In a dazzling display of popularity, the 2026 Spring Festival Gala broke numerous records in domestic and international viewership. Accumulating 23.063 billion views across Chinese platforms by 8 AM February 17, it outpaced last year’s figures by 37.3%. The live TV share reached 79.29%, the pinnacle of the past 13 years.
An average 325 million viewers per minute watched or listened, with online concurrency topping 400 million. New media platforms led the charge, hitting 16.207 billion views—a robust 49% rise—through innovative streaming.
Digital engagement was off the charts: nearly 2,000 hot searches, 1,939 trending topics, and 27.12 billion online reads by afternoon. Overseas, CMG’s 85-language broadcasts delivered 2.309 billion global views and 843 million video views, surging 32.85% and 43.61%. This year’s Gala not only entertained but united billions in celebration, proving its timeless magnetic pull.