Danxiang Cai, Director of Overseas Business, China Radio, Film & Television Programs Exchanging Center (CITVC), announced that the first Chinese COVID-19-focused TV drama Heroes in Harm’s Way aired on Sky TV channel 192 in the UK, making its debut on 28 September.

Produced by China Media Group, the parent company of CITVC, Heroes in Harm’s Way drew a huge domestic public response* since its Primetime premiere on China Central Television 1 (CCTV-1). Within one week after its first release on 17 September, CITVC launched the English version of the TV drama, now to air on Sky. The TV drama has received wide response and public attention since it was broadcast domestically. According to statistics from Maoyan Pro and DataWin Film and Television, this TV drama has risen to be the top trending TV drama in China, surpassing all other current TV and online dramas.

To date, Heroes in Harm’s Way has been launched on a number of new media platforms, such as YouTube, Facebook, OnDemandChina & iTalkBB (North America), and TV2Z (Netherlands). It is then set for release in Italy, Argentina, El Salvador, South Africa, Russia, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, and more countries. In addition to the English version, Heroes in Harm’s Way is also available in multiple languages including Serbian, Russian, Japanese, Cambodian, Nepali, Indonesian, etc.

“Heroes in Harm’s Way features ordinary people who help fight COVID-19 during the outbreak in China, telling the extraordinary stories of people sacrificing themselves for the greater good in the face of an epidemic crisis. The domestic release received a very warm welcome and attracted the attention of a variety of audiences, getting a majority of optimistic feedback,” said CITVC’s Danxiang Cai, Director of Overseas Business, China Radio, Film & Television Programs Exchanging Center.

* As of September 27, the viewing number of relevant Weibo topics of the TV series exceeds 8.0 billion, hitting Weibo’s trending list 17 times, while the hashtag #HeroesInHarmsWay was viewed by 2.9 billion Weibo users. On Douyin (TikTok), the TV drama stays on the trending list for three consecutive days topping the list. A single relevant video clip on Douyin generates viewings as high as 15 million, with the number of Likes as many as 480,000, making Heroes in Harm’s Way the most discussed CCTV TV series on social media in recent years.