Alternative Development
Because Korean drama shows including “The Heirs” and “My Love from the Stars” are extremely popular in China through the Internet, the Chinese government is trying to regulate the Internet, and Chinese producers are producing their own web dramas.
However, stories of web dramas would still be Hallyu (Korean Wave) content. The main structures of dramas such as plots, characters, and direction remain Korean style, but these “made in China” web dramas will not be censored by the government.
In fact, this trend has already started in Chinese TV drama shows. But with the popularity of the Internet, there is a new wave of web based “Looks like Chinese, but Korean inside” dramas.
Bae Kyoung-ryul, CEO of iM Company, which is specialized in China, said, “Since the Chinese government is trying to regulate the Internet, Chinese producers want to make their own web dramas to avoid regulations.”
CEO Bae added, “Considering the web base circumstances, each episode is about 10 minutes, and there will be a total of 10 episodes, roughly. We already received production orders from China.”
The CEO of another drama production explained, “In China, producing Chinese dramas with Korean writers, actors, and staff is already very popular, beyond just importing Korean drama shows. Contents are Hallyu, but these dramas are categorized as Chinese, as China is actually responsible for the production costs and distribution.”
This person added, “The Chinese government might also control the Korean content more severely, as these web dramas are intended to slip away from all regulations.”
Due to the quota and censoring of foreign content, Korean dramas are not actually allowed to be aired on Chinese public TV networks. Recent Hallyu dramas therefore have been released and are popular through Chinese websites.
“The Heirs” and “My Love from the Star” were mega-hits in China, and “Three Days,” “Hotel King,” and “Doctor Stranger” are following.
The Bureau of National Press, Publication and Internet, which controls Chinese press, publication, movies, and TV, recently announced that they intend to enhance the regulations over Internet content. This could be a serious problem for Korean drama shows, which have gained popularity through the Internet.
In fact, the Chinese bureau warned that illegal downloads of foreign drama content would be penalized. Officially, unapproved news and content are targeted, but this atmosphere would block Korean dramas to be distributed over the Chinese continent, according to professionals in broadcasting.
Jung Hae-ryong, CP of KBS Drama, said, “As China is ruled by the Communist party, regulations on Korean dramas would be effective immediately. Not only public TV networks, but also cable TV channels and the Internet that airs Korean dramas might be censored as well.”