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Report: True Detective Arrives in China

By Reuben Levine

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A series breaking into a new market isn’t always newsworthy. But that changes when the market in question is China, a country which has heavy censorship by the government. China will frequently censor video games or simply deny them release, a practice which has been a thorn in the side of Chinese gamers for some time. According to Time — via The Wall Street Journal’s Paywalled content — HBO has seen fit to strike a deal with Tencent, a giant among Chinese tech companies.

This will pave the way for streaming of series such as Game of Thrones and True Detective. While this is good news on the surface, the reality of releasing these series in China is complicated and unpleasant. It’s impossible that show such as True Detective will be able to survive in China without heavy edits, perhaps making it a different series altogether.

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And while there is some enjoyment to be had by seeing a butchered True Detective, it is ultimately a disservice to Chinese fans. As the Time article points out, Game of Thrones was so heavily edited that it resembled a documentary more than anything else.

It’s great news that there will be a legitimate outlet for True Detective, but actual fans of the show are unlikely to ditch their pirated versions for horribly edited ones. It’s a step in the right direction, I guess.

Via: Time

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