China Pledges Tougher Stand On ‘Cultural Pollution’ – AKA ‘American Television & Film’

China, a country that orignally had extremely tough regulations on what it allowed its citizens to view, relaxed their standards in 2012, allowing 34 foreign movies per year for a 25% revenue-share slot. At the same time, citizens in China have been pretty much watching whatever they want online, illegally and via several internet streaming services that offer western entertainment.

However, according to a report today in China Daily, the government in China has been cracking down on what it calls “cultural pollution,” via online streaming services. The report said that the Chinese Government has “drafted several restriction policies regarding internet-based programs.”

These new restrictions in China would have major implications for such streaming companies as Sohu, Youku Tudou and Tencent. Collectively, those three companies stream about 400 different American and British television programs.

When it comes to stricter censorship in China, expert Rob Cain told Deadline:

“It would be no surprise to see it enacted. [The Chinese Communist Party] wants to set the rules of morality and proper conduct in China – essentially to keep people behaving in appropriate ways that support, or at least don’t threaten the party’s rule or legitimacy – and foreign programs are generally perceived as a threat, often referred to as ‘cultural pollution.'”

Will the practice of pulling the plug on such shows as The Vampire Diaries, Sherlock or House of Cards have the desired effect on the people of China? Cain doesn’t think so.

“No one wants to be told what they can see, hear, think or say. For many people, online viewing of foreign programs has become the primary source of entertainment, and taking that away will engender far more ‘inappropriate thought’ and anti-government feeling than any amount of foreign programming ever could.”

Internet streaming is big business in China. According to The South China Morning Post, total revenue in 2013 from online streaming alone was worth over 2.07 billion dollars. That number is expected to double by 2017.

All this news comes after the SAPPRFT – that’s the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television in China – ordered local websites in April to halt streaming of some U.S. television shows like The Big Bang Theory, NCIS and The Good Wife. No reason was given by the government in China for the decree.

China Daily reported that the Chinese Administration called meetings with seven licensed internet-television cable suppliers earlier this month and warned them all that their license could be shortly revoked because they all had acted against rules in varying degrees.