Beijing's Internet watchdog ordered Saturday owners of a video platform to "overhaul" it, after it had posted political news videos without obtaining the relevant permit.
Pear Video, an online video platform that produces short videos, was ordered to make unspecified changes after producing "exclusive" political news programs without a license to publish original online news content, make broadcasts and circulate video, the Beijing Cyberspace Administration said on Saturday.
It said Pear Video "published political news via original columns, made videos and collected content that online users uploaded."
According to a draft regulation on online news issued by the Cyberspace Administration of China in January 2016, only qualified media organizations are allowed to post certain kinds of news, including reports and commentaries on politics, economics, the military and diplomacy.
Pear Video was created in November 2016 by Qiu Bing, former CEO of news portal thepaper.cn, with Li Ruigang, former president of government-backed Shanghai Media Group, as one of its biggest shareholders.
China's top media watchdog tightened regulations on online broadcasts and videos in December 2016, and barred individuals from producing and distributing politics-related news programs online.
Netizens need to obtain relevant licenses for making broadcasts and circulating videos, movies and TV dramas on China's social media platforms, including Sina Weibo and WeChat.
Xie Yongjiang, a professor at the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, previously told the Global Times that China is trying to regulate new media the same way as traditional media, in which politics-related topics have long been carefully monitored.
