Shenzhen Satellite TV is a flagship television channel operated by the Shenzhen Media Group. It broadcasts simultaneously in both standard-definition and high-definition formats, airing 24 hours a day. The channel began trial broadcasts on May 28, 2004, and officially launched via satellite in December 2004. It was approved as a city-level satellite television channel with the purpose of serving as a communication platform aimed at Hong Kong audiences.
Shenzhen Satellite TV's programming includes news, television dramas, current affairs commentary, variety shows, and financial programs.
The channel is broadcast nationwide via the ChinaSat 6A and ChinaSat 9 satellites and has gained a certain level of influence among Chinese communities both within China and abroad. Its current affairs program Winning High Ground (Chinese: 决胜制高点) ranked fifth in the 2013 national variety show rankings. According to CSM Media Research data from 2011, Shenzhen Satellite TV ranked among the top ten provincial-level satellite channels in China, with its prime-time ratings placing it eighth nationwide.
The international version of the channel, internally referred to as the Shenzhen International Channel, is broadcast via the Apstar 5 satellite, covering Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Oceania, and the Pacific region. It is also available on the Great Wall TV platform in the Americas, Europe, Canada, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. There are differences among the international general version, the Hong Kong version, and the mainland Chinese version. For example, the Hong Kong version includes certain Cantonese-language programs, while the American version does not rebroadcast CCTV's Xinwen Lianbo.
History On May 28, 2004, Shenzhen Satellite TV began trial broadcasting, airing on the Shenzhen Cable TV network and Channel 26 of Hong Kong Cable TV (Hong Kong version). In December of the same year, the channel officially launched its satellite broadcast.
In 2005, the Finance Channel (Shenzhen TV Channel 8) was rebranded as Shenzhen Satellite TV, broadcasting simultaneously with the original domestic satellite version. It replaced the previous version aired on Tianwei Cable TV.
In 2008, Shenzhen Satellite TV launched a major television event titled "Sailing Across the Seas – The Shenzhen Satellite Ship's Coastal Tour to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of Reform and Opening-Up", which began with a departure ceremony held at Bund Park in Tianjin Binhai New Area. The event featured a sailboat named Shenzhen Satellite Ship traveling from Tianjin along the coastline to Shenzhen, aiming to promote the achievements of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and the reform and opening-up policy.
In May 2009, Shenzhen Satellite TV underwent a rebranding. During prime time, it launched a series of news programs including Live Hong Kong and Macau, Shenzhen News, and Decryption. At that time, aside from one or two news programs on certain CCTV channels, most provincial satellite channels across China were primarily broadcasting dramas or entertainment shows during prime time.
On September 28, 2009, the high-definition version of Shenzhen Satellite TV officially launched. Initial cable TV operators carrying the HD signal included Beijing Gehua Cable, Jiangsu Cable, Hangzhou Wasu, Shenzhen Tianwei Cable, and Shanghai Oriental Cable.
On December 1, 2010, the Hong Kong version of Shenzhen Satellite TV began broadcasting on digital terrestrial television in Hong Kong via Asia Television (ATV), on Channel 17, marking the full landing of Shenzhen Satellite TV across the Hong Kong territory. Prior to this, the Hong Kong version had already been available on Channel 26 of Hong Kong Cable TV and Channel 852 of now Broadband TV.
In October 2013, Shenzhen Satellite TV officially partnered with Tudou.com, enabling resource sharing and content rights integration.
On November 15, 2014, at approximately 7:27 a.m., Shenzhen Satellite TV updated its program design and rebranded its on-air packaging, including previews and promos.
On May 15, 2015, the All-Media Integrated News Center of Shenzhen Media Group was officially launched. From that day, all news and information programs under Shenzhen Satellite TV have been produced and broadcast from this new center.
On April 2, 2016, following the non-renewal of ATV's free television license, the Hong Kong SAR government reclaimed ATV's analog and digital spectrum. As a result, the international version of Shenzhen Satellite TV ceased its terrestrial broadcast in Hong Kong.
On May 4, 2016, now Broadband TV Hong Kong launched Shenzhen Satellite TV on Channel 540, marking the channel's return to broadcasting in Hong Kong.
On July 28, 2017, Shenzhen Satellite TV was added to the "Hu Hu Tong" direct broadcast satellite platform operated by China's State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, making it available to all Hu Hu Tong users.
On November 28, 2017, during the "2018 Shenzhen Satellite TV AMAZING X Presentation", Shenzhen Satellite TV announced a new strategic partnership with iQIYI. Under this agreement, ten major drama series produced by iQIYI would premiere exclusively on Shenzhen Satellite TV nationwide starting in 2018.
On December 8, 2017, in the early morning, Shenzhen Satellite TV updated its logo along with the rest of Shenzhen TV. The new logo retained the white silk-like base while embedding a pink card-like square shape, with the channel name displayed at the bottom.
On September 1, 2018, Hong Kong Cable TV moved the Hong Kong version of Shenzhen Satellite TV from Channel 26 to Channel 335.
Beginning on December 7, 2018, Shenzhen Satellite TV's standard-definition channel started broadcasting in 16:9 aspect ratio.
On February 4, 2019, during the 2019 CCTV Spring Festival Gala, both the HD and SD domestic feeds of Shenzhen Satellite TV temporarily switched to unified HD broadcast. After the broadcast ended, the feeds resumed simulcasting CCTV-1, with HD feeds carrying CCTV-1 HD and SD feeds carrying CCTV-1 SD signals.
Program
News and Information Shenzhen Satellite TV produces news programs including general news programs, current affairs commentary programs, and military analysis programs.
SZTV News SZTV News is the main evening news program broadcast by Shenzhen Satellite TV. It premiered on January 1, 1984, the day Shenzhen TV Station was founded. It mainly covers major political news and people's livelihood news in Shenzhen, and sometimes also covers domestic, Hong Kong-Macau-Taiwan, and international news. The program airs daily from 18:30 to 19:00 (Mainland China version).
To enrich the content and format of Shenzhen political news reporting, since January 11, 2021, Shenzhen Satellite TV aired a political commentary segment titled Evening Report every night from 22:20 to 22:30, which was divided into two parts: Today's Viewpoint and Evening Commentary. The former reported the latest trends across various industries and fields, while the latter invited experts to analyze Shenzhen's political affairs.
(As of June 27, 2024, the program has been discontinued, and the time slot was replaced by Straight Finance produced by the International Communication Center's Straight News team.)
At the end of the program, during the weather forecast segment, real-time cityscape footage similar to that of Hong Kong Cable News is shown.
Noon Focus Noon Focus (formerly titled 30 Minutes at Noon) is a news program that premiered on January 1, 2005, and is broadcast daily at 11:50 a.m. on Shenzhen Satellite TV. The program is divided into two parts: the first part broadcasts major domestic, Hong Kong-Macau-Taiwan, and international news, as well as important local news in Shenzhen, but contains relatively little political content; the second part features social news and the popular science weather segment Talking About the Sky and Earth (Highlights Edition).
When the program first launched, its runtime was 30 minutes. After the channel was reformatted, the program was also extended, and it currently runs for 50 minutes.
Greater China Live Greater China Live premiered on May 1, 2006, and is broadcast every night at 22:30 (Mainland China version). The program provides information on international current affairs, military, entertainment, culture, lifestyle, and finance, with coverage extending beyond Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. The show presents its reports through live connections, special commentaries, and interviews. During broadcast, a news ticker runs along the bottom of the screen displaying news briefs.
For major events, the program sends reporters for on-site coverage and collaborates with media outlets across Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, including Sina.com, Sohu.com, TVB (Hong Kong), Wen Wei Po, Hong Kong Commercial Daily, TVBS (Taiwan), and TDM (Macau).
In 2009, Greater China Live was selected as one of the Top 12 Programs of the Year by Variety, the magazine overseen by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.
Currently, Greater China Live shares a production team with Straight Finance, Military Live Room, Hot Spot Debate, and Key Insight. This team is known as the Straight News team, formerly known as the Greater China Live team.
Hot Spot Debate Hot Spot Debate is a current affairs program launched by Shenzhen Satellite TV on April 2, 2012. Each episode focuses on the in-depth analysis of a single current affairs topic, with commentary provided by several guest analysts. The program utilizes a virtual studio and incorporates 3D special effects.
Hot Spot Debate ranked fifth in the 2013 national variety show rankings. The program airs every Monday from 21:18 to 22:25 (Mainland China version).
Key Insights Key Insights is a cutting-edge news program produced by Shenzhen Satellite TV, focusing on the analysis of international current affairs. It premiered on March 6, 2013. The program analyzes international news events by examining the micro-expressions of key news figures. It is filmed in a virtual studio and features psychology experts and current affairs commentators as guests.
The show airs every Wednesday from 21:20 to 22:25 (Mainland China version).
Military Situation Military Situation is an international current affairs program on Shenzhen Satellite TV. Like Key Insights and Hot Spot Debate, the program uses a virtual studio and invites current affairs commentators to participate. Its coverage is not limited to military topics—for example, in 2014, it reported on the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 crash.
The program airs every Tuesday from 21:20 to 22:25 (Mainland China version).
Special Programming
Special Arrangements During Typhoons If the Shenzhen Meteorological Observatory issues a yellow typhoon warning signal or a higher-level signal, Shenzhen TV will begin broadcasting a special typhoon report every hour starting from 8:00 AM until 12:00 midnight. If the warning signal is still in effect by noon, the regular program "Midday 30 Minutes" scheduled at 11:50 AM will be suspended and replaced by approximately 10 minutes of major political news, followed by continued special typhoon programming.
Variety Shows Shenzhen TV's variety shows are generally broadcast from Thursday to Sunday nights and rebroadcast during the daytime. Most of these variety shows follow a seasonal format, with some running for several months before ending. Shenzhen TV also occasionally hosts large-scale events. Some of the station's well-known variety shows include The Generation Show, Dinner Is Over Show, Men Left Women Right, and Big Star Birthday Party.
On May 27, 2011, Shenzhen TV underwent a revamp and began airing a self-produced program every evening at 9:20 PM during prime time, seven days a week. This schedule, which includes a mix of variety and news programs, is known as the "Evening 9:20 Program Group" and has been maintained to this day.