Phoenix Television

Phoenix Television is a majority state-owned television network that operates Mandarin and Cantonese-language channels serving mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and other regions with significant Chinese-speaking audiences. It is headquartered in Shenzhen and Hong Kong and is also registered in the Cayman Islands. The network was founded by Liu Changle (劉長樂), who previously was an officer and political instructor in the People's Liberation Army with the 40th Group Army. Following the Cultural Revolution, Liu worked as a journalist for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-controlled China National Radio and maintained close ties with the CCP leadership. He is also a standing member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Phoenix Television identifies itself as a Hong Kong media organisation, but it holds a non-domestic television programme services licence in Hong Kong. The majority of its customers and non-current assets are located in mainland China. Its largest shareholder is Bauhinia Culture, a company wholly owned by the Chinese government. Freedom House characterises Phoenix Television as pro-Beijing, while Stephen McDonell of BBC News noted that it is "sometimes more liberal than its mainland counterparts". The company's head offices are located in Shenzhen, Guangdong, and Tai Po, Hong Kong, with correspondent offices in Beijing and Shanghai. The Shenzhen office produces about half of its television output.