Chinese Top Gear Pulls In 200 Million-Plus Viewers

LONDON: The Chinese version of BBC’s Top Gear has been pulling in large audiences since debuting last month, with its first five episodes reaching a combined audience of 217 million across TV and online.

The Honybee Media-produced show, which launched on Shanghai Dragon TV on October 19, was the number one program in its time slot for the past four weeks across all cable and pay-TV channels nationwide, with an average weekly audience of 9 million. The fifth and latest episode attracted more than 11 million viewers. There are five more episodes left in the season’s run.

Honyee Media debuted the show’s first season in late 2014. BBC Worldwide distributes Top Gear to over 200 territories, and has licensed the format for local production in seven countries, including the U.S., China, South Korea, France and Italy.

Paul Dempsey, the president of global markets at BBC Worldwide, said: “The success of Top Gear in China once again demonstrates the unique appeal of the world’s favorite motoring entertainment show. It’s also testament to a successful collaboration between our own U.K. producers and their Chinese counterparts who have recreated a British institution for a whole new audience.”