Regulators have given permission for Shanghai Interactive Television... Ltd. to provide digital pay TV, although it hasn't received a license, said Julia Lee, a spokeswoman for Shanghai Media Group.

The company expects to receive a license "very soon" to operate an integrated platform to broadcast and distribute pay TV through digital cable, Lee said.

Shanghai iTV will probably roll out the new digital service in two to three months, Lee said.

The announcement comes amid a rapid expansion in China's television industry that has seen the introduction of new channels by CCTV and provincial and foreign broadcasters.

Shanghai Media Group is one of China's biggest broadcasters, with radio stations and terrestrial, cable and satellite television channels.

-Nampa-AP

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