DouYu head involved in gambling, pornography allegations

The chairman of DouYu, a live-streaming firm, Chen Shaojie, was reportedly “taken away” three weeks ago in the midst of an investigation.

The main live streaming network owned by Tencent Holdings, DouYu, was the subject of an unexpected probe earlier this year by China’s internet regulator, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC). At the time, local media outlets disclosed that the watchdog was working to address issues with the platform related to pornography and other content that was prohibited in the country.

China’s state-run media outlet Cover News said on Monday that there has been an abrupt break in contact with Chen Shaojie, the chairman of DouYu. Although the post refuted rumors that the chairman had been taken into custody, several local media outlets did. It is alleged that Shaojie’s disappearance had something to do with the pornographic and gambling content on the streaming platform.

There are few details available in the case, however, a recent article claims that Shaojie was “taken away” by Chinese authorities. It is said that he is assisting with an ongoing investigation. About three weeks have passed since DouYu’s boss was last seen. The nature of the investigation and its connection to the CAC’s earlier-in-the-year probe remain unknown.

There have been previous instances of high-ranking executives going missing.

While this latest revelation may come as a surprise, there have been other instances of high-ranking Chinese officials going missing. The CEOs of Alibaba, the biggest e-commerce business in the world, and China Renaissance’s founder and CEO, Bao Fan, have both lately vanished from the public eye.

This week, DouYu submitted a statement to the South China Morning Post in reaction to the reports of Shaojie’s “disappearance.” The biggest live-streaming company said that there is no impact on its business. DouYu, however, refrained from disclosing the whereabouts of its chairman and neither confirmed nor refuted rumors that he was involved in a Chinese investigation.

Shaojie’s last public appearance was this summer. The chairman of DouYu participated in a conference call in August to talk about the results of the company’s second quarter.

Original story by: Gambling News