HAIKOU, April 8 (Xinhuanet) -- The number of Web TV users in China has soared from 10,000 in 2000 to about 2 million, according to the National Webcast Conference 2005 held by the State Administration of Radio Film and Television (SARFT).

    According to the statistics from SARFT's Science and Technology Committee, the audio and video webcast is developing fast this year.

    The committee also pointed out that there were an estimated 100 million Internet users in China by the end of 2004, among which 30 million are broadband users.

    As the technology of stream media and broadband rapidly develops in China, the technology of commercial operation of the audio and video webcast has taken shape, the committee said.

    Driven by demand, many media outlets in China have established their own web site and opened audio and video webcast.

    Since Shanghai Media Group (SMG) began to broadcast web TV in September 2003. In June 2004, China Central Television (CCTV) launched China Central Web TV. A month later, Xinhua News Agency's Xinhua Web TV went into operation.

    The annual National Webcast Conference is the fifth one of its kind. It aims to accelerate the application of Internet technology and stream media, as well as the combination of radio, television and web media. Enditem