China Media Group (CMG)'s 2026 Spring Festival Gala drew a broad audience across China and attracted viewers overseas, with families gathering at home, audiences tuning in from airplanes and night markets, and international broadcasters airing the program live.

The annual gala was broadcast on Chinese New Year's Eve on Monday, a night traditionally marked by family reunions across China.

Official figures showed total cross-platform domestic viewership reached 23.063 billion by 8:00 Tuesday, up 37.3 percent year on year. The television broadcast achieved a 79.29 percent audience share, the highest since 2014, while overseas platforms recorded 2.44 billion views, a 34.07 percent increase from a year earlier.

The gala, themed "Galloping Steed, Onward Unstoppable," blended traditional culture with modern technology. Performances ranged from song and dance, traditional opera, to comedy, magic and cross-genre productions inspired by the vitality associated with the zodiac horse.

Across China, viewers described the program as a highlight of the holiday.

"This year, 18 of us from four generations gathered at home to watch the Spring Festival Gala. It was incredibly lively, with the screen filled with joy and festive spirit. It felt like a rich cultural feast served up for families like ours. We're full of confidence for the Year of the Horse and hope everyone's lives will be prosperous and full of energy," said Wu Dan, a resident of Xining in northwest China's Qinghai Province.

In Hohhot in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Zhang Na praised a performance by local singers featuring imagery of galloping horses.

"The gala was wonderful. The galloping horses carried the deep affection of the grasslands and our hopes for a beautiful and prosperous country. May that spirit of galloping forward stay with each of us, and may our nation continue to move ahead with strength and determination on its path of development," Zhang said.

The show also combined elements of intangible cultural heritage, traditional Chinese aesthetics and advanced technology. Embodied humanoid robots once again took the stage, highlighting advances in Chinese manufacturing alongside classical artistic motifs.

In south China's Hainan Province, where warm weather drew crowds to night markets, tourists gathered around large outdoor screens to watch the broadcast.

"The performances reflected the rhythm of the four seasons and the idea that flowers bloom in their own time. They connected flowers with integrity and personal character. They were not only visually beautiful, but also brought ancient poetry and traditional aesthetics vividly to life," said Liang Shuang, a tourist from northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

Some watched from seaside night markets, while others followed the broadcast aboard flights.

"Being up in the air yet feeling connected to the ground, I experienced the festive spirit shaped by China's technological progress. As a Chinese person, I feel incredibly proud. The country's advances in science and technology are truly inspiring," said Li Wenfeng, who was watching the program aboard Sichuan Airlines flight 3U6879.

An accessible version of the gala was broadcast simultaneously for the first time on CCTV-15, CMG's music channel, allowing visually and hearing-impaired audiences to follow the program.

"This year's accessible Spring Festival Gala was excellent. It was the first time I felt that music could reach the heart in such a direct way," said Cheng Ping, a resident of Xi'an in northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

The program also featured winners of the WorldSkills Competition from China and a farmers' choir from Dazhanchang Town in Zhongwei City, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, who performed alongside Chinese pop duo Phoenix Legend in a song celebrating harvest and rural life.

"The farmers' choir sang with strength and clarity -- they were singing what's truly in our hearts. Our lives today are not only thriving on stage, but flourishing in real life as well," said Ma Yaoxiong, a villager in Zhongning County in Ningxia.

"I feel deeply moved and sincerely proud of the preservation and promotion of our ethnic culture," said Shi Yan, a resident of Kaili in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Guizhou Province, after watching performances showcasing her ethnic traditions.

International audiences also followed the broadcast.

In Cape Town, South Africa, the gala was screened live at a cinema in the Century City shopping center on New Year's Eve, bringing the atmosphere of China's holiday reunion thousands of miles away.

"I'm just blown away by and I'm trying to imagine like the amount of preparation and planning that had to go into organizing such a beautiful, large co-production," said Den-Mari Jacobs, a local student.

In Colombia, the Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies joined seven regional public television channels to broadcast the gala live for the first time on regional public networks. Nearly 20 officials and media executives gathered in Bogota to watch the special program carried by CGTN Spanish.

"Today, Channel 13 broadcast more than five hours of live coverage, starting at five in the morning and continuing until 11:30, presenting some of the most remarkable elements of Chinese culture to the public. We know that the Spring Festival, recognized as part of humanity's intangible cultural heritage, is a source of great pride for the Chinese people. As Colombians, we also believe it is important to learn about and understand the cultures of other countries. The entire broadcast was energetic and engaging, and what drew the greatest attention from both our production team and viewers was the technology on display -- including robot performances, the high-tech stage design and the use of cutting-edge innovations," said Alejandro Linares, head of Channel 13 in Colombia.

The gala was also broadcast on more than 4,000 public screens across 140 cities in 98 countries and through overseas cinema networks. Leveraging multilingual platforms covering 85 languages, CMG coordinated with more than 3,500 media outlets worldwide for live coverage and reporting.

The Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year, is the most important traditional holiday in China. Watching the Spring Festival Gala, or "Chunwan," remains a longstanding New Year's Eve tradition for hundreds of millions of families.

First broadcast in 1983, the gala has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's most-watched annual television program.

The Spring Festival itself was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2024.

The 2026 Spring Festival falls on Tuesday this year, ushering in the Year of the Horse.