China’s Cyberspace Administration (CAC) promulgated the Provisions for the Administration of Internet Live-streaming Services, introducing requirements such as platform content controls and real-name registration (at least in the background) for live-streaming users—an early cornerstone for later, broader streaming-era enforcement.
China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee adopted the Film Industry Promotion Law, the country’s first national law specifically regulating the film sector, reinforcing a legal basis for content oversight and administrative control that also shaped the broader screen-content environment.
The CAC’s live-streaming rules formally entered into force, operationalizing compliance expectations around identity verification and content management for platforms hosting live audiovisual content.
The Film Industry Promotion Law came into effect, strengthening the legal framework for film production, distribution, and screening oversight in the PRC.
China’s media regulator (then SAPPRFT) ordered Sina Weibo, iFeng.com, and AcFun to suspend certain streaming/audiovisual services, citing missing permits and politically sensitive content—signaling tightened enforcement on platforms hosting video and livestream-like programming.
A widely reported SAPPRFT directive instructed TV programming to avoid “hip-hop culture,” tattoos, and certain “sub-cultures,” illustrating the regulator’s willingness to intervene in entertainment content standards with morality/aesthetics-based criteria that also influenced streaming-era programming norms.
SAPPRFT issued a notice further regulating online audiovisual distribution order, including prohibitions on platforms editing/adapting third-party audiovisual programs and cooperating with content providers lacking required network transmission permits—tightening compliance obligations for streaming platforms.
As part of a Party-state institutional restructuring, SAPPRFT was abolished/reshaped and the National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) emerged, reflecting a broader consolidation of Party oversight over media policy and enforcement that affected online/streaming regulation.
Multiple authorities (including CAC and NRTA) jointly issued a notice strengthening administration of online live-streaming services, emphasizing real-name systems, broadcaster management/blacklists, and enhanced monitoring and review—expanding cross-agency enforcement capacity.
The China Netcasting Services Association released short-video platform management specifications and detailed content review rules, underscoring systematic pre-publication review expectations and self-regulatory standard-setting under the broader regulatory climate.
NRTA Circular 78 required platforms providing online show livestreaming or e-commerce livestreaming services to register their information and operations in a national management system by a specified deadline—tightening administrative visibility into livestream businesses.
Chinese regulators moved to curb “idol” fandom excesses by restricting/banning certain reality talent show formats and related practices, part of a broader campaign against perceived unhealthy fan-community behavior and entertainment-industry disorder.
NRTA issued a notice requiring certain domestic internet audiovisual programs (e.g., internet dramas and other major online audiovisual works meeting specified criteria) to obtain distribution permits before online publication/transmission—strengthening ex ante licensing control over streaming releases.
NRTA and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued the Code of Conduct for Online Presenters (internet anchors), setting behavioral standards and enumerating prohibited content/acts, reinforcing professionalization and enforceable norms for livestream hosts and related streaming content.
China's streaming content regulation and crackdowns (2016–2022)
