China Central Television (formerly Beijing Television), commonly abbreviated as CCTV, is the predominant state television broadcaster in the People's Republic of China. CCTV has a network of 50 channels broadcasting different programmes and is accessible to more than one billion viewers.As of present, there are 50 television channels, and the broadcaster provides programming in six different languages. Most of its programes are a mixture of news, documentary, social education, comedy, entertainment, and drama, the majority of which consists of Chinese soap operas and entertainment.
CCTV is one of the official mouthpieces of the Communist Party of China, and is part of what is known in China as the "central three" (中央三台), with the others being China National Radio and China Radio International.