Shanghai SMG launches new TV channel

Shanghai residents welcomed the New Year with the launch of the first international television channel - the International Channel of Shanghai, or ICS.

The landmark event also marks the 50th year of Shanghai's television industry.

The Shanghai Media Group (SMG), which runs the channel, celebrated the occasion with a grand launch party at Mundo Latino, a restaurant near the Bund.

Among those present were hundreds of distinguished guests and celebrities who not only celebrated the birth of a new television channel but also cheered the arrival of the New Year at the party.

Paolo Sabbatini, director of the culture at the Italian Consulate in Shanghai, and Carsten Boyer Thogersen of the Danish Consulate in Shanghai presented gifts to ICS bigwigs.

Sun Wei, the general supervisor of the ICS, thanked those in attendance and promised exciting time on air.

Officials from the city government and SMG pressed the "ON" button together that lit up a neon light with the display - ICS - on the Oriental Pearl Tower that effectively came to symbolize the launch of the new TV channel.

According to the ICS, its programs will cater to both foreigners living in Shanghai as well as those learning English and will include news, features, entertainment, documentary while providing useful information about expat life in the city.

Among the highlights of the channel will be international movies in its original format and TV shows like "Project Runway" and "the Amazing Race."