The move suggests government attention is intensifying on the online streaming industry, which is freer than state television and China's cinemas to show foreign productions and other content and has stretched the boundaries of what can be seen in the country.
A spokeswoman for a leading online video site, Youku, said it had received notification yesterday not to show sitcom "The Big Bang Theory," political and legal drama "The Good Wife," crime drama "NCIS" and legal drama "The Practice." Of those, Youku shows only "The Good Wife."
A senior manager at another site, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said it received the surprise order last week to "clean their website."
The order, which was identical to the one sent to Youku and other companies, also listed a Chinese slapstick miniseries made by another site, Sohu, as having to be removed, said the manager.
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Calls to the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television rang unanswered today, and Sohu did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
From time to time the regulator limits American-style reality TV and other light fare on satellite channels, ostensibly to stop "vulgar content."
Some observers suspect authorities are concerned they are taking too much audience away from the national broadcaster, which the government sees as a tool to mold public opinion.