After a year of viral robot demonstrations, China’s humanoid-robot makers are now paying tens of millions of yuan for prime time slots on the Spring Festival Gala, betting the exposure will translate into funding and policy support.

Since late January, four of China’s top robotics companies — Unitree Robotics, Noetix Robotics, MagicLab and Galbot — have confirmed they will appear at this Spring Festival Gala, or chunwan, which airs Feb. 16. 

First broadcast in 1983, the over four-hour variety show features music, dance, opera, martial arts and comedy and draws more than a billion viewers each year. This year, stage-performance slots for humanoid robots range between 60 million yuan ($8.3 million) and 100 million yuan, while product placement can cost from 17 million to 44 million yuan, domestic media reported. 

According to the Spring Festival Gala program lineup, Noetix Robotics will appear in a sketch comedy, Unitree Robotics will perform martial arts alongside human performers, MagicLab will take part in a song themed around intelligent manufacturing, and Galbot will feature in a New Year microfilm.

The highest-profile participant is Hangzhou-based Unitree Robotics, which appeared at last year’s gala with a humanoid-robot Yangko dance performance. Domestic media later reported that the company saw an increase in state-linked orders in the following year and that the exposure helped advance its listing plans.

This year’s appearances follow a series of public demonstrations by humanoid robots, including marathons and boxing exhibitions. Experts say the next phase of development is expected to focus on practical deployment in factories and households.

At a press briefing last November, Li Chao, a spokesperson for China’s National Development and Reform Commission, said roughly half of the country’s more than 150 humanoid-robot companies are startups or entrants from other industries and cautioned that rapid expansion should be balanced against the risk of overheating.

(Header image: Humanoid robots wearing costumes perform in Beijing, Feb. 13, 2026. Vincent Thian/AP via VCG)