China Limits Foreign Films, TV Shows on Online Video Sites
Sina Tech, 9/05/14
China's State Administration of Press and Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) today issued new regulations requiring that all overseas film, TV, and animated programs broadcast online in China be licensed by SAPPRFT. Online video sites wishing to broadcast foreign film and TV content in China must now apply for relevant "Film Public Broadcast" and "TV Program Distribution" licenses for each program they carry.
Online video sites in China have until March 31, 2015 to ensure that all foreign-produced content on their video platforms has been properly licensed and registered with SAPPRFT, and all unlicensed content must be removed by April 1.
The number of licensed foreign programs an online video platform offers in any given year cannot be greater than 30% of the total number of licensed domestic programs it offered in the prior year.
Prior to the issuance of these new regulations, online video sites in China had been able to license and broadcast foreign content with relative ease, needing only to license the content from its foreign producer and then register the same content with SAPPRFT. Under the previous system, SAPPRFT also allowed online video sites to approve their own content for broadcast online, with little input from the regulator.
Editor's Note: For more background on this topic, please see "Rumor: SAPPRFT Mulls Quota System for Foreign Online Video Content" MD 7/28/14 issue.
Keywords: Internet license online video foreign content SAPPRFT regulation
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