Recently the Chinese government’s SARFT agency issued new guidelines for Internet TV set-top boxes.
The restrictions have been very grim and have had a huge impact on the industry.
Today, Sina Tech News has an article about the impact [Google Translate].
Basically, the government is killing that industry. SARFT has come up with a “unified platform” that all OTT boxes must use. This basically wipes away all content box makers have offered and replaces it with government-approved content on a software framework the government has mandated. And this even affects games on such boxes.
The final paragraph sums it all up:
Instead, the biggest user may be affected, because for users, the benefits of the original Internet TV will disappear. Introduction of relevant regulatory policy, cottage box might be completely banned, users will only be able to buy the regular channels of Internet TV boxes. Even obtaining a license to continue to sell its products will be limited, and can watch the content will also be subject to strict controls SARFT.
Many Internet TV box players will simply go out of business and users will be subjected to what the government allows them to have.
Mike Cane’s xBlog 
Not a big surprise. The reverse is trying to happen here in Canada – we have a tiny number of cable TV providers and a huge number of cable channels. 90% of the channels are offering little more than reruns of reruns. The best channels (original content) are only available as one-by-one subscriptions on typically very expensive 12-month terms.
So the Canadian regulator, the CRTC, calls a meeting of providers a couple of weeks ago and says, look, your audience is circumventing you and finding what they want online (legally or not), so we think it is time that you update your model – offer all channels on a one-by-one basis, stop bundling 99 crap channels with one decent channel to raise the price … Get into the modern world.
The cable providers have been throwing huge fits ever since, and saying there is no way they will do this. They want more restriction, and especially want tight restrictions on cable boxes and connections, with stiff penalties for violations.
Sounds like China…