As Podcasts Gain Popularity in China, Censorship Concerns Rise: "Space to Speak Narrows"

Chinese Podcasts Gain Popularity with Relatively Free Speech
Despite Growing Popularity, Concerns Over Increased "Censorship and Surveillance"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] As podcast listenership surges in China, concerns are growing that censorship, which has been relatively lenient compared to other media, will become more stringent, reported Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 29th.

SCMP stated that podcast content in China has so far been used as a space where speech could be shared more freely compared to other media, with authorities exercising loose surveillance. Most censorship could be avoided by simply modifying problematic titles or deleting written descriptions.

Podcaster Wan Ying, who has about 20,000 listeners per episode, explained, "If something is suspicious, you can say it but should not write it down," adding, "Police officers still do not fully understand the podcast field, so audio-format podcasts can completely evade censorship." Podcaster Joy Chi also said, "By discussing personal stories on podcasts, it is possible to highlight controversial topics."

Podcasts in China have been rapidly growing in recent years. According to a 2018 report from the United States, the annual market value of China's podcast industry was estimated at $3 billion (approximately 3.2823 trillion KRW). Industry insiders expect investment and demand for podcasts to continue increasing.

Accordingly, podcasters are worried that government censorship may intensify as their audience grows. There is concern that if podcasts become mainstream content, the number of authorities monitoring them will also increase. According to SCMP, recently, podcast content criticizing the government's COVID-19 prevention measures was uploaded to WeChat, China's largest messenger application, but was swiftly deleted.

One podcast producer said, "The space to stand is getting narrower," predicting, "Podcasting, which is conducted for the purpose of free speech, may be halted within the next year and a half." Another host remarked, "Everyone just talked about what interested them; no one made content for the majority," but added, "However, I cannot be sure if this will remain the case in the future."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.