Dragon Television

Dragon Television, also known as Dragon TV, is a Shanghai-based provincial satellite television channel operated by Shanghai Media Group (SMG). Its Chinese name, 东方卫视, is commonly rendered in English as Eastern Satellite Television or Eastern TV. The channel developed from Shanghai Television, which began satellite-oriented operations in 1998, and adopted the Dragon Television name on October 23, 2003. Its identity is associated with a tomato-shaped logo, which has led to the informal nickname “Tomato Channel.” The station is positioned as a broad national television service rather than a narrowly local broadcaster. Its signal reaches most of mainland China and is also available internationally, giving the Shanghai-based channel a wider footprint than a conventional municipal station. Programming combines news, current-affairs coverage, entertainment, cultural programming and other general-interest television formats. The channel’s Shanghai origin and its affiliation with SMG connect it to one of China’s major media groups, while satellite distribution allows it to address viewers across the country. News is a significant part of Dragon Television’s output. The channel’s news programming is produced through SMG’s television news production center. Reference material describes the center as having approximately 500 professional staff working daily across seven sections and producing around five hours of Dragon Television news content. It also describes the facility as one of Asia’s largest open-press studios and as a major television news production and broadcasting organization. Named news programs include Morning, also known as 看东方; Dragon TV News Midday, or 午间30分; Primetime News, or 东方新闻; and Tonight, or 今晚. A major technical milestone occurred on September 28, 2009, when Dragon Television began using standard high-definition broadcasting. The move marked an upgrade in the channel’s transmission and production capabilities and supported its role as a national satellite broadcaster. The station’s identity has since combined a recognizable visual brand, a Shanghai media-group heritage and a schedule that balances news with entertainment and other general programming. Dragon Television is best understood as a broadcast-station brand rather than as an independent public company. It does not have a separately identified stock ticker or independently reported corporate ownership in the supplied reference material. Its operating relationship with Shanghai Media Group is central to its organizational identity. Although the channel has international signal availability, the available material does not establish a separate overseas corporate network, independently managed international subsidiaries or a distinct global consumer business. Its principal role remains the distribution of Chinese-language television programming from Shanghai to viewers in mainland China and abroad.

Dragon Television is a Shanghai television channel whose institutional history is tied to the development of Shanghai’s satellite broadcasting. It launched in October 1998 as Shanghai Television. The channel later adopted the name Dragon Television on October 23, 2003, creating a distinct brand for its satellite service and differentiating it from a purely municipal television identity. Its Chinese name, 东方卫视, conveys the idea of an eastern or Oriental satellite television service. The channel operates within Shanghai Media Group, a major Chinese media organization. This affiliation gives Dragon Television access to SMG’s production capabilities and places its news output within the group’s television news structure. The available reference material identifies the SMG television news production center as the organization responsible for Dragon Television’s news programs. It describes a daily professional workforce of about 500 people distributed across seven sections, producing roughly five hours of news programming. The same material characterizes the center as one of Asia’s largest open-press studios and a major news-production and broadcasting organization. News has therefore been an important part of the channel’s development and public identity. Dragon Television’s named news programs include Morning, Dragon TV News Midday, Primetime News and Tonight. These programs provide different time-of-day windows for news and current affairs, supporting a schedule that extends from morning through late evening. Alongside news, the station operates as a general-interest broadcaster, carrying entertainment and other television formats associated with a large satellite network. Dragon Television’s distribution model extends beyond Shanghai. Its signal covers most of mainland China and is also available internationally. This national and overseas reach has allowed the channel to function as a prominent outlet for Shanghai-produced programming while addressing a broader Chinese-speaking and international audience. The station’s visual identity is associated with a tomato-shaped logo, leading to the informal nickname Tomato Channel. On September 28, 2009, Dragon Television began using standard high-definition broadcasting. The change was a significant technical milestone because it upgraded the channel’s broadcast presentation and aligned its transmission capabilities with the development of higher-definition television. The available sources do not provide a complete chronology of subsequent management changes, programming launches, ownership transactions or financial performance. They do, however, establish Dragon Television as an active Shanghai Media Group channel with a nationwide satellite footprint, a substantial news-production operation and a schedule spanning news, current affairs and general television programming.

• 2009

  Standard high-definition broadcasting begins

  [1]Dragon Televisionen.wikipedia.org

  Dragon Television began standard high-definition broadcasting on September 28, 2009.

• 2003

  Renamed Dragon Television

  [1]Dragon Televisionen.wikipedia.org

  On October 23, 2003, the channel changed its name from Shanghai Television to Dragon Television.

• 1998

  Launch as Shanghai Television

  [1]Dragon Televisionen.wikipedia.org

  The channel launched in October 1998 under the name Shanghai Television, establishing the service that would later become Dragon Television.

A nationally distributed Shanghai satellite television channel combining news, current affairs and general entertainment under the Shanghai Media Group umbrella.

• Satellite television channel · 1998

  Dragon Television general programming service

  Dragon Television is a general-interest provincial satellite channel operated from Shanghai. Its schedule serves viewers across mainland China and international audiences, combining news, current affairs, entertainment and other television formats. The channel’s broad distribution and Shanghai Media Group affiliation give it a role as both a local-origin media outlet and a nationally distributed television brand.

• Television news

  Dragon Television news programming

  The channel’s news output is produced through Shanghai Media Group’s television news production center. Named programs include Morning, Dragon TV News Midday, Primetime News and Tonight. Together, these programs provide recurring news coverage across the day and form a central part of Dragon Television’s schedule and public profile.

• High-definition television broadcasting · 2009

  Dragon Television high-definition service

  Dragon Television introduced standard high-definition broadcasting on September 28, 2009. The upgrade modernized the channel’s transmission presentation and marked a technical stage in the development of its satellite television service.

• 2009

  Transition to standard high-definition broadcastingGeneration change

  Background

  The channel was expanding as a satellite broadcaster serving viewers across mainland China and internationally, creating a need for more advanced broadcast presentation.

  Action taken

  Dragon Television began using standard high-definition broadcasting on September 28, 2009.

  Aftermath

  The change represented a technical enhancement to the channel’s broadcast service. The supplied references do not provide audience or financial results.

  Source

• 2003

  Adoption of the Dragon Television brandStrategy

  Background

  The channel had operated since 1998 under the Shanghai Television name. A distinct satellite-channel identity was needed as the service developed a broader distribution footprint.

  Action taken

  The broadcaster renamed the channel Dragon Television on October 23, 2003.

  Aftermath

  The new name became the channel’s established public identity and is associated with its Shanghai origin and national satellite coverage.

  Source

1. 1Dragon Televisionen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Dragon Television official websitedragontv.cn