DouYu Boss under Investigation in China over Gambling, Pornography

Earlier this year, the internet regulator in China, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), announced an unexpected probe into one of the local operations of DouYu, the Tencent Holdings-backed leading live streaming platform. At the time, local media reports confirmed that the watchdog sought to address issues with the platform related to pornography, among other content that is prohibited in the country.

Now, a Monday report released by China state-owned media outlet, Cover News, reveals that contact with Chen Shaojie, DouYu’s chairman, has been lost recently. While the report did not confirm that the chairman has been arrested, some local media outlets suggested that this may be the case. Allegedly, Shaojie’s disappearance may relate to content on the streaming platform involving gambling and pornography.

Details on the topic remain scarce but according to the recently released report, Shaojie was “taken away” by authorities in China. He is allegedly assisting with an ongoing investigation. The last time DouYu’s boss was seen was approximately three weeks ago. It remains unclear what the target of the investigation is and whether or not it is related to the probe of the CAC dating to earlier this year.

Not the First Time High-Ranking Executive Goes Missing

Although the latest announcement comes as a surprise, it is not the first time a high-ranking official in China has gone missing. Recently, Bao Fan, the founder and CEO of China Renaissance, and Jack Ma, the CEO of the globally recognized eCommerce business, Alibaba, also temporarily went out of public view.

This week, the South China Morning Post obtained a statement from DouYu in light of the news about Shaojie’s “disappearance.” The leading live-streaming company explained that its operations continue as normal. However, DouYu did not disclose information about its chairman’s whereabouts and neither confirmed nor rejected reports about his involvement in an ongoing investigation in China.

The last time Shaojie appeared publicly was this summer. Back in August, DouYu’s chairman participated in a conference call, to discuss the company’s second quarter results.