Draft rule on livestreaming hosts aims to boost content quality

A regulation on managing livestreaming hosts of different levels and classifications is being drafted in China as a move to improve the quality of online content and keep the development of the industry in order, the country's top internet watchdog said on Tuesday.

The Cyberspace Administration said on its website that it will work with seven other authorities, including the Ministry of Public Security and the Supreme People's Court, to clarify how to give tips to livestreaming hosts and build a credit evaluation system for livestreaming accounts.

How many tips a livestreaming host can be given and who is allowed to sell products through livestreaming platforms will also be regulated, depending on the host's level and classification, it said.

In a recent crackdown campaign led by the administration, a total of 158 illegal livestreaming platforms were punished, such as being blacklisted and barred from updating for a period of time, and a batch of livestreaming accounts were also shut down, it added.

Among them, a few popular livestreaming platforms, such as gaming site Douyu and video-sharing platform Bilibili, were criticized and punished during the campaign after being found to have spread vulgar content.