Communities

Chinese and Hong Kong TV in the UK

The UK's Chinese community spans three generations: Hong Kong families who opened restaurants from the 1950s, students and professionals from mainland China, and more than 120,000 people born in Hong Kong. The largest Chinese communities are in Manchester, Birmingham, Tower Hamlets and Barnet, and Sutton and Kingston upon Thames are among the places Hong Kong families have moved to since the British National (Overseas) visa opened in 2021.

Updated 6 October 2026 · By the IPTV UK editorial desk

How do Chinese and Hong Kong families in the UK watch TV?

Hong Kong families tend to want TVB in Cantonese; mainland families follow CCTV and the provincial channels in Mandarin. Hong Kong is 7 hours ahead in summer and 8 in winter.

What does the census say?

Measure	People
Born in China and Hong Kong Census 2021 TS012, China + Hong Kong	303,805
Main language: Cantonese, Mandarin, Chinese (other) Census 2021 TS024, people aged 3 and over	204,646
Ethnic group: Chinese Census 2021 TS021	445,619

Where does the community live?

The council areas in England and Wales with the most people counted by the ethnic-group figure, out of 318:

Manchester12,6442.3% of residents
Birmingham12,4871.1% of residents
Tower Hamlets10,2793.3% of residents
Barnet9,4342.4% of residents
Liverpool8,8411.8% of residents
Southwark8,4052.7% of residents
Leeds8,1171% of residents
Sheffield7,3931.3% of residents

Our town pages with a large Chinese and Hong Kong community: Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield, Bristol, Cardiff, Newcastle upon Tyne, Southampton, Reading.

Which channels do people ask for?

TVB Jade
ViuTV
CCTV-1
CCTV-4
Hunan TV
Jiangsu TV
Phoenix

This is what people from the community ask us about, not a promise that every channel is in the line-up today. We confirm specific channels in writing before you buy.

Ask us to confirm these channels

What are the legal ways to watch from the UK?

TVB Anywhere+TVB's own international streaming service, sold in the UK.
CCTV-4China Central Television's international Mandarin channel streams online.
BBC News ChineseThe BBC's Chinese service publishes news online.

Availability and prices change; check the provider's own site before you subscribe.

Sport and kick-off times

Table tennis, badminton and snooker.

Time in Hong Kong and China now—

UK time now—

Hong Kong and China is 7 hours ahead of the UK in the British summer and 8 hours ahead of the UK in winter. Busiest viewing: Lunar New Year and the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Try it before you pay

The free 24-hour trial gives the full line-up, including the channel groups for Cantonese and Mandarin. If it suits your family, plans start at £6.25 a month.

More communities

Other community pages

Readers also ask

How many Chinese and Hong Kong families live in England and Wales?

Census 2021 counted 303,805 (born in China and Hong Kong); 204,646 (main language: Cantonese, Mandarin, Chinese (other)); 445,619 (ethnic group: Chinese). Scotland and Northern Ireland run separate censuses.

Can I watch TVB Jade in the UK?

Ask us before you buy and we confirm in writing whether it is in the current line-up, or check it during the free 24-hour trial. Legal routes from the UK include TVB Anywhere+, CCTV-4, BBC News Chinese.

What time are Hong Kong and China programmes in the UK?

Hong Kong and China is 7 hours ahead of the UK in the British summer and 8 hours ahead of the UK in winter. So a 9pm programme at home airs at 14:00 UK time in summer.

Sources

Census 2021, TS012 Country of birth (detailed) checked 6 October 2026
Census 2021, TS024 Main language (detailed) checked 6 October 2026
Census 2021, TS021 Ethnic group checked 6 October 2026

Try before you pay

Watch it on your own telly for 24 hours. Free.

Send a message and we reply with your log-in, usually within minutes. If you buy afterwards, plans start at £6.25 a month, and the first 14 days are covered by a full refund.

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