Shows need grading system

Four popular American TV shows aired on Chinese video websites have been blocked "for policy reasons", creating a controversy over regulatory transparency.

The four shows - The Big Bang Theory, The Good Wife, NCIS and The Practice - were being aired through major online video providers and have attracted tens of thousands of followers in China, who suddenly found their favorite shows inaccessible over the weekend. What they could see on the screen was only: "We cannot provide the program for policy reasons".

The ban has left many Chinese viewers bewildered. According to Sohu's website, which had introduced The Big Bang Theory, the episodes have been viewed 1.3 billion times.