Zimuzu and media industry in China
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
Media Industries
Publication Date
Spring 2017
Volume
4
Issue
1
Publisher
Michigan Publishing
Keywords
China, Community, Distribution, Regulation
Abstract
Zimuzu (字幕組, ZMZ) are Chinese online communities that share subtitled versions of foreign television and movies, often within hours of domestic release. Although unauthorized and unlicensed, the programs are streamed and downloaded on tablets and smartphones, free of charge. ZMZ allow many thousands of Chinese viewers to devour foreign fare (e.g., Prison Break, Desperate Housewives, The Big Bang Theory), sidestepping official channels of circulation. The volunteerism of ZMZ subtitlers is remarkable and distinctive, and it may not be too much to call ZMZ an industry. We propose understanding ZMZ within the spheres of marketization and the regulatory framework of China’s media industry. In scale, organization, and professionalism, ZMZ typify slippage between state regulation and market-driven media consumption.
DOI
10.3998/mij.15031809.0004.102
E-ISSN
23739037
Funding Information
The authors acknowledge support from “Connected Viewing Initiative,” Media Industry Project, Carsey-Wolf Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2017 Michigan Publishing.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Davis, D. W., & Yeh, E. Y.-y. (2017). Zimuzu and media industry in China. Media Industries, 4(1). doi: 10.3998/mij.15031809.0004.102