On February 16th, 2026 as 8 p.m. approaches, the world’s second most viewed television show, only second to the FIFA world cup, will commence.

What could possibly keep hoards of people glued to their chairs for 4.5 hours?

The Chinese New Year’s Gala that’s aired by China Central Television. The Gala is an entertainment show which combines modern media technologies and folk customs, will be live on Television and online media platforms on Chinese New Year’s Eve.

The Gala is a must-see TV show for every Chinese family, in China or abroad. From 1983 when it was first aired, the gala has undergone tremendous transformation in terms of broadcasting technologies, techniques and content.

Over 4 decades later, in 2025, China Media Group reported the gala’s unprecedented success reached a staggering 16.8 billion views across all media platforms (especially TV and Online), an 18.31 percent increase from 2024.

In 1983 the audience watched the show on the analog TV sets, the images then had much lower resolution compared to nowadays, and the content was limited.

Plus, China had not yet advanced in information technology, and majority of the Chinese people who were struggling economically, requirements of the cultural aspect of the show were minimal.

Earlier shows always featured Chinese New Year traditional performances such as the lion dance, and dragon dance, but also conjuring tricks, and other types of acrobatics.

As any tradition that has withstood the test of time, there was a time when mostly the youth were critical and viewed the show as old-fashioned, and argued that it needed to be updated.

With the economic development and technological advancements, they got what the wanted.

The year of the horse will gallop at top speed and quality with the combined application of 5G, 4K, 8K as well as virtual reality techniques bringing a brand-new viewing experience.

Also, the venue for this year’s show will boast a record-breaking 1,462 stage lights, the switches, brightness, colors, and movements of which will be controlled with the latest technologies.

Augmented reality, extended reality and artificial intelligence will all be employed to craft an immersive stage that will blend the virtual and the real.

With the content of earlier versions of the gala still there, many different types of performances such as singing, cross-talk, dancing, sketching, magic, stand-up skit, acrobatics, and Chinese opera are now part of the show, and delivered in high tech.

Despite all changes that are taking place, one thing has remained constant. The gala has played a central role in gathering family members in front of the TV, not only celebrating family reunion, but also connecting them to traditional Chinese culture.

The CCTV New Year’s Gala plays an important role during the holiday because watching the gala while chatting, laughing, and enjoying the show, adds to the mood of family reunion and celebration.

With over 30 Year’s of history in the making, the Gala continues to showcase the China’s broadcast industry’s technological development, and is still one of the most coveted vehicles to convey and rejoice Chinese culture worldwide.

Courtesy China Media Group