Mango TV

Mango TV

Industry	Streaming service, Digital video content
Founded	May 26, 2006 (2006-05-26) in Changsha, Hunan, China
Founder	Ruobo Zhang
Headquarters	Changsha , China
Area served	China
Key people	Ruobo Zhang (initial chairman and CEO)
Products	Films, TV series, music, cartoons, variety shows
Owner	Mango Excellent Media (overseen by Hunan Broadcasting System)
Parent	Mango Excellent Media

Mango TV (芒果TV, Mángguǒ TV; MGTV) is a Chinese streaming service operated by Mango Excellent Media, which is overseen by Hunan Broadcasting System. Founded on May 26, 2006, in Changsha, Hunan, it rebranded in 2008 as 'Mango TV (Internet TV, PC, Phone and Pad)'.

Focusing on digital video content, Mango TV features programming sourced from Hunan Broadcasting System and Hunan Satellite TV. Its headquarters are located in Golden Eagle Movie & TV Cultural City, Changsha. The platform offers a broad range of entertainment including films, TV series, music, cartoons, and other variety shows. In 2016, content from Hunan Satellite TV accounted for 38% of the total offerings on Mango TV.

History

Mango TV was launched on May 26, 2006, in Changsha, Hunan by Ruobo Zhang, who served as the initial chairman and CEO. On April 20, 2014, the websites of Mango TV and Golden Eagle merged into a unified platform that exclusively held rights to all content from Hunan Broadcasting System and Hunan Satellite TV, marketed under the "Mango Exclusive Broadcast" label. That October, the platform released its inaugural self-produced web drama titled Huayang Jianghu. During the 2014 New Year Countdown Night organized by Hunan Satellite TV, Mango TV introduced a five-screen live broadcast feature allowing viewers to switch between multiple camera angles.

In 2015, Mango TV transitioned its strategy from focusing on 'Exclusive Broadcast' to emphasizing 'Unique Content,' which led to an increase in its user base to 60 million. In October of the same year, it entered into a memorandum of understanding with BBC Worldwide aimed at exploring co-production opportunities for international markets.

On June 23, 2016, Mango TV completed a Series B funding round raising nearly 1.5 billion yuan. Although initial plans were made to pursue an IPO within that year, the company abandoned this path and instead was incorporated into Happigo Home Shopping Co. Ltd’s public listing alongside six other firms. Observers criticized this arrangement since Hunan Broadcasting System held more than half of the shares, limiting Mango TV's autonomy over operational decisions.

Censorship of tattoo and LGBTQ+ content during Eurovision 2018

In May 2018, during Ireland's performance at the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2018, Mango TV censored symbols associated with gay love such as a kiss and LGBT flags. Additionally, Albania's act was removed from broadcast due to a ban implemented in January 2018 prohibiting televised performers from displaying tattoos. As a consequence, the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes Eurovision, terminated its collaboration with Mango TV and barred the channel from airing the remainder of the contest as well as future editions.

Drama

The platform’s first self-produced drama was Huayang Jianghu, released in October 2014, set in ancient China and starring young idol actors. Later that year came Jinpai Hongniang, distinguished by its use of a consistent cast rather than rotating actors across episodes.

Network show

In 2015, Mango TV premiered Perfect Holiday, an interactive live network program featuring young participants cohabitating while employing multi-angle cameras to offer varied viewing experiences. Its 2016 follow-up expanded themed rooms and incorporated continuous IP camera streams to boost entertainment engagement.

That same year, Mango TV adapted NBC’s Million Second Quiz, hosted by Kevin Tsai, integrating novel online interactive Q&A elements.

In 2016, backed exclusively by sponsorship from JD.com, Mango TV produced Crime Scene, a program originating from Korea that combines suspenseful thriller aspects with comedic tones.