Kazakhstan’s project Silk Way Star premiered on China Central Television
The grand finale of the international vocal competition Silk Way Star was broadcast on the music channel, CCTV-15, on January 30. The channel that aired the Kazakh television project is part of the China Central Television (CCTV) network, Qazinform News Agency reports.
The broadcast of the Silk Way Star grand finale on China’s largest media holding marks a milestone for Kazakhstan’s television industry. Airing on a platform with a potential audience of over 1.1 billion people is a landmark event and an important step toward deepening humanitarian and cultural cooperation between the two nations.
Chinese viewers witnessed the culmination of the large-scale international project that brought together singers from 12 countries: Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Malaysia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and South Korea.
Silk Way Star is the first international vocal contest of its kind in Asia. The project has become a unique cultural platform, blending diverse musical traditions, languages, and performance styles. The contest showcased elite production standards, live sound, grand-scale staging, and state-of-the-art television broadcasting.
The project was implemented under a strategic agreement to develop an international co-production format between the TV and Radio Complex of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the China Media Group. All episodes were broadcast on Jibek Joly/Silk Way channels. The grand finale was aired live across several countries, including Azerbaijan, Georgia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia. The program was broadcast in six languages: Kazakh, English, Russian, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, and Turkish. The project’s total reach exceeded 1 billion people.
Raushan Kazhibayeva, Director of the TV and Radio Complex of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, noted that the Agreement on the 12-nation international music project was signed in June 2025 at the meeting between President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan and President Xi Jinping of China. The head of the media holding also expressed gratitude to the State Counselor of Kazakhstan, Erlan Karin, for conceiving the project’s original idea and for his trust.
Recall that on behalf of the President of Kazakhstan, the Order of Dostyk (Friendship), Second Degree, as well as Commendations from the Head of State were awarded to the participants and organizers of the Silk Way Star international competition.
Airing of the grand finale on CCTV-15 is a testament to the project's international prestige and its resonance beyond Kazakhstan’s borders. Far more than a mere television broadcast, it is a strategic cultural bridge, showcasing the global potential of Kazakh media content.
As Qazinform News Agency reported, Michelle Joseph was crowned the 2025 contest winner. It is noteworthy that China will host the next season of Silk Way Star, a symbolic move that continues the project's geographic expansion and strengthens international partnerships.