Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua on 16 December 07

Shanghai will launch an international channel on 1 January next year [2008], as part of an effort to become an international and cultural metropolis.

The International Channel Shanghai (ICS) is expected to serve as a window to showcase the economic and cultural development of Shanghai and also provide audience with entertainment and information, said Li Ruigang, president of Shanghai Media Group (SMG).

The ICS programmes, covering news, information, fashion, entertainment, foreign TV shows and movies, will be aired in English and Japanese, with Chinese captions, for 19 hours a day.

About 4.4 million Internet subscribers in the city can also watch the programmes on their computers through IPTV (Internet Protocol Television).

The new channel will also focus on the 2010 World Expo by launching a weekly programme, “EXPO Connection”, in an effort to keep locals and foreigners informed of the preparatory progress.

Shanghai TV is the first in China to provide English programmes. “News At Ten” and “Shanghai Noon”, which started broadcasting in 1986, were the first English language news programmes in the country.

(Source: Xinhua news agency, Beijing, in English 0133 gmt 16 Dec 07 via BBC Monitoring)

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