China's CCTV launches global 'soft power' media network to extend influence

A view shows the China Central Television (CCTV) building and the Central Business District (CBD) area on a sunny day on December 2, 2015, after a fresh cold front cleared the smog that was blanketing Beijing, China. REUTERS/Stringer

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China Central Television (CCTV), Beijing's largest and most important TV network, said it will launch a new global media platform at the stroke of New Year's Day to help re-brand China overseas.

The new multilingual media cluster will have six TV channels, a video newsletter agency and a new media agency and will see the original CCTV News channel renamed as China Global Television Network, the network said on its website on Friday night.