Commercial reform and the political function of Chinese television

This article examines the changing dynamics of the relationship between the market reform and party control of Chinese media. Based on the party-state’s decision on further economic liberalization in the new era, a commercial structure is becoming more common in the field of communication. The diffusion of economic reforms into media domain had been regarded as a force which would lead to the erosion of the Chinese Party’s control over ideology. This article interrogates the way in which the sphere of production of Chinese television has been privatized in a post-WTO period. It argues that while the new media market initiates a redistribution of power and interests, the Chinese party-state is still able to effectively control the production and consumption of media messages within its nation, and an increase of commercialized operation of the television system does not necessarily lead to the weakening of the political function of Chinese television.