Hunan TV kicks off further reform

The name of the new company is borrowed from a popular nickname Chinese netizens use to mock the channel’s mango-like golden yellow logo.

“The new company sets off the third round of reform and restructuring at Hunan TV,” said Ouyang Changlin, chairman of the board at Mango Media and president of Hunan Radio and Television Station.

Television is a strictly regulated sector in China, with all TV stations owned by either central or local governments. Hunan Satellite TV, headquartered in South China’s Hunan Province, started a brazen market-oriented reform a decade ago.

Since then it has grown from a provincial channel into a national favourite. It is well known for its extensive coverage of entertainment news, and trend-setting, hugely influential shows like Super Girls and Happy Boys, two American Idol-like talent shows.