May 18, 2025 08:00:00

Co-CEO says not a single episode of Netflix's shows could get around China's censors

By 2024, Netflix's paid subscriber base had

topped 300 million, making it a huge leap forward in the VOD industry, but the co-CEO revealed that there were officially no Chinese subscribers, because none of Netflix's programs had been able to get through China's censorship and none could be distributed.

Ted Sarandos: 'Not a Single Episode' Cleared China's Censorship Board
https://www.indiewire.com/news/business/ted-sarandos-china-censorship-board-1235117902/

China is not a Netflix distribution area, so locals must use alternative communication methods such as VPNs to watch. It is a huge blow that a service that is paid by 300 million people around the world cannot target China, which has a population of 1.4 billion. In fact, Netflix has been approaching China for years, but in the end, it seems that it has not been able to distribute in China.

According to Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, Netflix had already been considering expanding into China in 2010, three years after the company's official launch. Netflix spent two to three years obtaining the necessary licenses from third-party companies to operate in China, but it never got past China's 'censorship committee.'

According to Sarandos, the Chinese government does not seem to be happy about Western companies operating in the country. In the end, Netflix's efforts to enter China for 15 years have been unsuccessful, but Sarandos has taken advantage of this situation and self-deprecatingly called itself 'the rare American company that is not censored by China.'

Even if a work gets through the censorship, it may be hindered by 'tariffs' when exporting to China. The tariffs between the United States and China have been fluctuating wildly at the command of President Donald Trump, and the film industry is no exception.

The US will reduce tariffs on Chinese products from 145% to 30% for 90 days, but high tariffs on small items will continue, putting SHEIN and Temu in a difficult position - GIGAZINE

On the other hand, when asked about the domestic market, 'Why doesn't Hollywood get more attention as an industry when it's working so hard to create jobs in the United States?' Sarandos replied, 'The entertainment industry is being overlooked.'

'People often forget, but Netflix alone will contribute $125 billion to the U.S. economy between 2020 and 2024, create 140,000 production jobs, 500 jobs, and shoot film and TV in all 50 states. The vast majority of our investments are in the U.S., but I think it's an industry that's overlooked. People forget that this is a real business,' Sarandos said.

President Trump appointed Mel Gibson, Sylvester Stallone, and Jon Voight as 'special ambassadors' to serve as the 'eyes and ears' of Hollywood to prevent it from losing business to foreign countries, but according to a report from the Los Angeles Times , the special ambassadors have not announced any specific priorities or goals and have had little contact with Los Angeles or Hollywood leaders seeking to bring jobs back to the US.