CMG to broadcast Spring Festival Web Gala across TV, digital platforms

The China Media Group (CMG)'s 2026 Spring Festival Web Gala will air Tuesday night across TV, mobile apps and online platforms, blending pop and traditional culture with cutting-edge technologies.

Starting at 20:00, the gala will be broadcast on CCTV-1, CCTV-3 and multiple digital platforms. Featuring dances, songs and other performances, this year's show highlights a vibrant mix of pop culture and traditional Chinese arts, incorporating artificial intelligence, virtual reality and 3D technology for an enhanced audiovisual experience.

Watching the annual show has become a new tradition in China, especially among younger audiences. The gala is usually broadcast on the traditional Xiaonian Festival, literally the "Little New Year," also known as the Kitchen God Festival, which falls on Tuesday this year and marks the start of the countdown to the Chinese New Year.

Since its debut in 2011, the Spring Festival Web Gala has established itself as a cultural tradition marking the approach of the lunar New Year.

The Spring Festival, which falls on Feb 17 this year, marks the start of the Chinese New Year, the most important holiday in China. This year ushers in the Year of the Horse, the seventh animal in the 12-year Chinese zodiac cycle.

Chinese stocks closed mixed on Tuesday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up 0.13 percent to 4,128.37 points.

The Shenzhen Component Index closed 0.02 percent higher at 14,210.63 points.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, dropped 0.37 percent to close at 3,320.54 points.

The ChiNext Index, together with the Shenzhen Component Index and other indices, reflects the performance of stocks listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.