China’s Ban on ‘Lewd TV Content’ to Include Gambling, Infidelity and Maybe Harry Potter

Scenes involving murder, one-night stands and extra-marital affairs must now be cut out of live streaming television programs shown in China, most of which originate from the West.

Many foreign TV shows, including American dramas and South Korean soaps, are streamed online in China, the BBC notes.  Now the hosting sites are being told to, not only remove any scenes depicting infidelity or murder, but also those involving gambling activity.

Also on the list of “Lewd TV Content”: Drug usage, kidnappings and supernatural occurrences.

Streaming sites have been told they must delete any headlines which include a reference to sex or nudity.

Some worry that the breadth of censorship will leave Chinese viewers with nothing left to watch.  Even otherwise harmless films such as “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and “Harry Potter” could be deemed as “Lewd TV Content”, potentially falling under the category of “supernatural occurrences”.   China in the past has actually tinkered with the “Harry Potter” scripts. 

Of more dire concern perhaps, the fear that uber popular South Korean soap operas will ultimately be banned in China. 

- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com