New Regulations from the National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA)
In late August 2025, the National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) of China released the “Several Measures to Further Enrich TV Big-Screen Content and Promote the Supply of Radio, Television, and Online Audio-Visual Content”, also referred to within the industry as the “NRTA 21 Points”. This new set of regulations aims to enrich content supply, unleash creative vitality, and optimize review mechanisms through a series of measures.
Here are some key points worth noting, summarized in a table for a quick overview:
| Policy Direction | Core Measure | Notes & Interpretation |
| TV Drama Episode Management | Removal of the 40-episode cap for TV dramas. | Provides broader expressive space for major historical themes, period dramas, and other long-form series. However, excessively long productions will require special review to prevent the resurgence of “padded dramas”. |
| Costume Drama Regulation | Relaxation of strict numerical limits on costume dramas, adopting a more flexible approach. | Grants costume dramas more potential and scheduling opportunities. |
| Seasonal Drama Broadcast | Removal of the mandatory one-year interval requirement for broadcasting seasons of series. | Allows for freer scheduling of seasonal dramas, enabling a more flexible response to market and audience demands. |
| Foreign Program Adaptation & Introduction | Encouragement to adapt excellent foreign works (not limited to Japanese/Korean IP). Support for broadcasting high-quality overseas dramas, documentaries, and animations during prime time on satellite TV. Removal of the quota limit on the number of programs a single entity can introduce. | Introduces more diverse channels and genres, supporting high-quality localized productions. |
| Review Mechanism Optimization | Establishment of a synchronous review mechanism; reduction of review time limits; expert co-review for history, medical, and other specific genres not to exceed 50 days; trialing “review while broadcasting, revise while broadcasting” for series and sitcoms. | Improves review efficiency, saves time costs for producers, and fosters production innovation. |
| Micro-Short Drama Development | Explicit encouragement for excellent micro-short dramas to be broadcast on TV platforms, supporting provincial satellite TV channels in establishing micro-short drama theaters. | Promotes the transition of micro-short dramas from the “wild growth” phase on mobile devices towards mainstream and high-quality production on the big screen. Their fast pace and strong plots can beneficially complement traditional TV drama narratives. |
| Support for High-Quality Content Creation | Enhanced support for creating high-quality documentaries and animations; strengthened production and broadcasting of ultra-high-definition (UHD) programs; implementation of the “Content Revitalization Plan”. | Encourages content innovation and increases the supply of quality content. |
🧭 Main Intent of the New Regulations
The “NRTA 21 Points” aim to enrich content supply and increase high-quality content offerings by unbinding length and frequency restrictions to release creative vitality, and by optimizing review mechanisms to improve efficiency. Hu Xiang, Associate Researcher at the NRTA Development Research Center, stated that this move is necessary to address the rapid changes in media formats and audience aesthetics. It seeks to unleash industry productivity through top-level design while better respecting the laws of artistic creation and the market dynamics of the audio-visual content industry.
💡 Reminders & Outlook
The introduction of these new regulations means that audiences can expect to see more diverse genres and longer (but ideally high-quality) series, seasonal dramas with tighter broadcast schedules, and carefully selected micro-short dramas and introduced foreign programs on their TV big screens. For creators, the optimized review process and broader题材 (subject matter) scope provide a wider creative space. However, vigilance is needed against the potential return of “padded dramas,” as quality remains the lifeline.
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