AOL Time Warner's China Entertainment TV (CETV) has become the first foreign TV channel to be granted cable carriage rights in mainland China. According to the agreement with the People's Republic of China, CETV, a 24-hour Mandarin language information and entertainment channel, will be distributed to cable TV subscribers in the southern region of China from January 2002. As part of the agreement, CCTV-9, the English-language news and information channel of the China Central Television network (China's national broadcaster) will be carried on select Time Warner Cable systems - the first time a CCTV network will be carried on a 24-hour basis on any US cable system.

Gerald M Levin, CEO of AOL Time Warner, said the reciprocal nature of the agreement means that American audiences will gain a greater understanding of Chinese culture as well as an appreciation of the immense intellect, artistry and creativity of the Chinese people.

Following AOL Time Warner's acquisition of the channel in June 2000, CETV was re-launched in February 2001. Reaching 80 million households in Asia via AsiaSat 3S, the channel airs a combination of original Chinese CO-productions as well as specially selected programming derived from AOL Time Warner resources, a company release says.