Sohu.jpg (Photo : Reuters)
With the continuous moral crackdown in Beijing, regular online streaming viewers may only have a limited selection of film and television programs on the Internet soon.
Movies or television shows that feature adultery, supernatural occurrences, one-night stands, or even gambling, will be prohibited from Chinese streaming websites because of the said campaign, said in a report from the Global Times.
After having the foreign political drama "House of Cards" in its offerings, local streaming site Sohu may soon be forbidden. Two popular U.S. streaming sites, Netflix and Amazon Prime, have already been banned by China's firewall.
Authorities insisted that content providers should remove these programs containing rape, sexual abuse, necrophilia, polyamorous relationships, masturbation and prostitution.
Also included on the list released by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) circular are subjects dealing with suicides, violent murder, gambling, instances of pornography and drug use.
In a report from the Times, Jinan University professor Tan Tian said that the new rule will lead to a decrease in the number of movies or television shows that can be legally shown on Chinese streaming sites.
He added that the now strictly regulated programs may possibly affect the quality of creative content in China's film or television industry.
The Chinese government launched its "Cleaning the Web 2014" campaign April this year and has removed 110 websites to date.
In addition, Chinese stars who are tainted with drug use or prostitution issue were disallowed to appear on screen, both film and television. This has affected many artists like Jackie Chan's son, Jaycee, who was recently involved in a marijuana issue, and director Wang Quan'an and actor Huang Haibo who were alleged to have sex with prostitutes.
