Since the joint Korea-US decision to deploy the THAAD battery in Korea last July, a de facto Hallyu ban has been in place in China. Following is the last article in a three-part series that examines the impact of the unofficial Hallyu ban on the Korean entertainment and tourism industries. –Ed.

While Korean TV dramas are still easy to access illegally in China, Korean producers seek new profit sources elsewhere

The Chinese government appears to be tightening its control of Korean content.

On Feb. 24, China’s media and online regulatory body issued orders restricting the latest Korean content, including variety programs, according to reports. Sites that officially imported Korean content, such as Youku and Tencent, subsequently deleted all Korean content from 2017, leaving only content from last year and earlier.

The news, the latest in a series of Chinese regulations aimed at curtailing circulation of Korean content that began around August last year, has major Korean production companies wringing their hands, industry executives say. Before the ban, China was the second-largest importer of Korean broadcast content after Japan, accounting for approximately 26 per cent of Korea’s total broadcast content exports in 2015, according to a report released by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning and the Korea Communications Commission in January.

Since the ban, however, contracts for a number of high-cost drama series, such as “Saimdang, Light’s Diary,” targeting Chinese audiences have fallen through.

Illegal streaming still rampant

Rather than forgoing Korean content altogether, however, many Chinese viewers are turning to illegal sites that stream pirated Korean shows.

“I binge-watched ‘Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo,'” said Hou Jiayin, 20, an exchange student from China, referring to the MBC drama series that ended here in January, but which has not been officially exported to China. Hou watched the series on a streaming site while on vacation in China last month.

Hou and Yi Bairui, 18 and also an exchange student from China, showed several streaming apps on their smartphones, saying they had heard their Korean friends talk about the Hallyu content ban, but that not many Chinese have realised it. When the two students were in China last month, none of the free streaming sites they frequented had shut down, they said.

Tian Xue, 29, and Fan Pu, 31, in Korea to shop for items for their retail clothing business, agreed that from Chinese viewers’ perspective, it does not feel any more difficult to access Korean content in China than before the ban.

Alternative measures, new markets?

Korean drama production companies have long been eyeing markets other than China, but the reality is that the Chinese slice of the pie is too big, according to industry insiders.

“It’s much less profitable to sell (shows) to Southeast Asia and South America. The prices are lower,” said the director of a major media production company who asked for anonymity. “It’s hard to reach out to the US and Europe because of differences in cultural sensibility.”

On the other hand, Korean content creators are being offered deals to bring their products to a broader global audience. On Monday, Netflix announced it would team up with director Kim Sung-hoon, who helmed 2016 disaster drama film “Tunnel,” and scriptwriter Kim Eun-hee, who penned the 2016 sci-fi thriller TV series “Signal,” to create a new zombie series set in the Joseon era. The series, titled “Kingdom,” will be the first original Korean-language content produced by Netflix and distributed globally.

Remakes of Korean content could also offer potential growth, according to Park Hyun, CEO of DramaFever, a subscription-based service streaming Korean TV dramas in the Americas. The site, which became a subsidiary of Warner Bros. last year, is currently in talks to option Korean titles for American remakes.

“It may not be the right moment to air all-Korean content on mainstream channels in the US. But in the long run, if the remakes are successful, they could be syndicated.”

Sure, Patrick Stewart is adorable and anyone would be lucky enough to call him a friend. But a delighted Patrick Stewart greeting his new furry companion? That’s whole new levels of endearing.

The actor teamed up with American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and Wags and Walks to adopt Ginger, a pitbull, and shared the sweetest video of their first interaction.

“Oh there she is!,” Stewart exclaimed as he peered out his window. “Look who’s here. Wow. That’s beautiful-hi, love,” he said before being smothered by dog kisses. “Thank you for that, that was a very nice greeting.”

If your heart didn’t melt watching the video, try watching it again. Stewart later tweeted an update, saying Ginger was “sleeping and snoring on our couch and I can honestly think of no greater compliment.”

In other Patrick Stewart/dog news of the day, this pup looks exactly like the actor.

Then this happened, and we lost all control of the English language:

Big day for both dogs and Patrick Stewart.

Read the full article here.

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Season Seven of Game Of Thrones premieres on July 16, HBO announced on March 9 in an elaborate marketing stunt which elated and bemused fans of the hit fantasy show.

In a gimmick described by the New York Times as “memorably misguided,” the US cable network revealed all in a Facebook Live video showing a block of ice which viewers had to melt by commenting “Fire” to reveal the date.

The process was supposed to take a touch under 15 minutes – already a long time to be concentrating on a block of slowly melting ice – but the video malfunctioned several times, drawing out the process to more than an hour.

Read also: ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel in the works

The debacle sparked snarky posts on Twitter, where #GoTS7 remained one of the top trending hashtags worldwide for hours after the announcement.”Whoever is in charge of the @GameofThrones S7 premiere date reveal is getting a visit from Septa Unella,” tweeted one frustrated fan, invoking the brutal nun of the show’s fifth and sixth seasons.”Next year, @HBO, a press release will do,” said fan account @BeautyBrienne.

Game Of Thrones tells the story of noble families vying for control of the Iron Throne, all the while keeping one eye on the “White Walkers” leading hordes of the undead toward an invasion from the North.

Read also: HBO to show ‘Game of Thrones’ marathon before year ends

Since its debut in 2010, the fantasy epic – which has 38 Emmys, more than any other narrative show in history – has been the target of criticism for senseless violence and, more controversially, its pervasive use of rape as a dramatic device.

The adult themes have not deterred viewers of the show, which has grown its audience in the US to more than 25 million, and is breaking records across the world.

The sixth season of Game Of Thrones was the first to move beyond George R.R. Martin’s A Song Of Ice And Fire novels.

Showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss last year announced a shortened run of episodes for the final two seasons after HBO had already confirmed a seventh season would return in summer, a departure from the usual April premieres.

The show has been teasing winter’s arrival since its pilot episode, and with the Season Six finale titled The Winds Of Winter, the camera crew has been forced to wait for colder weather.

Benioff told fans at San Diego Comic-Con in July last year shooting would not finish until February and that “there’s no way to get the show out there until summer”.