The cyberspace administration office in Wuhan, Hubei Province on Monday ordered a local company to shut down one of its online live-broadcasting channels after a couple used the channel to air a live broadcast of themselves having sex. 

Photos showing a couple having sex on the live-broadcasting platform of Hubei-based DouyuTV Co went viral online on Monday. Nearly 1,000 Net users reportedly watched the video, and some posted screenshots of it on Chinese social media.

Wuhan Internet authorities said the incident violated related regulations on cyberspace management and transgressed standards of social morality. They also ordered the company to clean up its website and make rectifications, local news site cjn.cn reported.

An officer from Wuhan Public Security Bureau told the Global Times on Monday that the bureau has received reports of the incident and an investigation is ongoing. DouyuTV responded in a statement on its official Sina Weibo on Sunday night, saying that the company opposes any activities that endanger social security in live broadcasts. It also said it requires live broadcast hosts to use their real names when registering.

"We never tolerate such activities. The platform's administrators stopped the video instantly and have reported the host's personal information to police. The user's actions violated laws, and the company reserves the right to file a lawsuit," read the statement.

The company also released a notice on Monday asking the platform's hosts to agree to a newly issued self-discipline pledge to create a clean live-broadcasting environment. Any programs involving pornography, violence or separatist activity are banned from the platform under the pledge.

Live-broadcasting platforms  are becoming increasingly popular in China and are giving rise to new businesses in which people can make money by hosting live shows. Live broadcasts often encompass online gaming commentary, karaoke and online lectures.

However, many Net users claim that some female hosts wear revealing clothes and pose in provocative positions during their broadcasts.

China's top Internet regulators announced on Sunday that all websites providing services based on Internet technology should take legal responsibility for their content, noting that this is a basic principle of China's Internet development.