Final rule · 2026-11505

DoD Assistance to Non-Government, Entertainment-Oriented Media Productions

DoD is finalizing revisions to implement requirements of section 1257 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023. This statute prohibits assistance to entertainment projects such as feature motion pictures, episodic television programs, documentaries, and computer-based games that have complied or are likely to comply with a demand from the Government of the People's Republic of China (PRC), the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), or an entity under the direction of the PRC or the CCP to censor the content of the project in a material manner to advance the national interest of the PRC. This final rule informs producers and production companies that request DoD assistance about the procedures needed to implement the restrictions imposed by section 1257. It includes a discussion of the information the Department will use to determine whether to assist or continue to assist an entertainment project. It also describes the DoD certification process and includes two updated sample Production Assistance Agreements (PAA) implementing section 1257 provisions.