China shuts 25 online video sites, warns 32 others
CHINESE authorities have shuttered 25 online video websites and publicly warned 32 others about their content, including one of China's most popular sites, Tudou.com.
The notice, issued Thursday by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, said an investigation of Chinese online audio-visual service providers conducted between December 20 and February 20 found five companies that were streaming video without content licenses, and that dozens of others had hosted illegal content.
This latest development in the government's effort to regulate online video reasserts Beijing's desire to control the internet. It also confirmed recent speculation about an imminent clampdown on the online video industry - which has collectively raised tens of millions of dollars of venture capital and drawn hundreds of millions of viewers.
