Websites deny 'ban on US TV shows' even after 4 halted  

The Big Bang Theory is one of the four TV shows having been removed from China's video websites. It's one of the most popular American shows in China. (Photo source: the Yangtse Evening Post)

(ECNS) – Four popular American TV series have been removed from China's video websites "on policy grounds," but some sites have denied that there is a ban, according to the Beijing Youth Daily.

Sitcom The Big Bang Theory, legal and political drama The Good Wife, crime drama NCIS, and legal drama The Practice have been inaccessible since last Saturday, shocking many fans and netizens. Some websites confirmed on Sunday that they had received notification to stop streaming the shows, but "the reason was unclear."

The ban has confused fans about what rules the dramas have violated. A staffer at an unnamed site said the The Big Bang Theory is rated G in the US, while Games of Thrones, which is filled with violence and nudity, made its China debut on CCTV last Sunday.

China's State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT) has issued a requirement that US and UK TV shows must pass censors before they are streamed on websites. Some overseas media said that according to the regulation, over 80 percent of US shows streamed in China would be banned.

But Sohu, which provides more than 30 authorized US shows on its website, said foreign media misunderstood the SARFT's regulation. "The regulation isn't a ban on US shows. Most of them streamed on sites have been approved by relevant authorities."