TWO years ago, the online Chinese comedy program “Da Peng Debacle” famously ripped off the animated opening sequence of Conan O’Brien’s TBS talk show — even down to the host’s orange hair. Now, Sohu.com, the same company that produced “Da Peng,” is officially (and legitimately) bringing the carrot-topped comedian to online viewers in China.

    “After successfully presenting ‘Saturday Night Live’ and ‘Ellen DeGeneres’ to Chinese audiences, I’m delighted to announce that Sohu will also start carrying another popular talk show from the United States, ‘Conan,’” Sohu Chief Executive Charles Zhang told a small group of reporters in his office in a trendy building in northwest Beijing on Tuesday.

    After years of piracy, a large number of U.S. TV shows are now being licensed for online streaming by Chinese Internet companies including Sohu, Yoku and Tencent. Characters from popular dramas such as “Breaking Bad” have become household names — at least among a certain class of households.

    Led by Zhang, who calls himself a big fan of U.S. TV programs, Sohu has started to experiment beyond dramas by introducing American TV talk shows late last year. Although Zhang refused to disclose how much Sohu pays for each episode of the U.S. TV dramas or talk shows, he noted that Sohu’s spending on such content in 2014 had almost doubled compared with the previous year, mainly due to licensing fees driven up by increased competition from rival websites.

    Sohu first presented “Saturday Night Live” in December and added “Ellen DeGeneres” in January. Like U.S. dramas, the American talk shows on Sohu come with Chinese subtitles. However, the appeal of such shows may ultimately be limited because subtitles can go only so far.

    The language barrier is but one factor Sohu must contend with as it expands its offerings of American programing; potential run-ins with government censors are also a concern.

    Earlier this year, several popular American TV shows carried by Sohu, including “The Big Bang Theory,” were forced offline by Chinese censors without explanation. That raised concerns among viewers — and American producers — about whether authorities would continue to allow Chinese Internet companies to license U.S. shows.

    Zhang played down the removal of the U.S. TV shows from Sohu as an “isolated incident” but refused to offer further details about why he regarded it as such.

    He predicted the take-downs would not have slowed the growth of U.S. TV shows in the online streaming video market.

    “Many officials in China today were born in the 1980s. They’re also fans of U.S. TV shows themselves. I don’t think they’ll implement a ban on such content,” Zhang said.

    The announcement of Sohu’s U.S. TV programing for the summer further demonstrated his confidence. Sohu plans to add 20 American TV dramas that run through the next two months. Halle Berry’s TV debut “Extant” and Michael Bay’s “The Last Ship” are among Sohu’s 12 exclusive offerings. Sohu will also feature eight TV shows that include Showtime’s “Masters of Sex” and “Ray Donovan.”

    “Conan” debuted June 27 on Sohu and already has generated more than 1.6 million views.

    (SD-Agencies)