1.23 bln viewers watch China's 2020 Spring Festival gala

Huang Kunming, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, poses for a group photo when inspecting the rehearsal of China Central Television's annual Spring Festival TV gala in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 22, 2020. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

BEIJING, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- A total of 1.23 billion viewers from China and overseas watched a 2020 Spring Festival gala show staged and televised by the China Media Group (CMG) Friday evening, the CMG said Sunday.

The number was about 59 million more than that of last year, the CMG said.

In addition to being broadcast live on TV on the eve of the Lunar New Year, the event lasting four and half hours was also screened live online via various platforms and mobile apps.

Nearly 600 media outlets from over 170 countries and regions livestreamed the gala.