The latest data from China's television broadcasting authority reveals a strong performance for the small screen in May. According to the China Audio-Visual Big Data (CVB) service, new programs broadcast on national satellite channels in May 2026 accumulated a total viewing time of 6.26 billion hours, marking a month-on-month increase of 3.6%.
The Protagonist emerged as a standout hit, with its ratings powerfully surpassing the 4% mark. Several series concluding their runs, including Kashgar Love Song, Honey Language Chronicle, and Low IQ Crime, each attracted over 100 million viewers. Additionally, multiple new police-themed dramas launched during the month received positive audience reception.
Key Performers in May's Ratings
The Shaanxi culture-themed major production, The Protagonist, which premiered on CCTV-1 on May 10th and was subsequently broadcast on Beijing TV and Shanghai Dragon TV, has already aired 37 episodes. It has garnered a total of 1.08 billion viewership person-times, with an average episode rating of 4.186% and a peak rating of 4.615%. Its audience loyalty rate stands at 68.041%. These figures secured it the top spot for ratings among prime-time TV dramas in May. The series has set a new record for the highest CVB drama rating since 2026 and also achieved the highest popularity record for a period drama on Tencent Video. It currently ranks as the second-highest-rated TV drama in CVB's records since 2018. Following its broadcast on Beijing TV and Shanghai Dragon TV starting May 24th, it ranked fourth and first, respectively, in local satellite TV prime-time drama ratings for the same period, establishing itself as a hit across all broadcasting channels.
The contemporary drama Kashhar Love Song (CCTV-1) attracted 170 million viewers across its concise 8-episode run, achieving an average episode rating of 2.719%, placing it second in May's prime-time drama ratings.
The urban romance series Love Has No Myth (CCTV-8) concluded on May 16th, accumulating 320 million total viewers with an average episode rating of 1.021%. It was succeeded by the historical legend drama Family Legacy (CCTV-8), which, over 30 aired episodes, has drawn 280 million viewers with an average rating of 1.151%, ranking third for May's prime-time dramas and first on iQiyi's drama popularity chart.
The historical legend drama The Bells in the Rain, which premiered on CCTV-8 this month with a follow-up broadcast on Zhejiang Satellite TV, has amassed a combined 220 million viewers across both channels and ranks first on Youku's drama heat chart.
The urban romance Honey Language Chronicle (Shanghai Dragon TV) ended its run on May 5th, totaling 180 million viewers. In the Shanghai local market, it achieved an average episode rating of 7.039% with a 20.656% audience share, ranking first nationally among local satellite TV prime-time dramas for May.
The contemporary crime drama Low IQ Crime aired on Shanghai Dragon TV and Jiangsu TV from May 6th to 20th, accumulating 120 million total viewers. Its average local episode ratings on the two channels were 5.216% and 0.456% respectively, and it ranked second on iQiyi's drama popularity chart.
The costume drama Liang Chen Meijin (Hunan TV) broadcast from May 3rd to 26th, gathering 110 million total viewers. In the Hunan local market, it maintained an average episode rating of 1.746%, ranked fourth on Mango TV's drama hot search chart, and generated over 400 million topic reads on Weibo.
New Police Dramas Gain Traction
Several new contemporary police-themed dramas launched in May met with favorable audience response. Double Shadow (Shanghai Dragon TV), Eliminate Evil (Beijing TV), and Within 800 Meters (Jiangsu TV) achieved average local episode ratings of 5.253%, 4.554%, and 0.514% respectively. Among these, Double Shadow ranked third nationally for local satellite TV prime-time drama ratings in May.
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