A still from game show Surprise Gift Photo: Courtesy of Zhu Meiling

What tends to come to mind when you are asked to name some of the most popular unscripted TV shows being broadcast on the Chinese mainland today? Most people would probably say, Where Are We Going, Dad?, Go Fighting! or The Voice of China.

During the 1980s, State-run China Central Television (CCTV) was the home of the country's most popular unscripted programming: variety shows. However, the current trend has seen unscripted TV move toward reality shows, the most popular of which are all on local TV stations.

Of course, CCTV isn't prepared to give up its dominant position, especially when it has so many natural advantages when it comes to budget, resources and wide-reaching audience base.

A recent post on the official website for the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television explores how CCTV is learning from the reality TV shown on local TV stations. It points out how an increased emphasis on creative seasonal programs and focus on social media are two of four strategies CCTV has adopted from local stations.

TV evolution 

Hong Kong and Taiwan are the earliest regions in China to develop variety shows. Enjoy Yourself Tonight, which started in 1967 on Hong Kong's TVB, features short comedy sketches and other performances, while variety shows in Taiwan mainly focused on singing and dancing.

The first Spring Festival Gala that aired in 1983 on CCTV is regarded by many as the mainland's first variety show. From that year on, watching the annual gala with the whole family on Chinese New Year's Eve has become a nationwide tradition, although the program has been losing traction in recent years. 

Others regard Super Variety Show, which premiered on CCTV in 1990, as the first variety show in the mainland. Like the gala, it focused on performances ranging from short comedic sketches to full on musical performances.

However, less than a decade later, the unscripted TV landscape began to change. Quickly following in the footsteps of Hunan TV's 1997 show Happy Camp and 1998's Meigui Zhiyue (The Date of the Rose), programs that shifted focus onto playing games and in the latter's case featured regular people, CCTV came up with game show Lucky 52 in December of 1998. Happy Dictionary in 2000 was another popular CCTV game show.

For nearly a decade game shows were all the rage, but after Hunan TV's singing competition Super Girls hit in 2004, local stations once again began to lead a shift in the market.

Chasing trends 

One of the major changes that came along with this shift, for both CCTV and local TV stations, was an increasing trend toward getting home audiences more involved in these programs in real time. Singing and other competition shows began encouraging home views to call in and vote for their favorite competitor, while this year's CCTV Spring Festival Gala used social media apps to award prizes to viewers who shook their smartphones at certain times. Similar social media interaction is now being used by a number of shows such as Dragon TV's Ladies' New Attire and CCTV's Surprise Gift.

"Many audiences feel CCTV's programs are too mainstream. Young people especially find programs are too traditional," Chen Jianguo, president of media company WHOSWHO, told the Global Times. Over the decades, the company has co-produced a number of popular unscripted TV shows for CCTV, such as Xingguang Dadao (Starlight Avenue), Happy Dictionary and the recent Surprise Gift. 

Chen explained that as a State-run TV station, CCTV has a responsibility to spread positive messages.

"But that doesn't mean CCTV should just shout propaganda," Chen added. "We need to learn how local TV stations make their programs so well."

Chen's words echo CCTV's current strategy. Looking at the list of programs CCTV is preparing this year, we see reality show Qianchui Bailian (Hardened Training), which asks stars to take over the jobs of everyday people, and Hi! Animal!, which involves stars sharing stories involving their experiences with animals. In many ways both shows are very similar to other popular shows from local broadcasters.