According to People’s Daily Online, the State Administration of Radio Film and Television (SARFT) has decided to limit the total number of pop music singing competition programmes. SARFT will take measures to control the total amount of time allocated to the making and broadcasting of reality singing shows. It will also require satellite TV stations to televise the existing shows at different broadcast times.

According to Xinhua, the decision was made to prevent such programmes from clogging airwaves this summer. The Xinhua report also notes that these measures are being taken to encourage broadcasters to “be thrifty in programme production,” keeping in line with central government austerity measures. 

Singing competitions enjoy enormous popularity among China’s television watchers, especially in the summer months, and Zhejiang Satellite TV’s Voice of China set the nation’s TV ratings record earlier this month.