CTi News
CTi News is a Taiwanese 24-hour news brand that moved from cable television to an online-first distribution model after losing its cable broadcast license in 2020.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
CTi News, also known as 中天新聞臺, is a Taiwanese news-media brand operated by Chung T'ien Television. It developed as a 24-hour news service serving Taiwan's cable-television market and later expanded its presence through digital streaming, its own application, and YouTube. Since 2015, the brand has also operated as an online streaming service, allowing it to maintain distribution beyond the traditional television channel format. The brand became particularly prominent in Taiwan's politically polarized media environment. It was widely associated with favorable coverage of Kuomintang politician Han Kuo-yu, whose rise to prominence and victory in the 2018 Kaohsiung mayoral election coincided with strong support from CTi News audiences and programming. Critics have described the outlet as China-friendly or pro-Beijing, while supporters and the Kuomintang have characterized criticism of the channel as politically motivated and connected to wider disputes about media pluralism and press freedom. CTi News's most important business and regulatory turning point came in November 2020, when Taiwan's National Communications Commission rejected the channel's application to renew its cable-broadcast license. The regulator cited repeated concerns about accuracy and compliance with broadcasting standards. The decision was historically significant because it was the first termination of a television news channel's license through this type of regulatory action since the commission was established in 2006. CTi News disputed the decision, arguing that it represented an attack on press freedom, while Reporters Without Borders said that the license decision itself did not amount to a violation of press freedom, despite acknowledging the effect on employees. The cable license expired at midnight on 12 December 2020, ending CTi News's carriage on Taiwan's cable channel 52. The brand did not disappear: it continued operating through its YouTube channel, its own application, and other online outlets. Its sister channels, including CTi International, CTi Entertainment, and CTi Variety, continued to operate on cable or satellite platforms under their respective distribution arrangements. In April 2021, CTS News and Info Channel took over channel 52 after receiving regulatory approval to move from cable channel 130. CTi News remains a politically consequential digital news outlet rather than a conventional nationwide cable news channel. Its online presence gives it continued reach, but its reputation is shaped by disputes over editorial alignment, political influence, information accuracy, Taiwan-China relations, and the boundaries of broadcast regulation. Reporting in 2023 also examined anti-American misinformation carried in several CTi News YouTube segments, while a reported 2026 criminal case involving a CTi News reporter brought additional scrutiny to the outlet's relationship with national-security reporting and alleged information leakage.
History
CTi News is the news-service brand of Chung T'ien Television, a Taiwanese broadcaster. Known in Chinese as 中天新聞臺, it operated as a 24-hour news outlet for Taiwan's cable audience and also developed digital distribution. The service has been available as an online streaming outlet since 2015, a development that later became especially important after its cable license was not renewed. The outlet gained a distinctive political profile during the late 2010s. Its programming was associated with favorable coverage of Han Kuo-yu, a Kuomintang politician whose successful 2018 campaign for mayor of Kaohsiung helped make him one of Taiwan's most prominent political figures. CTi News's relationship with Han's supporters contributed to its influence, but also intensified criticism that the channel favored the Kuomintang and promoted views sympathetic to Beijing. These disputes reflected broader arguments in Taiwan about media concentration, cross-Strait politics, editorial independence, and the role of political news channels. Regulatory scrutiny culminated in 2020. On 18 November, the National Communications Commission rejected CTi News's application to renew its cable broadcast license. The commission cited repeated violations of rules concerning accuracy in reporting. The case was notable because it represented the first instance since the NCC's creation in 2006 in which a television news channel's license was terminated through non-renewal. The decision was contested politically and legally in the public debate. CTi News and the Kuomintang described it as an attack on press freedom and argued that the process was influenced by the Democratic Progressive Party government. Reporters Without Borders took a different position, stating that the license cancellation did not itself constitute an infringement of press freedom, although the consequences for the channel's staff were unfortunate. The channel's cable license expired at 00:00 on 12 December 2020, ending its broadcasts on Taiwan's cable channel 52. This was a major change in distribution rather than a complete closure of the brand. CTi News retained its online stream, YouTube presence, and application. Its sister services CTi International, CTi Entertainment, and CTi Variety also continued under their own cable, satellite, or international distribution arrangements. On 19 April 2021, CTS News and Info Channel assumed the channel 52 position after Taiwan's regulator approved its transfer from channel 130. Following the loss of cable carriage, CTi News continued as an online-first outlet. Its digital model preserved a direct relationship with viewers but also placed greater attention on the content distributed through social-video platforms. In 2023, The Wire China reported that ten CTi News YouTube segments promoted anti-American misinformation involving an alleged plan to destroy Taiwan. The report said that themes from the segments were later repeated by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This episode added information-integrity concerns to the earlier political and regulatory debate. Reference material also reports a 2026 arrest of CTi News reporter Lin Chen-you in connection with an alleged scheme involving bribes to Taiwanese military personnel and the transfer of information to China. Because the case concerns allegations rather than an adjudicated finding, it should be described as a reported investigation and not as established misconduct by the brand as a whole. Overall, CTi News's history is defined by its transition from a cable news channel to a digital news service, its prominent political positioning, and continuing controversy over accuracy, foreign influence, and press freedom.
- 2023
Misinformation criticism concerning YouTube output
[1]A report by The Wire China examined ten CTi News YouTube segments that it characterized as anti-American misinformation.
- 2021
CTS assumes channel 52 position
[1]CTS News and Info Channel took over channel 52 after its approved transfer from channel 130.
- 2020
Cable license renewal rejected
[1]The National Communications Commission rejected CTi News's application to renew its cable broadcast license on 18 November.
- 2020
Cable broadcasting ends
[1]CTi News stopped broadcasting on cable channel 52 at midnight on 12 December after its license expired.
- 2018
Association with Han Kuo-yu's political rise
[1]CTi News became closely associated with coverage favorable to Kuomintang politician Han Kuo-yu during the period surrounding his victory in the Kaohsiung mayoral election.
- 2015
Online streaming operation established
[1]CTi News operated as an online streaming service alongside its television-news activities, providing a distribution route that later supported the brand after cable carriage ended.
Products and positioning
A Taiwanese 24-hour news brand with a strong political identity, historically distributed through cable television and now primarily reaching audiences through digital streaming, YouTube, and its own application.
Television news channel
CTi News cable television channel
CTi News historically operated as a Taiwanese 24-hour cable news channel. It was carried on channel 52 before the National Communications Commission rejected its license renewal in 2020. The service ended cable broadcasts when the license expired on 12 December 2020.
Digital news service · 2015
CTi News online streaming service
The online version of CTi News provides live and recorded news video through digital channels. It became the brand's principal distribution model after the loss of cable carriage and continues through the service's website, application, and social-video presence.
Online video channel
CTi News YouTube channel
CTi News uses YouTube to distribute livestreams, news reports, political commentary, and other video programming. The channel is an important part of the brand's post-cable audience strategy and has also been the subject of scrutiny over the accuracy and political framing of some segments.
Controversies
2026
Reported arrest of reporter in alleged China information-leak scheme
Reference material reports the arrest of CTi News reporter Lin Chen-you over alleged bribery of Taiwanese military personnel to obtain information for leakage to China. The matter is an allegation and should not be treated as a final judicial finding.
2023
Alleged anti-American misinformation in YouTube segments
The Wire China reported that ten CTi News YouTube segments contained anti-American misinformation about an alleged plan to destroy Taiwan. The report said that the claims were later echoed by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Brand decisions
2021
Continuation as a digital-first news brandStrategyBackground
The end of cable distribution removed CTi News from Taiwan's traditional channel 52 slot but did not end its underlying news operation.
Action taken
CTi News continued publishing and streaming through YouTube, its own application, and online services.
Aftermath
The brand remained active as an online news outlet while its sister channels continued on other television distribution platforms.
2020
NCC refuses cable-license renewalOtherBackground
The National Communications Commission reviewed CTi News's renewal application amid criticism of the channel's reporting accuracy and wider political debate over its editorial orientation.
Action taken
The regulator rejected the application on 18 November 2020, preventing continued cable distribution after the existing license expired.
Aftermath
CTi News left cable channel 52 on 12 December 2020 and continued as an online service through YouTube, its application, and other digital outlets.
- CTS News and Info Channel — CTS News and Info Channel later moved from cable channel 130 to channel 52, assuming the position previously occupied by CTi News.
Sources1 sources
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