CHINA--ECONOMY: CHINA'S FILM AND TV INDUSTRY SUFFERS HUGE LOSSES DUE TO COVID-19

Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported that China’s film and television industry's box office revenues is expected to show a loss of 30 billion yuan (US$4.2 billion) this year. The latest data shows that, since the beginning of this year, more than 6,600 film and television companies have closed down. RFA said some analysts believe that the central administration could use the opportunity to intensify censorship on the contents of the creations in the film and television industry, making it drift away and become distant from the rest of the world. On April 29, Wang Xiaohui, Executive Vice Minister of the CCP CC Publicity Department, gave the film and television industry directives to produce films using the following three major themes: showing a moderately prosperous society, the 100th anniversary of the party, and the anti-epidemic effort which promotes positive energy. He said that the government will increase the support to the industry, actively coordinate the effort to reduce rent payments, provide loan discounts, and support the purchase and distribution of movie tickets. On May 7, three video websites, Tencent Video, iQiyi, and Youku, together with six other film and television companies, jointly released an industry rescue proposal and vowed that the industry will produce contents that are “in line with party policy and provide audiences with products that document the lively life and great moments in this era.” According to the comment quoted in the article, since the central administration has the ability to provide the funding, it now has more leverage to influence the content of the narratives for the movies that are being produced.





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