BEIJING, Feb. 28, 2025 — iQIYI, a leading online entertainment platform in China, participated in the inaugural China TV Drama Production Industry Conference and the 10th China International TV Drama Program Trade Fair in Shenzhen last week. iQIYI’s Founder and CEO, Yu GONG, delivered a keynote address, highlighting the company’s “viewer-centric approach” to adapt to changing consumption habits. Gong stated that industry success depends on more than just content length, star power, production budgets, or advanced technologies like AI and virtual production. He emphasized the importance of respecting the creative process, valuing creators, understanding audience preferences, managing resources effectively, and using innovation to deliver top-quality content. He concluded that prioritizing viewers is the most important factor.

Strategic Expansion of Mini-Drama Ecosystem

iQIYI presented its content strategies to adapt to the evolving content and entertainment landscape. These strategies include serialized long-form dramas, premium short-form content, and industrialized mini-dramas, supported by technological innovations to boost production capabilities.

During his keynote speech on new content formats, iQIYI Senior Vice President Haitao YANG detailed the company’s strategic initiatives to meet the rising market demand for concise storytelling. He emphasized the expansion of their mini and short dramas ecosystem, focusing on the “Thousand Mini-Dramas Initiative” and “Hundred Short-Dramas Initiative,” implemented across two distinct content platforms.

The “Mini-Drama Theater” features mobile-optimized vertical content, with episodes lasting 1-3 minutes, covering genres like romance and suspense. The “Short-Drama Theater” offers horizontal format content, with episodes lasting 5-20 minutes, emphasizing premium period dramas and urban stories.

Leveraging its expertise in long-form video content, iQIYI has achieved significant progress in the mini-drama segment. Its portfolio now includes over 10,000 titles, sourced from 95% of the leading mini-drama content providers in the market. In December 2024, the platform’s first mini-drama generated over RMB 1 million (US$0.14 million) in revenue-sharing income, marking a key milestone.

iQIYI has also updated its apps to enhance the viewing experience. The main iQIYI app remains focused on long-form video with membership-based revenue, while the iQIYI Lite app now primarily features free, ad-supported mini-dramas. Recent data indicates the increasing popularity of mini-dramas, with viewing time on the main app now comparable to animation, kids’ content, and variety shows. On the iQIYI Lite app, mini-dramas are second in viewership, only surpassed by traditional long-form dramas.

Virtual Production Technology Elevates Content Production

At the conference, iQIYI Vice President Liang ZHU showcased the company’s cutting-edge advancements in virtual production technology, actively used across its strong selection of long-form dramas. According to data from Enlightent, iQIYI achieved the highest viewership market share in both Q4 and throughout 2024.

For instance, the original drama “My Journey to You” achieved a 30% increase in production efficiency using virtual filming techniques, while “Fangs of Fortune” was the first in China to use large-scale water surface reflection in virtual filming. Virtual production elements made up 16% of the total production of “Fangs of Fortune,” making it one of the most technically advanced and extensive virtual productions in China to date.

Zhu explained that these innovations are becoming increasingly common in the industry, with leading content platforms and IP owners experiencing significant gains in efficiency and quality through virtual production and reusable digital assets.

To maintain its leading position, iQIYI has invested heavily in infrastructure, including a new 2,500-square-meter virtual studio that meets top international standards. Furthermore, its self-developed IQ Stage virtual production platform integrates over 20 patented technologies, enabling complex real-and-virtual integration effects for exceptional visual experiences for global audiences.

SOURCE iQIYI

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