Governance of TV "dolls" charges, chronic diseases require drastic treatment

Author: Jiang Debin

On August 21st, the State Administration of Radio and Television, in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the State Administration for Market Supervision and Administration, the Central Radio and Television Administration, the China Consumer Association, and other relevant units, held a mobilization and deployment meeting in Beijing to address the complex charging and operation of TV "dolls". By the end of this year, pilot work and special rectification will be carried out, focusing on solving the problem of "too many charging packages, too many charging entities, and opaque charging". The phenomenon of TV "dolls" charging will be significantly improved; Vigorously improve the user experience of watching TV when turning on, and basically achieve the ability to watch live TV channels immediately after turning on cable TV and IPTV.

The vast number of users have been struggling with TV "dolls" charging for a long time. Even many people are nostalgic for the era when you only need to pay for cable TV and turn on your phone to watch TV channels, where a remote control dominates the world. The typical foolproof operation, toll free routine, and convenience for all ages. With the upgrading and upgrading of televisions, there are more and more functions, but the operation is becoming more and more complex, and the charging items are also numerous. Many users, facing a bunch of remote controls and complex interfaces, can no longer watch TV, and if they are not careful, they will fall into the platform's charging routine. Users often spend hundreds or thousands of yuan per year, but cannot watch complete TV programs and are forced to watch various advertisements, which undoubtedly makes it unbearable for users. Public opinion has repeatedly called for the rectification of arbitrary fees, and the China Consumers Association has also criticized this, finally ushering in a joint governance by multiple departments.

The long-standing problem of TV "dolls" charging has deeply bound the interests of platforms and manufacturers. The online TV market is in a platform monopoly pattern, and various charging methods have brought rich profits, which will definitely not be voluntarily abandoned. Therefore, relying solely on regulatory authorities to issue documents is not enough. Practical actions need to be taken, such as thunderous governance measures, agreeing on rules for platforms and factories, clarifying the charging standards and boundaries of smart TV and video apps, strictly prohibiting charging beyond the scope, prohibiting "toy" charging, requiring limited rectification, and avoiding users being treated as "Tang Monk meat" and being arbitrarily used or slaughtered. For those who refuse to improve after repeated education or refuse to rectify, heavy penalties may be imposed in accordance with regulations.

At present, the most criticized "doll" charging by users is that the traps are too many and too deep, seriously damaging consumer rights and interests, which is itself unreasonable. For this, we can refer to cable TV fees and adopt a "one go" pricing model, where the platform packages various channels for charging to simplify the process and reduce the economic burden on users. At the same time, it is necessary to standardize the advertising content, frequency, and total duration of online television. For free users, advertising can be increased, while for paid users, the number of ad pop-up times should be limited to achieve clear differentiation and allow paid users to enjoy the due treatment.

After calling for a halt to the charging of 'dolls', platforms and manufacturers will be cut off a large portion of their profits. How to fill it has become the most urgent task. Therefore, it is also necessary to prevent merchants from "sneaking in" and filling this "black hole" by "innovating" other fee items, indirectly increasing the burden on users. At the same time, encourage platforms and manufacturers to tap into potential and increase efficiency, adjust charging standards appropriately, actively explore value-added projects, produce high-quality video content, improve service quality, attract more users to join members, and achieve stable development. (Jiang Debin)