(WSJ) Emerging from a recent period of antigraft scrutiny, China’s top media regulator is now taking a few swings itself, this time in the direction of celebrities with lavish lifestyles and news programs that promote values that contradict the socialist ideal.
The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) said it would address the issue of “sky-high” paychecks for on-screen talents and the flaunting of their wealth. The remarks came in a report by the agency on how it would reform after an investigation by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the ruling Communist Party’s anticorruption watchdog, earlier this year.
Using big-name stars, especially fresh-faced idols, is usually considered the best bet by investors hoping for ratings or box-office success, which drives up the price of celebrities. The Chinese actress Fan Bingbing was recently named as the world’s fifth best-paid actress by Forbes, with $17 million over the past year, a number that takes into account all the star’s revenues.
The media agency said it would lead industry associations and major TV and film producers to map out a “self-disciplinary convention” in order to crack down on exorbitant star pay. TV stations are now not allowed to decide on the licensing price of TV dramas they plan to buy based on big-name actors in the show, or ask the show to feature any specific stars.
Film and TV producers in China have been complaining for years about high actor fees, which they say take up too much of the production budget. Industry associations also called for action. Yet money has been flooding into the film industry, which has an annual growth rate of 30%, and this is a huge boost for talent pay.
China’s state broadcaster, CCTV, said that fees for actors and actresses this summer “scored another record high.” A handful of major stars in a film or TV show can drain over half the budget, which has contributed to the low quality of domestic productions in recent years, CCTV said.
Dai Qing, a professor at the Beijing-based Communication University of China, said in an interview with CCTV that the absence of proper regulation or effective management has helped inflate the market bubble.
News programs that air social and entertainment reports are also blamed by SAPPRFT for polluting communist values. Local news outlets often compete to cover luxurious celebrity weddings, and details of these events can become trending topics on domestic social media platforms such as Weibo.
Programs that “promote overnight fame, wealth flaunting and indulgence” were criticized by a spokesperson for the media regulator, cited in the state-run Xinhua News Agency. The spokesperson asked news outlets to lead with items that contain “positive energy” and a “mainstream theme.”
The online public are divided by the media regulator’s move. Some support the government in regulating “spoiled” actors who “charge brutally,” while others think the regulator should leave the issue to the market, and pay more attention to developing content.
“Markets decide on capital issues,” said one person on China’s Twitter-like Weibo platform.
“Honestly if you don’t feature any hot young actors to boost the box-office receipts, you can hardly sell a film for one million yuan based on all these terrible homemade screenplays.”
Source: Wall Street Journal