The Big Bang Theory and Korean TV drama Hyde, Jekyll And Me have become two of the first foreign TV shows to be streamed in China under the country’s new content rules.
Hyde, Jekyll And Me, a romantic comedy that first aired on Korea’s SBS, is the first foreign show to stream, playing on Youku Tudou from July 13. On July 16, paid subscribers will be given access to the full season and non-paying viewers will be able to view one new episode each subsequent weekday.
Meanwhile the eighth season of The Big Bang Theory will be the first US show to air under new rules, streaming on Sohu’s tv.sohu from July 22. The show racked up 1.3 billion hits before its was taken down in April 2014 ahead of new regulations that limit the streaming of foreign content in China.
The first seven seasons of The Big Bang Theory are still not legally available on online platforms in China.
China’s State Administration of Press, Publications, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) introduced the new rules on April 1 this year, requiring all foreign films and TV series to be submitted for censorship and obtain a permit before they can be streamed.
Each TV series must be censored in its entirety following its original broadcast, rather than episode-by-episode, which means they can’t streamed immediately after broadcast overseas.