In the rivers and lakes of streaming media platforms, iQiyi once led the domestic video website with a unique momentum, and its original content and exclusive copyright once became the benchmark of the industry, attracting the attention of countless audiences. However, the battlefield of the TV series in 2024 has made the former king taste unprecedented bitterness.
When other platforms such as Youku, Tencent, etc. have offered popular dramas and harvested massive traffic, iQiyi seems to have fallen into a strange circle of sluggish popularity of broadcast dramas, even the highly anticipated "Yan Xinji" failed to break the curse, and the popularity did not exceed 10,000, which was a big surprise. In this war without gunpowder, what happened to iQIYI? How will it break the game?
Flipping through the TV series broadcast list in 2024, iQiyi's name seems to have lost its former luster. From "The Wind Chaser" at the beginning of the year to the recent "Dali Temple Shaoqing Tour", although the themes are different and the production team is strong, the popularity of these dramas has always hovered at a low level, and it is difficult to arouse the audience's viewing boom.
Even "Flame", "Zichuan. Dramas such as "Three Heroes of Light" also failed to become hits as they wished, but fell into an embarrassing situation of being applauded or not. Although historical and realistic dramas such as "Harbin 1949" and "City in the City" have won unanimous praise in the industry in terms of quality, the audience's response has been mediocre, and the popularity index has always been difficult to break through expectations.
In this series of broadcast episodes, the encounter of "Yan Xinji" is particularly eye-catching. This costume drama adapted from the best-selling novel of the same name has attracted much attention since its preparation, not only has many fans of the original work, but also the full support of the elite creative team and iQiyi, making the show popular before it is broadcast, carrying widespread expectations.
However, when "Yan Xinji" was officially launched, the audience's reaction was unexpectedly cold. According to authoritative statistics, the popularity index of the show on the day of its premiere did not exceed 10,000, which is rare in iQiyi's historical record, not to mention the outstanding performance of dramas on other platforms in the same period. The sluggish popularity of "Yan Xinji" undoubtedly sounded the alarm for iQiyi, and also triggered extensive discussions on the platform's content strategy and market positioning inside and outside the industry.
While iQiyi encountered a cold snap, Youku and Tencent successfully seized the market high ground with the broadcast of a series of high-quality dramas. Youku's dramas such as "Flower Order", "Cherish Flowers", "Ink Rain and Clouds" and "Spend the Year of China" have not only received high scores in word-of-mouth, but also achieved continuous growth in the popularity index, becoming a dark horse in the TV drama market in 2024.
Tencent Video has consolidated its leading position in the domestic streaming media market with the popularity of big IP dramas such as "Celebrating More Than Years 2", "The Story of Rose", "Walking with the Phoenix" and "Sauvignon Blanc 2". These dramas have not only achieved impressive results in ratings, but also sparked extensive discussion and spread on social media, becoming "phenomenal" works in the mouths of audiences.
In the face of the strong rise of competitors, iQIYI will naturally not sit still. After experiencing a downturn in the first half of the year, iQIYI has begun to adjust its content strategy and increase investment in original dramas, striving to create more differentiated and competitive high-quality content.
It is reported that in the second half of the year, iQIYI will launch a series of highly anticipated dramas, such as "Four Seas Chongming", "Lovesick Order" and "Tang Dynasty Strange Tales: Westward Journey", etc., these dramas cover ancient costumes, suspense, urban and other themes, aiming to meet the tastes of different audience groups.
iQIYI's senior management also said in an interview that they will pay more attention to the quality and innovation of content, and are committed to creating a batch of high-quality works that can be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and resonate, so as to revitalize the platform's market position.
The challenges that iQIYI encounters on the battlefield of TV dramas in 2024 are not only a test of the platform's content strategy, but also a deep reflection on the trend of the entire streaming media industry. At a time when the audience's tastes are becoming increasingly diverse and the market environment is becoming increasingly fierce, how to continue to innovate and break through while maintaining its own characteristics has become an important issue in front of every streaming media platform.
For iQIYI, this setback may be a valuable opportunity for it to re-examine its own strengths and weaknesses, so as to find a way to break the situation in the face of adversity. It is believed that in the near future, iQIYI will return to the top with a more mature and confident attitude and continue to lead the trend of China's streaming media industry.
Does iQIYI's trough make you doubt its future development? How do you think iQIYI should adjust its strategy in order to regain a foothold in the fierce market competition? Feel free to share your thoughts and suggestions in the comments section, and let's discuss the future of streaming platforms.
In the ever-changing entertainment industry, every voice has the potential to be a powerful force moving the industry forward. Let's look forward to the fact that streaming media platforms can create more amazing works in an environment where challenges and opportunities coexist, and bring a more colorful audio-visual feast to audiences in China and even around the world.