BEIJING — Every foreign TV show and movie shown on Chinese online streaming sites will have to be approved by authorities or else go offline early next year, the country’s broadcast regulator said Friday, tightening control of the online industry.
Licensed foreign content also cannot be greater than 30 percent of the total domestic content licensed in the previous year, according to an executive at one of the sites.
The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film, and Television said video sites must register their foreign content with their local broadcasting authority before the end of March. Companies must obtain a screening license or distribution license for each drama or film or they will not be broadcast, it said.
The purpose is to ‘‘help online culture grow and prosper,’’ it said, adding that this could be achieved by ‘‘promoting excellent Chinese traditional culture’’ and encouraging websites ‘‘to import a moderate amount of foreign films and TV shows.”