What CCTV+ does

CCTV+ (legally CCTV News Content Co., Ltd.) is a Beijing-headquartered video news agency founded in December 2010 that distributes licensed news video content and live broadcast signals from China's state broadcaster ecosystem (CCTV and CGTN) to global media organizations. The company serves 1,800+ TV channels and 1,000+ digital media platforms across 130+ countries, releasing 70+ news stories daily through its proprietary Global Distribution System (cctvplus.com) and via distribution partnerships with Associated Press (GVW & Media Port) and Reuters (WNE & Media Express).

The technology platform combines content distribution infrastructure with AI-enabled production tooling. Core products include the GDS online distribution platform, the Galaxy 1000 hardware-software omnimedia transmission terminal for ultra-low latency global file and signal exchange (supporting files up to 5TB), a Live Stream service with multi-node cloud distribution across Beijing, Tokyo, Singapore, Frankfurt, and Virginia supporting RTMP, SRT, RT, and ZIXI protocols, an AI-powered real-time Subtitle system with DVB protocol compliance, an AI Speech Translation system using ASR at 20x processing speed, and a Virtual Studio for news and talk show production. The platform supports multilingual output across Chinese, English, French, Spanish, Arabic, and Russian, with translation pairs covering English-Chinese and Japanese-Chinese.

The business model is hybrid. Core licensed news materials and live broadcast signals are provided free of charge to media licensees, functioning as scale-building distribution and relationship acquisition. Revenue is concentrated in two quote-based streams: tailored news services (customized content rendered at mutually agreed rates) and archive materials (content beyond the 30-day free window). CCTV+ also operates specialized content programs (Biztoday, Today, El Frente, Africa Link Union, VideoFupi) and an archive organized into themed collections. As part of the broader CCTV state media ecosystem, the company operates with a horizontal B2B GTM motion targeting global media organizations, leveraging both direct enterprise relationships and channel partners.

Name

CCTV+

Legal name

CCTV News Content Co., Ltd.

Website

https://cctvplus.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

CCTV+ is a Beijing-based video news agency distributing licensed Chinese news content and live broadcast signals to 1,800+ TV channels and 1,000+ digital media platforms across 130+ countries, offering AI-powered translation, subtitling, and transmission services alongside its Global Distribution System.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Video News Agency

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Distribution (512120), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)

akta.pro primary industry

International News & Current Affairs Broadcasters (MPABAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

International TV Broadcasters (Free-to-Air/Satellite/Cable) (MPABAEAJ)

Keywords

• Video news agency
• News content licensing
• Live broadcast distribution
• Multilingual news production
• Media content services

Headquarters

HQ city

Beijing

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Licensed News Materials: Free access to news videos and scripts published by CCTV+ via Partnered Distribution Channels and GDS (Global Distribution System). News materials are available within 30 days of publishing.
2. Licensed Live Signals: Free access to live broadcasting signals published by CCTV+ on all distribution channels. Provided at no charge during the license term.
3. Tailored News Services: Customized news services rendered by CCTV+ provided at mutually agreed rates on a case-by-case basis.
4. Archive Materials: Archive materials (news materials 30+ days after publishing via Partnered Distribution Channels, or 30+ days after GDS) provided at mutually agreed rates case by case.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

CCTV+ is China's international video news agency that produces and distributes licensed news video content, live broadcasting signals, archive materials, and tailored news services to global media organizations. It operates a proprietary Global Distribution System (www.cctvplus.com) complemented by channel partnerships with Reuters and Associated Press, reaching 1,800+ TV channels and 1,000+ digital media platforms across 130+ countries. Supporting offerings include AI-powered speech translation, real-time multilingual subtitling, virtual studio production, and ultra-low latency file/signal transmission through its Galaxy 1000 terminal.

Product overview

CCTV+ is a video news agency platform offering a portfolio of interconnected products and services. The core offering is the Global Distribution System (GDS) at cctvplus.com, a proprietary online platform distributing licensed news video content and live broadcasting signals to global media organizations. Supporting this core are value-added service modules: Galaxy 1000 (a hardware-software integrated transmission terminal for ultra-low latency global file and signal delivery), Live Stream (multi-channel live broadcast with multi-protocol and multi-node delivery), Subtitle (AI-powered real-time DVB captioning and multilingual translation), Virtual Studio (virtual production for news and talk shows), and AI Speech Translation (ASR-powered audio extraction and translation at up to 20x speed). Additional content offerings include curated Specials programs (Biztoday, Today, El Frente), Africa Link Union, VideoFupi exchange, and an Archive/Collections system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Galaxy 1000: Full Media Exchange Station - omnimedia internet transmission terminal for ultra-low latency media content transmission globally
• Live Stream
• AI Speech Translation
• Subtitle
• Virtual Studio
• Biztoday
• Africa Link Union (ALU)
• VideoFupi
• El Frente

Products and services

• Global Distribution System (GDS) Proprietary online platform at www.cctvplus.com for global distribution of licensed news video materials and live broadcasting signals to TV channels and digital media platforms worldwide.
• Galaxy 1000 Omnimedia Internet Transmission Terminal — a soft-hardware integrated device providing ultra-low latency file transmission (up to 5TB single file) and live broadcast signal exchange globally, supporting HLS/RTMP/TS/SRT protocols, SDI and FTP/SAMBA integration, and cloud-based status monitoring.
• Live Stream Live broadcast signal transmission service with 7x24 support, multi-protocol delivery (RTMP, SRT, RT, ZIXI, RTP/TS), and multi-node cloud distribution across Beijing, Tokyo, Singapore, Frankfurt, and Virginia.
• Subtitle AI-powered real-time captioning and subtitle system for the broadcasting industry, supporting DVB subtitle protocol, cloud-based simultaneous interpretation, and multilingual output (Chinese, English, Japanese with cross-language translation capabilities).
• Virtual Studio Virtual studio for small-sized program recording and broadcasting including news shows, talk shows, and image promos, featuring three-channel camera support, broadcast quality recording (HD 50p/i or 60p/i), multi-scene production with 3D template library.
• AI Speech Translation AI-powered speech translation system that extracts audio from media files, recognizes speech via ASR (Automatic Speech Recognition), and translates into specified languages at up to 20x speed, supporting batch file processing and real-time live broadcast translation.
• Specials Programs (Biztoday, Today, El Frente) Curated thematic news programs including Biztoday (business news covering economy, finance, and markets), Today (English program), and El Frente (Spanish-language news program), available via the Exchange platform.
• Africa Link Union (ALU) Africa-focused content exchange program connecting African media organizations with CCTV+ news content.
• VideoFupi Video exchange program for sharing video content with partners via the Exchange platform.
• News Archive and Collections News materials archive with themed collections including Chinese Economy, Rural Revitalization, Culture and Nature, Climate Change, Grassroots Stories, and NPC & CPPCC Annual Sessions, available to licensed media clients.

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Associated Press (AP)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAP's GVW & Media Port serves as a partnered distribution channel for CCTV+ news materials, enabling global distribution of licensed content to AP's network of media clients worldwide.
• ReuterscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReuters' WNE & Media Express operates as a partnered distribution channel for CCTV+ news materials, distributing licensed content to Reuters' global media client base.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Al Jazeera English: Al Jazeera is a state-backed international news broadcaster that produces and distributes video news content to global media clients, including via satellite feed and digital platforms. It is comparable to CCTV+ in scope (international news video distribution), multilingual output (Arabic, English), and global footprint, though with a different regional focus.
• Deutsche Welle (DW): DW is Germany's international broadcaster, distributing multilingual (German, English, Spanish, Arabic) news video content to global media clients via its distribution platform. DW shares CCTV+'s international news agency model and state-affiliated backing, making it a directly comparable peer in scope and customer segment.
• France 24: France 24 is a French state-backed international news broadcaster producing multilingual (French, English, Arabic, Spanish) news video content distributed globally to media clients. It is comparable to CCTV+ as a state-affiliated international news distributor with similar multilingual positioning and global licensee base.
• Agence France-Presse (AFP): AFP is one of the three major international video news agencies (alongside AP and Reuters) and competes with CCTV+ for global media-licensee relationships. AFP distributes news video, live signals, and archive content to TV channels and digital platforms worldwide through a comparable agency model.
• Bloomberg News: Bloomberg is a major producer of financial and business news video distributed globally to media organizations and terminals. CCTV+'s Biztoday sub-brand targets the same business-news video niche, and Bloomberg's multimedia distribution to TV channels and digital platforms is directly comparable to CCTV+'s GDS model.
• Reuters: Reuters is CCTV+'s second core distribution partner (via WNE & Media Express) and a leading global video news agency. Reuters News Agency provides breaking news video, live signals, and archive footage to media clients worldwide with comparable multilingual coverage and global distribution infrastructure, making it a directly comparable peer.
• Associated Press (AP): AP is one of CCTV+'s core distribution partners (via GVW & Media Port) and a directly comparable international video news agency distributing news footage, live signals, and archive content to global media clients. AP operates a comparable wire-based news video distribution business with multilingual content, making it the closest peer.

Regional players

• NHK World-Japan: NHK World is Japan's international broadcaster, distributing news and current affairs video content globally with a particular focus on Asian content. While it is a regional broadcaster (Japan) rather than China-centric, its model of state-affiliated international news video distribution is structurally similar to CCTV+'s GDS offering.

Broad incumbents

• CGTN (China Global Television Network): CGTN is the parent-content provider for CCTV+ and a major international English-language broadcaster. While CGTN operates full TV channels and digital platforms itself (a broader scope than CCTV+), it shares the same content ecosystem, multilingual production capability, and global distribution footprint — making it a closely related incumbent peer.
• BBC World Service / BBC Global News: BBC Global News is a major international news broadcaster that produces and licenses video content to media clients worldwide through BBC Media Action and commercial licensing. While BBC operates a much broader portfolio (radio, TV channels, digital), its international news video syndication business is directly comparable to CCTV+'s GDS offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cctv_plus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CCTV+