Beijing tells entertainment media to avoid celebrity hype
BEIJING: Local broadcasters and online entertainment sites should avoid celebrity hype and crack down on fake audience and clickthrough rates, state media quoted the National Radio and Television Administration as saying.
The edict comes after Beijing ordered A-list movie star Fan Bingbing to pay about 884 million yuan (RM535 million) in taxes and fines, spurring widespread discussion on the moral health of China’s film industry.
Some programmes overpaid celebrities, destroying industry order and leading teenagers into worshipping stars and money, Xinhua news agency reported.
The providers should also cut down on game shows, reality shows and singing contests that feature celebrities.
In a letter posted on her official account on Weibo last month, Fan said she would overcome “all difficulties” to pay her penalties.
“I’m ashamed of my behaviour and I apologise here to everyone.
“Every bit of my achievement is inseparable from the support of the state and the people. Without the good policies of the Communist Party and the state, without the love of the people, there is no Fan Bingbing.”