China Bans Reality Talent Shows In Major Showbiz Crackdown

"Broadcast and TV institutions must not screen idol development programmes or variety shows and reality shows," China's broadcast regulator said.

China banned reality talent programmes Thursday and ordered broadcasters to promote more masculine representations of men, in a wide-ranging crackdown on "immoral" pop culture Beijing believes is leading young people astray. Talent shows that put hundreds of aspiring young performers through rigorous boot camps and subject them to public votes have become massively popular in China, sparking criticism over obsessive fans and poor role models. "Broadcast and TV institutions must not screen idol development programmes or variety shows and reality shows," China's broadcast regulator, the National Radio and Television Administration said, in a raft of new regulations. The regulator ordered broadcasters to resist "abnormal aesthetics" such as "sissy" men, "vulgar influencers", stars' inflated pay and performers with "lapsed morals".