Netflix Round 6 serial name banned in China e-commerce
The keyword “Squid Game” has apparently been banned from major e-commerce platforms in China. On Tuesday (), the South China Morning Post reported that the search for the term referring to the new sensation of Netflix, known as Round 6 in Brazil, did not return any results in the marketplaces of Taobao (operated by Alibaba), Pinduoduo and JD.com.
So far, none of the platforms e-commerce companies responded about banning the term on their marketplaces. However, the most likely reason for this alleged ban on the use of the attraction’s name would be because of restrictions involving commercial licenses, as Netflix and its catalog are not available in China.
With the prohibition of the term on the websites, retailers had to adopt alternative descriptions for products related to the Korean series such as “squid mask”, “halloween costumes” and “Korea”. “Based on our experience, only the keyword ‘Squid Game’ cannot be used on these platforms” said one of the traders who identified himself as Zeng.
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Merchandise related to the South Korean series has generated a lot of traffic and a windfall for many merchants in China due to the popularity of the series, despite the strict rules of content licensing imposed by Beijing.
According to Wang Xiaohui, content director for Chinese video streaming platform iQiyi, it is very unlikely that Netflix’s original series will be adapted for Chinese audiences due to the “content relatively obscure” of the program.
Although Netflix remains unavailable in China, many Internet users in the country are still able to access streaming through the use of the Network s Virtual Private (VPN).
Netflix not available in China
Like many US tech and entertainment companies, Netflix was unable to enter the Chinese market due to issues related to strong competition, local streaming prices low and mostly censorship, with authorities restricting how the entertainment industry should operate and what can be shown in terms of foreign films and series.
In
, the film and serials provider signed a content licensing agreement with iQiyi to create a subset of Netflix’s original series. Two years later, the partnership fell apart due to the lack of engagement of the Chinese audience with the content, according to Gong Yu, CEO of iQiyi.
Last September, Netflix co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings reported that the company has been focusing on growth opportunities around the world, but not in China.
A year earlier, Hastings had already said that his company was investing more in acquiring content rights and producing its own original Mandarin works to attract Mandarin speakers outside of China.
Source: techtimes,Business Insider,CNBC
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