Chinese fans of The Simpsons, SpongeBob, Pok’mon and other toon imports will soon find it harder to get their regular fixes, according to The Hollywood Reporter. In an effort to support the domestic animation industry, China’s government has banned the airing of foreign cartoon programming between the hours of 5 and 8 p.m. beginning Sept. 1.
According to a study, 80% of China’s young viewing public would rather watch foreign cartoons, especially from Japan, over those made in their own country. Chinese product is said to focus more on telling traditional tales than creating popular characters. With Mickey Mouse and Pikachu out of the way, more airtime will be devoted to less popular Chinese characters such as The Monkey King, star of the toon series Journey to the West.
You may recall that, in February, the Chinese government put a curious ban on programs that depicted live actors on screen with animated characters, another move to limit foreign-made programming. These and other efforts to control pop culture in China have created a pervasive black market that is taking money out of the pockets of both domestic and foreign distributors.
As we’ve seen with Internet piracy of films and other entertainment, consumers will find a way to get what they want, the way they want it. As a result, major U.S. studios are creating channels for legal downloads of their product and are even considering releasing films on DVD and the Internet on the same day they hit theaters. If China is to continue tightening its hold on the media, it too must find a way to crack down on illegal sales or more kids will be watching pirated DVDs instead of television.
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