《周六夜現(xiàn)場》中國版遭下架

BEIJING — When NBCUniversal announced last year that a version of “Saturday Night Live” would be made for a Chinese audience, it was unclear how a show that thrives on political satire could survive in a country run by a Communist Party that tolerates no criticism.

北京——當(dāng)NBC環(huán)球(NBCUniversal)去年宣布，將制作一個迎合中國觀眾口味的《周六夜現(xiàn)場》(Saturday Night Live，簡稱SNL)版本時，人們都不清楚，在一個不容忍任何批評的共產(chǎn)黨統(tǒng)治的國家里，這個以政治諷刺為題材的節(jié)目是否能生存下去。

Now, just weeks after “Saturday Night Live China” made its debut — with no overtly political content — its future looks even more doubtful. Viewers who tuned in over the weekend discovered that the show was not available from its host, the Chinese video-streaming platform Youku.

現(xiàn)在，在《周六夜現(xiàn)場》中國版(Saturday Night Live China)首季播出幾周后，盡管其中并沒有明顯的政治內(nèi)容，但節(jié)目的未來看來已更令人生疑。想收看該節(jié)目的觀眾上周末發(fā)現(xiàn)，無法在中國視頻播放平臺優(yōu)酷上看這個節(jié)目。

“The site you were searching for has just gone to explore Pluto,” a notice at the show’s Youku page said.

“您找的頁面飄得有點遠......”，優(yōu)酷主頁上的一則通知說。

NBCUniversal executives in the United States and Britain could not immediately be reached for comment during China’s business day on Tuesday. A customer service agent for Youku, who declined to be identified, said that all episodes of the show had been temporarily removed from Youku pending “a rectification and upgrade of its content.” She added that Youku had removed the episodes at the request of the show’s production team.

記者無法在中國周二的工作時間里第一時間聯(lián)系到NBC環(huán)球在美國和英國的高管置評。優(yōu)酷的一位拒絕透露姓名的客戶服務(wù)代理說，該節(jié)目內(nèi)容有待“整改提高”，第一季的所有各集已暫時從優(yōu)酷網(wǎng)上撤下。她補充說，優(yōu)酷撤節(jié)目是應(yīng)節(jié)目制作團隊的要求。

“We don’t know when it’s coming back,” she said.

“我們不知道它什么時候回來，”她說。

When “Saturday Night Live China” was announced last year, Michael Edelstein, then the president of NBCUniversal International Studios, told the British news outlet Broadcast that the show would be “true to its format with some additional twists to keep it fresh and culturally relevant for the local audience.”

去年宣布《周六夜現(xiàn)場》中國版時，時任NBC環(huán)球國際工作室(NBCUniversal International Studios)總裁的邁克爾·埃德爾斯坦(Michael Edelstein)對英國新聞機構(gòu)Broadcast說，該節(jié)目會“保持其原有的形式，但會有一些額外的轉(zhuǎn)折，以保持新鮮感，以及對本地觀眾的文化相關(guān)性”。

“With Youku as a home, we are confident that ‘S.N.L. China’ will be innovative and entertaining, whilst still being culturally sensitive and respectful,” Mr. Edelstein was quoted by Broadcast as saying.

“以優(yōu)酷做平臺，我們對SNL中國版的創(chuàng)新性和娛樂性信心十足，同時也對節(jié)目的文化敏感性、以及對當(dāng)?shù)匚幕淖鹬赜行判模?rdquo;Broadcast援引埃德爾斯坦的話說。

The show, one of several international versions of “Saturday Night Live,” differs from the original in key ways besides language. It isn’t live, for starters, and it doesn’t directly address politics in China or elsewhere.

中國版是《周六夜現(xiàn)場》的幾個國際版本之一，除了語言外，內(nèi)容與原版也有重要的不同。首先，它不是現(xiàn)場直播，也不直接涉及中國或其他地方的政治。

In the show’s second episode, one skit mocked China’s national soccer team, which did not qualify for the World Cup in Russia. “When the Soviet Union disintegrated, China’s rank dropped by about 20,” a character says of the team. “Then it dropped again when the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia broke up. And then there was the breakup of Serbia and Montenegro, and Kosovo.”

第一季的第二集中，有一個嘲笑中國國家男子足球隊的小品，中國男足未能通過參加俄羅斯世界杯的資格賽。“當(dāng)年前蘇聯(lián)解體，國足的排名一下掉了十幾位，”小品中的一個角色這樣評論男足。“前南斯拉夫分裂，國足的排名，又掉了四五位。再加上科索沃獨立，塞黑分家，南北蘇丹內(nèi)戰(zhàn)。”

Another skit portrayed a matriarchal society where polyandry is common and men are tyrannized by women. “My male compatriots, have you felt you have been bullied and suppressed by females?” a male comedian asks. “Have you noticed that the women in your family are always condescending?” (Answer: “Yes!”)

另一個小品是對母系社會的描述，在那里，一妻多夫很常見，男人被女人欺負。“我的男性同胞們，你們覺得自己受女性的欺負和壓制嗎?”一名男性喜劇演員問道。“你注意到你家的女人總對你居高臨下嗎?”(回答：“是呀!”)

On Douban, a Chinese social network that focuses on culture, users have given the American version of “Saturday Night Live” a rating of 9.2 out of 10. But the Chinese version’s rating is just 4.9 out of 10, and many viewers have ridiculed it as either not entertaining or else inappropriate for a Chinese context.

在關(guān)注文化的中國社交網(wǎng)站豆瓣上，用戶對美國版《周六夜現(xiàn)場》的評分是9.2(滿分10分)。但中國版的評分僅為4.9，許多觀眾嘲笑它既沒有娛樂性，也不符合中國的情況。

“My thirst for knowledge urged me to try ‘S.N.L.’ and my survival instinct nudged me to fast-forward through,” one user wrote on Douban, referring to the Chinese version. “There are way too many things to grumble about.”

“我對知識的渴求促使我去試看SNL。我的生存本能促使我快播到底，”一位用戶在豆瓣上這樣評價中國版。“有太多可抱怨的東西。”

“‘S.N.L.’ is supposed to be a show poking fun at current affairs and politicians, and this is impossible in China,” another Douban user wrote. “Therefore, the show already has a congenital defect, not to mention inferior jokes.”

“SNL本來是一個取笑時事和政客的節(jié)目，但這在中國是不可能的，”另一名豆瓣網(wǎng)用戶寫道。“因此，節(jié)目已經(jīng)先天不足，就別提其中的低級笑話了。”

But other social media users lamented what looked like another casualty of the Chinese government’s censorship of online life.

但其他社交媒體用戶也表達了對看來是中國政府審查網(wǎng)上生活的又一受害者的遺憾。

“Sigh, I feel sad,” a user wrote on Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like platform. “I’m not allowed to watch the movies or the reality shows that I like.”

“唉，我很難過，”一位用戶在新浪微博上寫道。“我看不成我喜歡的電影或真人秀。”

In a notice last week, China’s top media regulator issued guidelines that it said were meant to ensure that TV shows for young people promote “core values of socialism.” The regulator said its goal was to help young people avoid “vulgar and harmful” programs and “enjoy the summer vacation in a clean and regulated cyberspace.”

在上周的一份通知中，中國最高媒體監(jiān)管機構(gòu)宣布了其指導(dǎo)方針，稱其目的為確保面向年輕人的電視節(jié)目宣傳“社會主義核心價值觀”。該機構(gòu)說，通知的目的是幫助年輕人避免“低俗有害”的節(jié)目，“在天朗氣清的網(wǎng)絡(luò)空間歡度暑假”。

It was unclear if the disappearance of “S.N.L. China” from Youku was linked to that announcement, much less whether the show fit the regulator’s definition of “vulgar and harmful.” Calls to the regulator — the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television — were not answered on Tuesday.

尚不清楚SNL中國版從優(yōu)酷上消失與這份通知是否有關(guān)系，更不知道該節(jié)目是不是監(jiān)管機構(gòu)認為的“低俗有害”的東西。周二，記者給國家廣播電視總局打的電話無人接聽。

Last month, a person close to the show’s production team told the Chinese news outlet Caixin Global that his two favorite jokes in the first episode had been cut from the edited broadcast. He said the jokes had touched on drugs, childbirth and blind dating — and one of the most politically sensitive subjects in China, Taiwan, the self-governing island that China considers part of its territory. His account could not be independently verified.

上個月，一位熟悉節(jié)目制作團隊的人士對中國的英文新聞媒體財新全球(Caixin Global)說，第一集中他最喜歡的兩個笑話被剪掉了。他說，這些笑話涉及毒品、生小孩和男女初次約會等內(nèi)容，有的還涉及了中國最具政治敏感性的話題之一：臺灣。臺灣是一個自治的島嶼，大陸當(dāng)局認為它是中國領(lǐng)土的一部分。此人說法無法獨立核實。

Chinese streaming services like Youku have a financial incentive to expand their online offerings.

對像優(yōu)酷這樣的中國流媒體服務(wù)而言，擴大其在線服務(wù)內(nèi)容是有利可圖的。

In a 2016 report on China’s media and entertainment industries, the London-based consultancy PwC said Chinese advertisers spent $920 million on video ads in 2015, and that the figure was expected to more than double within five years. It said streaming services like Youku were competing for advertising revenue partly by buying rights to show American movies and other online entertainment.

總部位于倫敦的咨詢公司普華永道(PwC)在2016年發(fā)布的一份關(guān)于中國媒體和娛樂業(yè)的報告中說，中國廣告商2015年在視頻廣告上的支出為9.2億美元，預(yù)計這一數(shù)字在五年內(nèi)會增長一倍以上。報告說，優(yōu)酷等流媒體服務(wù)通過購買美國電影和其他在線娛樂節(jié)目的播放權(quán)來爭奪廣告收入。

“Looking ahead, success might well be dictated by which online streaming service can negotiate the best deals with the American studios,” the report said.

“展望未來，成功與否很有可能取決于哪家在線流服務(wù)能與美國制片公司達成最佳的協(xié)議，”報告說。