On December 2, 2016, the Ministry of Culture (文化部) (the “MOC”) issued the Online Performance Business Operation Management Rules (《网络表演经营活动管理办法》) (the “MOC Online Performance Rules”), which became effective on January 1, 2017. In addition, on November 4, 2016, the Cyberspace Administration of China, also known as the State Internet Information Office (国家互联网信息办公室) (“CAC”) released the Live Streaming Service Management Rules (《互联网直播服务管理规定》) (the “CAC Live Streaming Rules”), which became effective on December 1, 2016. The CAC Live Streaming Rules address matters related to live online streaming, while the MOC Online Performance Rules apply to both live online streaming and to video that is uploaded online. The overriding goal of both measures is to strengthen the supervision of online streaming content, ensuring that only licensed businesses publish this type of internet content and that those businesses monitor the content to ensure that it complies with China’s strict censorship requirements.
