China's top media regulator has beefed up its supervision of live-streaming services, requiring all live broadcasting platforms and their hosts to get a license before running the shows.
Observers said that the regulation, if strictly implemented, will be a major blow to the booming industry.
According to an announcement published on the website of China's State Administration of Press Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) on September 19, live broadcasting events and programs like news, entertainment, sports, and talk shows will be banned if they fail to get a license.
It also stipulates that the live-streaming platforms are forbidden from using the emblem of "TV" or "Radio."
According to the People's Daily, SAPPRFT has issued about 588 such licenses to news press agencies and large video-streaming websites by May 31, but only a few to live-streaming platforms.
A China Internet Network Information Center report in August said over 300 million users have joined live-streaming platforms by June, about 46 percent of the Internet users.
If broadcasting platforms and hosts fail to get a license after the regulation is implemented, investor confidence in the industry will decline, Wang Sixin, deputy dean of the School of Literature and Law at Communication University of China, told the Global Times on Monday.
The live-streaming industry, with such a large user base, is also accused of hosting vulgar content involving eye-catching pornography and violence.
In July, 26 live broadcasting platforms, including Douyu TV, 6.cn and Panda TV, received warnings from the Ministry of Culture for violating regulations which ban content featuring pornography, violence and illegal behavior. About 16,881 online hosts have been investigated, previous reports said.
