The big bang theory, other programs disappear online in china
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If you live in China and haven't finished watching every season of _The Big Bang Theory_, you're in trouble. Without warning, the show vanished over the weekend from the popular
streaming website Sohu.com. It wasn't the only one; _NCIS, The Good Wife_, and _The Practice_ also disappeared. It definitely wasn't due to lack of popularity, as _The Big Bang
Theory_ has been streamed 1.4 billion times as of this month. Analysts believe that China's State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film, and Television had something to do
with the abrupt pulling of the programs, the _Los Angeles Times_ reports. In March, the TV regulator released a notice stating that people need to be more vigilant in monitoring programs
online that might have questionable "erotic, political, or violent" content. It's odd, however, considering _American Horror Story, The Walking Dead,_ and _Masters of Sex_
remain online. SUBSCRIBE TO THE WEEK Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives. SUBSCRIBE & SAVE SIGN UP FOR THE WEEK'S FREE
NEWSLETTERS From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News
Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. China is the No. 1 international box office, with $3.6 billion in ticket sales annually. The television market is
quickly growing, too, and the studios believe that by streaming their shows online, piracy will become less of an issue. Having a new revenue stream is a nice added benefit. However,
"if there are more restrictions on screening such shows or delaying the shows from being 'live streamed' just after they air in the U.S., the Chinese video websites will lose
a lot of viewers," Su Jie, an online video market analyst with Analysts International, tells the _Los Angeles Times_. The sites will "be hurt financially after losing this high-end
audience that has a lot of spending power." There is no word on when — or if — the _The_ _Big Bang Theory_ will come back to Sohu.com, but reports in China suggest that CCTV, the
state-run broadcaster, would like the rights. Explore More Speed Reads