In recent years, the Chinese economy has been facing a downturn, coupled with the rise of self-media, which has brought significant challenges to traditional television media. According to the latest “Mainland Situation Quarterly Report” released by Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, local television stations in China that have long relied on government financial support are now struggling to survive. It is reported that nearly two thousand county-level television stations are on the brink of closure.
Traditionally, mainland Chinese media have been seen as a mouthpiece of the authorities. The “Mainland Situation Quarterly Report” from the Mainland Affairs Council in Taiwan in October pointed out that official Chinese TV media have long been constrained by information censorship, rigid content, and the necessity for official dissemination of significant events. This lack of timely access to the truth has long caused public discontent. With the emergence of self-media in recent years, events from various regions are disseminated through social media platforms, causing viewership of local television news programs across China to plummet, leading to a continuous decline in related advertising revenue.
According to the “2023 National Broadcasting and Television Industry Statistics Bulletin” released by the National Radio and Television Administration of China, the total advertising revenue of TV stations nationwide in 2023 was 58.36 billion Chinese yuan, only about half of the 2013 advertising revenue of 111.94 billion yuan.
Given that Chinese television stations have long relied on government financial support, the tightening of funds by local governments has put them in a difficult position. The Mainland Affairs Council stated that in order to reduce operating costs, some channels and programs with low viewership and engagement will inevitably have to be cut or scaled back.
Statistics show that in 2023, nearly seven hundred county-level TV stations in China have ceased broadcasting or closed, and this trend is continuing to expand. Currently, nearly two thousand county-level TV stations are at risk of closure.
The Mainland Affairs Council warned that if these TV stations indeed shut down, a large number of employees will face unemployment.
While Chinese TV stations have been trying to adapt to the development of the internet by engaging in integrated media operations (promoting the integration of traditional media such as newspapers, television, and radio with websites, social media, video platforms, apps, and other emerging media technologies), the speed at which they produce news and feature stories lags far behind that of various self-media platforms.
A director of a county-level integrated media center in mainland China previously revealed to the media outlet “Transformation Media People” that their operation is currently deemed as “ineffective labor, ineffective communication, and wasteful spending”, with over sixty staff members but no tangible output. They broadcast local news programs every day, but with almost zero viewership.
The Mainland Affairs Council emphasized that the ongoing economic downturn in China has put local TV stations, which have always relied on government financial support, in a precarious situation. However, their long-standing lack of market competitiveness and innovation capability makes it difficult for them to successfully transition. The escalating trend of local TV station closures and the resulting wave of unemployment among industry professionals may weaken the effectiveness of the Communist Party’s internal propaganda efforts and societal control, which warrants further attention.