Advanced Television

China outlaws OTT STB apps

November 30, 2015

By Colin Mann

Chinese authorities have ordered domestic producers of OTT set-top boxes to uninstall illegal third-party applications from their products.

The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television of the People’s Republic of China has issued a list of 81 such illegal applications meaning that domestic brands such as Tmall, Xiaomi and Huawei will need to upgrade their operating systems to eliminate the 81 illegal applications, leaving users with fewer options in terms of what they can watch.

According to the Administration, the ban is designed to control the OTT TV set-top box market by eliminating some obscene and pirated videos, but the more likely reason is to kick back against the rise on online viewing, particularly among the younger generation, resulting in a loss of advertising income for TV stations.

Categories: App, Articles, Content, OTT, OTT, Policy, Regulation, STB