In a major pan-African broadcasting initiative, StarTimes will premiere a special ‘New Year Animation Theatre’ featuring Beijing-themed content for children and families across the continent.
The event, titled “Beijing Animations Celebrate the New Year with You”, is scheduled to run daily from December 25, 2025, to April 2026 on the StarTimes Kids (ST Kids) and ST Kids Plus channels.
A statement issued by Clare Wang, African Language Channel director, described the festival as a cultural bridge, showcasing China’s capital city through animation.
“Through the universal language of animation, we hope African audiences can feel the cultural pulse of Beijing, a city where ancient heritage blends with modernity,” Wang stated.
The programming lineup includes 10 animated series, selected to reflect Chinese landscapes and culture. Titles range from Jing Ju Cat, which incorporates Peking Opera, to new adaptations of classic tales like The Legend of Nezha and My Little Monkey King. The series Big Head Son and Small Head Father offers family comedy, while Juvenile Astronaut focuses on space exploration.
To ensure wide accessibility, all content will be dubbed into four major languages: English, French, Portuguese, and Swahili.
The initiative represents a significant collaboration with local African broadcasters. In Kenya, partners include KTN, Kass TV, and KBC. In Uganda, broadcasts will air on UBC and NTV, while it was broadcast on mainstream media in Nigeria.Tanzanian viewers can watch on Channel 10 Plus.
The event will also be streamed live on the StarTimes ON mobile app, which has over 45 million users.
StarTimes has strategically timed the broadcast period to span the Christmas, New Year, and Lunar New Year holidays, aiming to create a continuous “Animated Holiday Season.”
“We believe these works can become a bridge connecting the hearts of Chinese and African children,we hope the younger generation in Africa can gain an understanding of a China that blends tradition with modernity through these stories,” Wang added.
Families across Africa are invited to tune in to the StarTimes Kids channels for what the broadcaster promises will be a “heartwarming audio-visual journey” to welcome the New Year.
