Stop using English phrases, govt tells Chinese TV stations

BEIJING - TV viewers may no longer be able to hear English abbreviations, like "NBA" (National Basketball Association), from mainland broadcasters.

China Central Television (CCTV) and Beijing Television (BTV) confirmed to China Daily on Tuesday that they had received a notice from a related government department, asking them to avoid using certain English abbreviations in Chinese programs.

The channels, however, did not reveal exactly how many English abbreviations are listed in the notice.