The removal of four leading US shows last month from Chinese streaming sites was greeted with confusion and anger; now the latest “Anti-piracy campaign” is revealing a “clean-up” of unprecedented scale.
End of April four highly popular US shows, “The Big Bang Theory”, “The Good Wife”, “NCIS” and “The Practice” were ordered to be taken off legal streaming sites such as iQiyi and Youku by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT). The order came without explanation and initially baffled netizens throughout the country. The government institution in the meantime cited new regulations, which decree that from now on all foreign TV shows need to pass an approval process before being aired online.
The move has caused confusion and resentment among the well-educated, wealthy middle class, who make up the main fan-base of these types of US shows. When unable to access their favourite shows, a storm of sarcastic comments erupted on social media ironically observing that the leadership had just “switched to North Korean mode”. The main point of confusion surrounds the taking down of Big Bang Theory, which does not include any type of controversial political or erotic content; usually reasons for foreign productions to be done away with or at least heavily censored.
The restrictions will further put a huge dent in streaming sites profitability, as their large advantage over the more traditional medium of TV was the fact that they were hardly regulated and hence able to offer viewers Western and South Korean TV shows acquired legally from US and other overseas distributors. The foreign series in turn have been thriving on the Chinese internet.
In the aftermath of the initially mystifying move a bigger and certainly more concerning picture is emerging. Namely, the coinciding new “anti-piracy campaign”, which has targeted sites streaming foreign content illegally. Anyone who has spent time in China will realize that the local copyright situation is appalling, and while there is definitely an argument to be made for going up against copyright violations, which cause vast financial damage to the businesses involved, it is very telling that once again it is platforms for incredibly popular foreign shows that are in the line of fire.
Since last week QVOD player, one of the top illegal streaming sites on the Chinese web, has been completely shut down. Even Robin Li’s Baidu, which so far had been exempt from any censorship or obvious restrictions from Chinese authorities, has found itself subjected to harsh criticism. Officials speaking for the “anti-piracy campaign” have now publicly accused Baidu of not only harbouring pirated content but also assisting external pirate sites in illegal activities by providing them with essential technology, rerouting traffic and even offering payment to host their content. This is hardly news; Baidu has been a providing of music and video downloads for eons. So why is it a problem now?
A look at this years National People’s Congress might help in understanding what is going on in the minds of Chinese leadership. When China’s two highest governing bodies met to discuss national policies, what was their hotly debated topic? Not food safety or terrorism, but rather “My Star”, a South Korean TV drama that has garnered a huge following among Chinese, who have become obsessed with the show and the lifestyle of the main characters. Some government officials criticsed the Chinese mania directed at the Korean import show, dubbing the fanaticism damaging to Chinese culture’s self respect. Politicans opposing the show called on citizens to remind themselves of great Chinese productions rather than admiring the Koreans.
So, behind all this is really a question of cultural protectionism and ideology, the taking down of the US shows in combination with the “anti-piracy campaign” thinly veiled attempts at reversing growing US influence on the Chinese internet. Chinese TV is rather restricted in its offering due to censorship, content is more conservative and out of touch with the public, featuring mainly historical or Sino-Japanese war dramas. This has caused especially the younger, affluent generation of Chinese to flock online to watch American shows. While currently these shows are still in the minority compared to Chinese broadcast content, they have been the fastest-growing content category online in the Middle Kingdom. According to Youku their viewership increased by an estimated 400 percent from 2011 to 2012.
The idea that their wealthy youngsters are being exposed daily to capitalist Western ideals does obviously not go down well with the country’s leadership who are attempting to regain control of the online situation. Yet, in their attempt to eradicate the dangerous foreign influence, they might be scoaring an own-goal, as it is mainly these shows that are keeping the younger generation’s minds occupied and stopping them from venturing into political realms, where they could be much more trouble.
It is unclear whether the new generation’s passion for foreign TV shows is enough to cause a serious backlash when the party tries once again to get their citizens under control; though from a foreign perspective the clamp-down does seem an indication that the new government is returning to its old tricks.
