Watchdog to issue stricter Web series supervision rules

China's media watchdog vowed Saturday to strengthen its supervision of online series, following the recent removal of some dramas involving bisexual romance and pornographic content from video streaming websites. The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) ordered that series broadcast online should be held to the same standard as those aired on TV, said Li Jingsheng of the TV drama administration bureau under SAPPRFT at an industry conference on Saturday, the Beijing Youth Daily reported. Li also said that SAPPRFT is announcing stricter policies on the modification of online drama content, such as violence and homosexual romance. Zhang Tiankuo, a spokesperson for iQiyi - one of China's biggest online streaming websites and online drama producers - told the Global Times that the creation of online series will follow the specific measures to be introduced by SAPPRFT. Zhang also noted that SAPPRFT's move aims to regulate the online video streaming market for the better development of the industry. Li said that online series should be reviewed by assessors from streaming sites who have taken training courses and exams held by SAPPRFT, adding that some series will be further reviewed by experts from the administration. LeTV's online drama Go Princess Go was removed January 20, not long after two versions of its final episode were released. The show, which involved bisexual romance and time travel, proved extremely popular, gaining 2.7 billion views across 35 episodes. LeTV announced the drama had been removed temporarily and would be released again after undergoing changes. Addicted & Heroin, an online series of gay romance stories, was ordered to be taken down from all streaming sites on January 29, three days after its release. Since the number of underage online viewers is massive, it is necessary to draw the line properly, said Zhuang Xihai, a former TV host and producer who is now a professor at the Southwest University of Broadcasting in Chongqing.