China cuts TV entertainment

Article by Carol Martindale

Satellite broadcasters in China have cut entertainment TV by two-thirds following a government campaign, state news agency Xinhua has reported.
An order by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) to curb ”excessive entertainment” came into effect on January 1.
The number of entertainment shows aired during prime time each week has dropped to 38 from 126, said the watchdog.
The news came as the president warned of the influence of Western culture.
In the piece published in a Communist Party magazine, President Hu Jintao also urged efforts to boost the country’s own soft power, said Xinhua.
The order, which was issued in October 2011, limits each of the country’s 34 satellite channels to two entertainment programmes each week and a maximum of 90 minutes of entertainment content every day from 19:30 to 22:00.
Broadcasters are also required to air at least two hours of news programming between 6 p.m and midnight. They must each broadcast at least two 30-minute news programmes between 18:00 and 23:30.
The country has the largest number of television viewers in the world – an estimated 95 per cent of its 1.3 billion people. (BBC)