On December 10, reports surfaced indicating that a number of embodied artificial intelligence firms are in a heated contest to secure sponsorship for the 2026 CCTV Spring Festival Gala, which will be held to celebrate the Year of the Horse. During the 2025 Spring Festival Gala, which took place in the Year of the Snake, Unitree's robots stole the limelight with a captivating Yangko dance performance. This act became one of the standout moments of the gala and ignited a full-year frenzy around embodied AI. This year, the Spring Festival Gala has evolved into a pivotal arena for embodied AI companies to showcase their prowess.

As is customary with the Spring Festival Gala, multiple companies typically vie for sponsorship opportunities within a single category. Presently, ZhiYuan and Unitree are locked in the most intense competition. In a bid to claim the coveted position of the largest sponsor, ZhiYuan Robotics initially put forward an offer of 60 million yuan. However, Unitree Technology responded by directly escalating the bid to a staggering 100 million yuan, a sum that has effectively discouraged numerous other companies from further participation.