China studies limiting the production of foreign formats

The Chinese government is studying measures to limit to one the number of formats that a Chinese broadcaster could acquire per year.

The phenomenon of the success of international television formats that have triumphed in China such as X Factor, The Voice, Supernanny… could come to an end. The State Administration of Radio, Television and Film, controlled by the Chinese government, is studying measures to limit to one the number of formats that a Chinese broadcaster could acquire per year.

On the other hand, it aims to reduce the broadcast of foreign productions outside of prime-time.

If this regulation succeeds, it would in fact slam the door for production companies to access the emerging Chinese market.

An alternative that production companies around the world are already considering is co-development as the best way to export formats to China. It is likely that, if these measures are finally applied, Chinese broadcasters will change their strategies and get involved with international formats in the development stage by working directly with creators and scriptwriters.