According to a notice by China’s State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT) December 20 of last year was the final day multimedia websites could apply for a permit to operate in China. The agency said it would review the applications and issue permits to “qualified providers.”This has been coming for some time.
Two years ago there was a government order issued to regulate internet video and audio service providers in China. The order required that, starting from Jan. 31, 2008, every website providing video and audio services needed to obtain a permit from SARFT.
One of the conditions for obtaining a permit was that the internet service is either fully or partially owned by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Epoch Times reports the motivation was revealed four days after the deadline. On Dec. 24, Chinese newspapers enthusiastically reported that China Internet TV, owned and operated by China Central Television (CCTV), the official mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, would launch on Dec. 28.
The CCP revealed plans to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in building the website as an international, multi-language internet multimedia site, providing comprehensive video broadcasting and sharing services. Which would not encourage competition from YouTube.