Chinese e-commerce giant JD announced on Wednesday it has become the exclusive interactive partner of the 2022 China Media Group Spring Festival Gala. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Chinese e-commerce giant JD announced on Wednesday it has become the exclusive interactive partner of the 2022 China Media Group Spring Festival Gala, the most-watched annual show on Chinese New Year's Eve.

The partners will carry out in-depth cooperation in the red envelope-themed interactive segment and e-commerce. From January 24 to February 15, JD will hand out a whopping 1.5 billion yuan ($235.5 million) in the form of virtual red envelopes to viewers across the nation.

Giving red envelopes or hongbao is a traditional practice during the Spring Festival, to deliver good luck and greetings to family members and friends.

Xin Lijun, CEO of JD Retail, said JD will make full use of its advantages in supply chain infrastructure and technologies and deliver packages to consumers on time during the upcoming Spring Festival.

The digital red envelope race during the Spring Festival holiday has been heating up in recent years. WeChat, the instant-messaging app operated by Chinese internet titan Tencent Holdings Ltd, pioneered the award of red envelopes via its WeChat Pay during the Spring Festival Gala in 2015.  E-payments company Alipay, tech giant Baidu and short-video platform Kuaishou also lined up to become sponsors and gave out red envelopes to viewers.