The Chinese national team once again failed to qualify for the World Cup. However, the tournament was very much present in the Chinese market. As the event kicked off, advertisements featuring stars like Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappé, and Haaland continuously aired on Chinese television and shopping mall billboards. Chinese companies engaged in a fierce marketing competition, and stories of fans staying up all night to watch the matches were common.
The final match between Spain and Argentina was broadcast simultaneously on CCTV1 and CCTV5, reflecting this enthusiasm. However, as the clock approached 6 a.m. during extra time, CCTV1 switched to regular news programming. In South Korea, it would be natural to delay news scheduling by a few minutes to accommodate the game. A notice appeared on the screen indicating that the match continued on CCTV5, meaning the game itself was not entirely lost.
The halftime show, however, was a different story. While global pop stars took the stage, Chinese broadcasts filled that time with advertisements and match commentary. Some explained that they did not secure the rights to air the performance, while others on Chinese social media offered different interpretations.
Such scenes are not uncommon in sports broadcasting. During the opening ceremony of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Chinese streaming platforms switched to other programs when the Taiwanese delegation entered. In the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony, commentary on LGBTQ-related scenes was abruptly halted on CCTV.
Similar patterns can be seen in films and dramas. In 'Minions: The Rise of Gru,' an explanation was added to the ending stating that the villain was captured and the protagonist returned home. In 'Friends,' some lines were deleted or translated with different meanings.
The common thread is reconstruction rather than outright censorship. China does not block all external content nor does it broadcast it in its original form. The overarching narrative is accepted, but what is shown and how it is conveyed is redefined according to internal Chinese standards.
Of course, localizing foreign content for domestic markets is not unique to China. However, in China, broadcasting regulations, industrial interests, cultural tolerances, and political sensitivities all play a role. This is why the same content can be consumed differently in China.
These alterations may seem minor. Yet, on that halftime show, while many viewers around the world watched BTS perform, Chinese viewers saw local advertisements instead. For some, BTS's performance became a memorable part of the World Cup final, while for others, it was a scene that did not exist at all. Even while watching the same match, the worlds that linger in each person's mind are different. Such small discrepancies accumulate over time.
When Chinese viewers react differently to the same event, we often think of differences in values or political leanings. However, during this World Cup, the images seen by Chinese viewers and those seen by us were not the same. Some scenes were omitted, some expressions altered, and some contexts were conveyed with different explanations.
As what is seen and what is not seen accumulates, the very starting point for understanding the world changes. While we believe we are watching the same thing, we are actually seeing different things.
- Choi Yeo-jin, CEO of MaxValue Capital, PhD candidate in International Communication at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
* This article has been translated by AI.
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