China Initiates New Regulatory Crackdown on Micro-Drama Industry
China’s National Radio and Television Administration has launched a two-month campaign to regulate micro-drama content, specifically targeting AI-generated abuses and low-quality programming.
The National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) of China has deployed a new regulatory campaign targeting the micro-drama industry, effective from November 1 through the end of December. The initiative follows previous efforts to clear the market of vulgar and infringing content, with a renewed focus on the quality issues exacerbated by AI technology.
The regulatory crackdown centers on two primary areas: content creation and distribution. Authorities are intensifying efforts to remove programming that contains soft pornography, extreme social conflict, or content violating family ethics. A specific directive has been issued to curb the misuse of AI, particularly the unauthorized use of actors' likenesses and voices, often referred to as 'deepfake' practices.
In terms of distribution, the government is targeting deceptive promotional tactics, such as re-releasing the same content under different titles. Additionally, platforms are being pressured to optimize recommendation algorithms to reduce the prevalence of repetitive, low-quality content that dominates user feeds.
Year-to-date, authorities have removed over 75,000 non-compliant micro-dramas and penalized approximately 1,500 accounts. Alongside the enforcement measures, the NRTA states it will continue to provide funding and guidance to promote the development of high-quality, culturally valuable content within the sector.