announced plans to establish the Xiong'an New Area, located about 100 kilometers southwest of Beijing. The aim was to build a green city on an area of 1,770 square kilometers, featuring innovation and providing a national model of high-quality development.

Over the past nine years, facilities such as the Zhongguancun Science Park have begun high-quality operations in Xiong'an. In the Zhongguancun Science Park's low-altitude economy building, Zhu Xu, co-founder of a Beijing drone company, dropped in on a company located one floor below his to explore collaboration opportunities.

As the building houses numerous upstream and downstream enterprises in the low-altitude economy industry, with potential partners just a floor or two away, Zhu frequently receives invitations to matchmaking events where participants analyze the market and discuss technologies together.

"(The Zhongguancun Science Park) organizes matchmaking events on a regular basis. At one such session, we learned about a company on the 7th floor that share some technical similarities with us. We spoke with them promptly, and now we are gradually carrying out research and development and cooperation together," said Zhu.

Zhu's company moved to Xiong'an in Oct 2025. Shortly after relocating, Zhu began joint research and development with the company on the 7th floor. Together, they have upgraded drones to support remote intelligent ground operation, quickly developing a mature autonomous drone operation system.

"We open up real-world application scenarios to enterprises. Through various activities, companies link up naturally, and collaborations within the building have happened effortlessly," said Li Yue, deputy head of the Industry, Information Technology and Data Bureau of the Xiong'an New Area.

Zhu is among many people who pursue a career and a life in the Xiong'an New Area, which has been transformed from a stretch of raw land to a mapped plan, and then to a city -- a modern new town springing up in a matter of nine years.

In the process of relieving Beijing of functions non-essential to its role as China's capital, renowned universities and research institutes, major state-owned companies as well as start-ups are relocated to this vibrant area.

So far, more than 4,000 Beijing-origin companies have been relocated to Xiong'an, and more than 400 centrally administrated state-owned enterprises have set branches in the city.

Construction is rapidly ongoing on the campus buildings of four universities in the Xiong'an New Area -- Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing University of Science and Technology, Beijing Forestry University and China University of Geosciences.

In less than a decade, Xiong'an has adhered to high standards of planning and design, adopting a "moving in after infrastructure is in place" approach, ensuring that networks of water, electricity, gas, roads and bridges are established first.

Dubbed the "city of the future", Xiong'an is undergoing rapid changes. The developed area spans around 215 square kilometers with total investment exceeding one trillion yuan (about 145 billion U.S. dollars) and over 5,300 buildings shaping the urban skyline, housing 1.41 million residents and 669 high-tech enterprises.

Meanwhile, Xiong'an is becoming greener and more biodiverse. Since 2017, a total of 32,200 hectares of new afforested land has emerged in Xiong'an, bringing the total green area to nearly 50,000 hectares. The forest coverage rate has risen from 11 percent to 35.1 percent, according to official data.

China's Xiong'an New Area clusters tech firms in themed towers, spurring vertical supply chains