Video websites in China are investing big time in self-produced Internet dramas to capitalize on the sudden slowdown in the production of traditional TV dramas because of government restrictions on the latter's broadcast, says an article in Beijing Times. Excerpts:

Director Teng Huatao, whose movies and TV dramas have been very popular with the audience, has announced that his first Internet drama will go online this fall. Within a few months, major video websites, including tudou.com, tencent.com, iqiyi.com and levtv.com, have invested hundreds of millions of yuan to make their own Internet dramas.

The sudden blow that government restrictions dealt to traditional TV dramas is responsible for the growth in Internet dramas. The government has introduced a new policy that one TV drama can be broadcast on a maximum of two TV channels, down from the previous four.

Before the rise of Internet dramas, online video websites were fighting to buy the broadcasting rights for movies, which led to the increase in star actors' pay. Stars' paychecks became an even heavier burden for TV drama producers after the broadcast restrictions.

Several Internet dramas, including a suspense story and a nostalgic teenagers' love story, have generated positive reviews this summer. Some websites have invited more experienced teams from Japan to help with their productions. It seems Internet dramas are set to attract more investments and talents, and could offer a wide variety of stories to the audience.