SHANGHAI—The New York Times has an article this morning heralding the arrival of CCTV on the world stage. Turns out the Beijing Olympics has awakened advertisers to the vast viewership enjoyed by the state network—an eighteen-channel conglomerate—in the world’s most populous country. The finals for women’s table tennis, for example, drew more viewers than the entire US population. As a result, multinationals are finally starting to take CCTV seriously—and ignore its role as a vehicle for propaganda. The NYT article yet again underscores China’s rising demographic influence. But I’d credit CCTV for a different reason: the Olympics has suddenly made its programming relevant.

The best of recent Chinese shows didn’t air on CCTV. It wasn’t CCTV that came up with My Hero, a sort of Chinese American Idol whose finalists included a Tibetan and a deaf man (the Tibetan won). Or Mengniu Yogurt Super Girl, a similar contest, whose winner was a gravelly-voiced, short-haired woman (she set off an androgyny craze). Or Really Really Want to Fall in Love, a Sex in the City knockoff (think same plotline, same characters, with scenes shot in T.G.I. Friday). Those shows came from upstart provincial networks. CCTV has typically broadcast more staid programming.

During this Olympics, however, state television’s historical dramas and dry news commentaries have given way to serious, live, watchable coverage. These past few weeks, anyone with the time and inclination to catch gymnastics, volleyball, Taekwondo, table tennis, and race walking—in one morning—could do so. Even watching the English-language CCTV-9, formerly a good way to cure insomnia, is now tolerable. On tonight: a lively and revealing discussion of foreign media bias. (”The world is now looking at China with objective eyes,” one commentator gushed.)

So maybe they’ve taken the focus thing bit too far. Coverage is so thorough that it’s impossible to escape from the Olympics. As June Shih points out on Slate.com, CCTV is sure to disappoint anyone hoping to see how non-Chinese athletes are doing: “What’s on television in China right now shows what happens when you combine tight state control with typically overwrought, patriotic sports coverage. CCTV is like NBC on steroids … and growth hormone, and EPO, and albuterol.”

The coverage also lacks the gloss and eye-catching gimmicks of Western coverage. A (male) friend of mine complained that during halftime for women’s beach volleyball events, the camera remained steadily focused on the Chinese players between points, missing the “beach babes” entirely.

Maybe they’ll figure that out by the next Olympics. For the moment, it’s nice to have something to watch.

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Posted on Friday, August 22nd, 2008 at 1:00 pm. Follow comments through the RSS 2.0 feed. Comment or trackback.