China Moves Group Livestreaming Toward Regulated Growth

China’s cyberspace regulator has disposed of more than 1,840 non-compliant group livestreaming accounts as part of a nationwide campaign to bring the rapidly expanding digital entertainment sector under formal regulatory control. The move marks a decisive shift from what regulators describe as “wild growth” toward standardized, quality-driven development.

The Central Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) launched the “Qinglang·Online Entertainment Group Livestreaming Chaos Rectification” special campaign on July 1, 2026, targeting six categories of violations across the sector. According to the official campaign notice, the two-month initiative focuses on account registration violations, irregular PK (player kill) competitions designed to stimulate tipping, improper gameplay inducing excessive donations, vulgar content, infringement of minors’ rights, and MCN agency management failures.

A Booming Industry Faces Scrutiny

Group livestreaming (团播) has become one of the fastest-growing segments of China’s online entertainment economy. Multiple performers broadcast together in a single session, typically featuring group dance performances, talent shows, and interactive segments that blend traditional performance with digital commerce. According to the China Performance Industry Association’s “2025 China Online Performance Industry Group Livestreaming Business Status and Development Analysis Report,” the group livestreaming market was projected to exceed 15 billion yuan (approximately $2.1 billion) in 2025, with over 8,000 group livestreaming rooms broadcasting daily.

However, this explosive growth has brought significant problems. As Xinhua News noted in its August 4 commentary, some practitioners have drifted from proper conduct under the logic of “traffic above all”: performers wearing revealing clothing and making sexually suggestive movements, using coded phrases like “unlock benefits” to induce tipping, and even involving minors in livestreams or impersonating minors to solicit donations.

Enforcement Actions and Typical Cases

The CAC’s enforcement actions, announced on August 3, have been wide-ranging. As China Daily reported, the disposed accounts included those with members wearing revealing clothing and performing sexually suggestive movements, accounts that involved minors in livestreaming or used school uniforms and childlike voices to induce tipping, and accounts that used coded language to stimulate excessive donations or orchestrated humiliating PK punishments.

The People’s Daily reported that the CAC directed platforms to strengthen content management and handle violations according to laws and regulations, with typical cases publicly disclosed to create deterrence. The Guancha (Observer) news outlet detailed specific cases, including accounts like “Shenwei Space” and “Honghuang Lv De Lv” that were banned for sexually suggestive content, and “Shenghuo Moping Liao Dan De Miaocuijiao” which was shut down for involving minors.

Building the Regulatory Framework

The current campaign builds on a layered regulatory framework that has been developing since 2023. Douyin (TikTok China) issued its first “Group Livestreaming Content Management Standards” in 2023, followed by agency management standards in 2025. By August 2025, the platform had taken enforcement action against 28 group livestreaming agencies for improper business practices.

A significant milestone came on January 27, 2026, when the China Performance Industry Association released the first-ever national industry standard for group livestreaming, the “Network Performance Group Livestreaming Operation Management Requirements” (T/ZGYC 011—2026). As CNR (央广网) reported, the standard covers institutional and personnel requirements, content and technology standards, costume and makeup management, safety guarantees, and social responsibility. The Wenhui Daily report noted that the standard was jointly drafted by the association, platform companies including Douyin, and operating agencies.

The CAC’s October 2025 “Qinglang·Rectification of Online Livestreaming Tipping Chaos” campaign, as Southern Metropolis Daily reported, had already targeted low-vulgarity group livestreaming inducing tipping as one of four priority areas. The July 2026 campaign represents the first dedicated national initiative specifically targeting group livestreaming issues.

Beyond Enforcement: A Constructive Vision

A notable aspect of this regulatory push is its dual-track approach. While cracking down on violations, regulators are simultaneously encouraging the entry of state-owned cultural institutions into the group livestreaming space, signaling that the goal is not to suppress the industry but to elevate its quality standards.

The “Big Drama on Group Livestream” support plan, launched on June 25, 2026, brings classic productions like “Only Blue and Green” (只此青绿) and “Awakening Lion” (醒·狮) to livestream platforms. As Southern Metropolis Daily reported, 57 state-owned performing arts troupes had established regular group livestreaming operations on Douyin as of June 2026, with over 16,000 cumulative livestreams reaching 320 million viewers.

Wu Fangmei, director of the Network Market Supervision Division at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, told Southern Metropolis Daily that the “classic theater works + group livestreaming” model “not only breaks through the time and space limitations of theaters and expands the boundaries of cultural dissemination, but is also an important measure to enrich the supply of quality cultural products and fill the content gaps in online livestreaming.”

For individual performers, the shift has been transformative. He Lu, a performer at the Guangzhou Song and Dance Theatre, told Southern Metropolis Daily: “Previously on the theater stage, even my parents would find it hard to spot me in the uniform ensemble; now in the livestreaming room, I have my own dedicated camera and background, and I can shine on the small screen.”

The Road Ahead

Commentators have emphasized that disposing of non-compliant accounts is not the end of governance. As Red Star News commentary argued, “governance cannot only focus on the ‘front stage’; it must also control the ‘backstage’” — meaning platforms and MCN agencies must bear responsibility for the content ecosystem they enable.

The Guangming Daily reported that the campaign requires platforms to improve content review and risk identification mechanisms, optimize algorithm direction, and increase the cost of violations for repeat offenders.

Xinhua’s commentary struck a forward-looking tone: “Traffic will eventually recede; only quality endures. Hold the bottom lines of law, morality, and minor protection, and promote group livestreaming from ‘wild growth’ toward regulated development.”

As the two-month campaign enters its second month, industry observers will be watching several key questions: How will enforcement evolve after the campaign concludes? Will the industry standard become mandatory rather than voluntary? And how will platforms balance content moderation with the economic incentives of the tipping model? The answers will determine whether China’s group livestreaming industry can achieve sustainable growth that benefits both creators and audiences.