Users of Xiaomi TV box and other China made popular Android TV streaming boxes have been enjoying free HD TV or movies for the past few years. This is all thanks to the unregulated nature of the internet and apps that stream LIVE or VOD programmes from overseas servers.
Users relying on such internet tv will now have to think otherwise because the China’s State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) has set up new rules to govern the set top box market. It has so far banned 81 popular 3rd party android apps which illegally transmits tv channels over the internet.
Some of these popular apps incldue Fengyun Live, Ximalaya FM etc. In fact, Alibaba’s Tmall Box has now blocked access to 81 apps SAPPRFT banned on Sunday. New firmware are automatically updated via the internet which blocks all those apps.
It is now known if set top boxes used outside China will be affected by this enw regulation.
If it does, your days of free video streaming might come to an abrupt end as countries are now trying to protect the copyright of their production.