SARFT wants Tudou to cease operation - blogger

Isaac Mao

Isaac Mao, Shanghai-based VC and blogger, reports at Twitter that SARFT wants Tudou.com to cease its operation. Tudou.com is the world's largest video hosting firm, claiming three times the traffic volume of number two, YouTube. The State Administration of Radio, Film and TV, is China's censor for the audio-visual media.
Earlier Pacific Epoch reported that China's central TV station canceled a partnership with Tudou, calling it "unhealthy".
Last year SARFT caused some consternation by ordering that all of the hundreds of Chinese video hosts would have to be state-owned, like all of the existing traditional media. The cold seemed out of the air as SARFT decided to grandfather the existing operations. Now, the pendule seems to move - against all expectations - against the biggest player in the industry.
One of the sticks of hit Tudou, says other reports, was the availability of porn. Managers of Tudou have always claimed that strict checks would prevent them from getting into trouble with the authorities, but as the volume increases, checking content is more difficult.

Isaac Mao is also a speaker at Chinabiz Speakers.