China drops “entertaining” TV in midst of coronavirus

Well this is peculiar….

China’s media regulator has responded to the coronavirus epidemic by cutting “entertaining” TV shows and boosting news programs.

That’s despite millions of people being quarantined at home.

On Tuesday, China’s National Radio and Television Administration described different new programs scheduled around the country focused on news about the epidemic and prevention information. The government has come under fire for lacking transparency in its handling of the disease.

The regulator said that the Hunan and Zhejiang provincial TV stations would be cancelling variety shows like the popular Happy Camp, featuring guests and celebrities who sing, dance and answer interview questions.

The announcement comes just days after it declared it was also doing the opposite: actively working to bring in more TV shows to channels in Wuhan and Hubei province.

Last Friday, the body said it was coordinating with copyright owners including streaming giant iQiyi and Zhejiang Huace for them to donate the broadcasting rights of ten “outstanding dramas” including two medical dramas, a show about a community recovering from an earthquake, two shows about youth stepping up to serve their country, either by joining the air force or planting trees, an anti-drug trafficking police procedural, and two historic dramas.

The move has left many in the country echoing a Weibo commenter, who implored: “What am I supposed to do at home then??”

According to Variety, people are tuning in en masse to a different kind of very real reality program: live-streams from the construction site of two temporary hospitals rapidly being built in Wuhan to treat the virus.

So far the virus has claimed at least 106 lives in China and infected over 4,200 people worldwide, including 5 in Australia.