Xbox One becomes the only compliant set-top box whose cheese is moved by the serial number regulation?

Regarding the issue of whether Internet TV set-top boxes should stay or go, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, as the regulatory department, has always shown an absolute and resolute attitude.

At the beginning of the new year, the news that "SARFT tightened the approval of OTT boxes and that they cannot be put on the market without serial numbers" has once again triggered a new round of panic and anxiety in the OTT box market. This may indicate that in the coming 2015, the supervision of the entire OTT market by SARFT will be even more stringent than in 2014.

However, given the astonishingly large number of existing and incremental users in the market, can the SARFT, the embodiment of justice and credibility, eradicate the problematic market of Internet TV set-top boxes in accordance with Document No. 181? Or will TV box manufacturers, who cannot escape government supervision, finally embark on a stable and legal path?

The old tune is repeated and strict supervision is implemented

Prior to this, the supervision of the TV box market by the radio and television mainly focused on the content of the box, that is, Internet TV set-top boxes cannot directly access the public Internet, cannot conduct user management and billing authentication with transmission network operators, and cannot be sold outside designated areas, etc. The ban on Internet set-top boxes is not only the SARFT's grasp of the absolute control over TV screens, but also the most advantageous means to prevent the fall of TV screens and purify the box market.

Although both TV users and TV box manufacturers have rejected the regulatory agency SARFT for their own interests, it has to be admitted that in the past year, it was the SARFT's reinterpretation of "Document No. 181" that led the Internet TV set-top box market back to the path of formal development. After the supervision of the license content in the OTT box, a large number of counterfeit TV box manufacturers were cleared out for formal TV box companies with invisible policy means.

Of course, whether considering the safety of the cable TV box market or the tasks undertaken by the radio and television, it is difficult for the radio and television to love the existence of network set-top boxes. The implementation of regulatory policies is just a job and a reluctant defense of their own interests. After temporarily completing the control of the box content, the "magic hand" of the radio and television finally began to extend to the hardware direction of the box.

The lower has countermeasures and the upper has policies

According to the provisions of the Policy Blueprint Document No. 181, the marketing of Internet set-top boxes must go through two processes: reporting and approval by relevant departments. Currently, it can be said that only some regular boxes have completed the reporting work with licensees, and very few products have completed the approval work with radio and television authorities.

The most interesting thing is that in this round of policy investigation, there is only one company in the country that has done its TV box related work well, and that is the Microsoft game console Xbox One, which was launched in China last year. As an OTT set-top box with video on demand function, Xbox One not only reported to BesTV, its owner and licensee, but also passed the approval of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television and obtained the serial number specified by it.

The smooth clearance of Xbox One, which entered China under the banner of a game console, in this round of policies is somewhat embarrassing. Microsoft officials do not want the outside world to label Xbox One as a TV box, but due to the threshold of game content approval, the game console without games can only rely on BesTV's video content for the time being.

Not all foreign monks are easy to persuade. Since foreign products that don't quite understand the rules of the game can pass through according to our "rules" strictly, I believe that domestic regular manufacturers will not be hindered by this policy for too long.

In fact, OTT box manufacturers are used to dealing with and negotiating with the regulatory authorities, such as radio and television, and even playing with the policy "edge ball". However, the radio and television, which is dedicated to policy supervision, is not as reckless as everyone imagines. After experiencing rounds of violations, rectification, supervision, and rectification, the network set-top box market that wants to seek long-term development still needs to cooperate with the policy trend. At the same time, the existence of fluke mentality only leaves room for competitors in the same industry to compete and defeat.

Of course, it is time for OTT box manufacturers who are already familiar with the radio and television’s punching routines to re-examine the "Nine Yin Scriptures"-like Document No. 181 with the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, and thoroughly improve their own policies and regulations in the industry in one step to eliminate future worries.

Wu Chunyong, an expert on the integration of three networks, believes that "the tightening this time will not be as sudden as the crackdown in June last year. Many companies have made rectifications since June last year, so the impact will not be as obvious as last time. However, if companies are lucky and do not follow the policy regulations, hoping to make money first, there may be risks such as product obsolescence and termination of cooperation."

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.