TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s first global English streaming platform, TaiwanPlus, launched a TV channel in the country, accompanied by a 24/7 YouTube live stream of the channel’s content, on Monday (Oct. 3).
TaiwanPlus is currently under the management of Taiwan Public Television Service (PTS) and Taiwan Broadcasting System (TBS). It is seeking to provide public service through the TV channel, offering Taiwanese and international audiences a wide range of English news and programs centering on Taiwan’s history, culture, and stories.
To celebrate the inception of the TV channel, a channel launch ceremony was held in a PTS’ studio on Monday, during which the news anchors and upcoming programs were introduced. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), Minister of Culture Lee Yung-te (李永得), and senior members of the foreign diplomatic community, representing European Union, France, India, New Zealand, Singapore, United Kingdom and the United States, were all present to celebrate the milestone.
Tsai expressed her appreciation for Taiwan's progress in developing the nation's international presence and the importance of the country’s global engagement. "Since its founding last August, TaiwanPlus has raised Taiwan's international profile through its commitment to share Taiwan's perspective," Tsai said. "With more and more people around the world taking an interest in Taiwan, it is more important than ever that we have a platform to bring Taiwan to the international community."
The premier echoed the vital role of having “a channel for sharing Taiwan’s voice with the world."
Lee shared that the launch of the English TV channel by TaiwanPlus is a milestone that took the country 20 years to achieve. In his remarks, Lee expected to see the TaiwanPlus channel on TV screens in North America in the next six months. He also stressed the importance of grooming international media talent for Taiwan.
TBS Chairman Hu Yuan-hui (胡元輝) said that he was very pleased to see TaiwanPlus join the country’s public media, and he believes that public media is one of the best ways to interact with the world.
TaiwanPlus Acting CEO Michael Yu (余佳璋) announced that the platform’s TV channel will feature nine daily news segments, in-depth interviews on current affairs, programs focusing on the country’s local culture, and travel programs highlighting the nation’s landscapes and cuisine.
“Our program, ‘Happy Fisherman’ and ‘10 Fun Facts About The Golden Horse Awards,’ are nominated by the Asian Academy Creative Awards,” Yu said. “We are developing our audience base both at home and abroad, and continuing to bring Taiwan’s stories to the world.”
After two years of COVID restrictions, Taiwan recently announced plans to drop a longstanding quarantine requirement for arrivals and resumed visa-free entry for several countries. As visitors begin to explore Taiwan once again, TaiwanPlus will continue to act as a comprehensive English source for understanding the diverse nation's history, news, and local culture.
The full slate of programming is available at www.TaiwanPlus.com.