Efforts upgrading TV, IPTV services bear fruit

Fueled by the potential of the domestic market, China witnessed an increase in revenue from television, radio and online audiovisual services in the first half of this year, according to the industry's top regulator.

The revenue increased to 668.3 billion yuan ($95.2 billion) from January to June, surging 7 percent year-on-year, making it a bigger contributor to the country's economic development, said Zhu Yonglei, deputy director of the National Radio and Television Administration, during a recent news conference.

Zhu said that a total of 148 TV series and online dramas obtained release permits between January and August, presenting a diverse array of genres and themes.

Notable among these are popular and critically acclaimed programs such as Blossoms Shanghai, a nostalgic revisit to the 1990s Shanghai; She and Her Girls, a biographical drama about Zhang Guimei, a devoted teacher who has assisted over 2,000 rural girls; and To the Wonder, a poetic depiction of local life in Altay prefecture of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, according to the administration.

Marking the country's latest effort to curb fee stacking and simplify navigation for television services, more than 80 percent of family subscribers with cable TV or internet protocol television devices can now access livestreamed programs on their devices, added Zhu.

Besides, both cable TV and IPTV services have eliminated start-up advertisements, allowing audiences to directly access their preferred programs without being interrupted by commercials. The latest available figures showed that the audience for watching livestreamed programs rose 10 percent in August compared to the same period last year, marking the highest such increase in three years, added Zhu.

In addition to making TV viewing more convenient, Chinese audiences will find that they can watch TV shows in a more immersive and high-definition manner.

Yang Guorui, also a deputy director of the administration, said that by the end of 2025, China will have over 20 TV channels broadcasting ultra-high definition content, which is four times the resolution of the currently prevalent high-definition devices. Furthermore, the number of such channels will increase by an additional 11 in 2026.

Yang added that ultra-high definition programs released on major streaming platforms like iQiyi and Youku will comprise more than half of all new shows, driving ultra-high definition to emerge as the primary viewing format for Chinese audiences in the future.

In recent years, more and more Chinese dramas won popularity overseas, demonstrating that they could serve as important mediums to promote Chinese stories abroad, Yang told China Daily.

For example, the sci-fi drama Three-Body, adapted from the work of Hugo Award-winning novelist Liu Cixin, has received acclaim in Europe and North America. Minning Town, a popular TV drama depicting the battle against poverty in the rural Ningxia Hui autonomous region, has been broadcast in over 50 countries and regions.

Yang said that these programs could enhance the foreign audience's comprehension of China while also highlighting shared emotions that transcend borders, culture and races.

Last year, the domestic market size of micro-dramas reached 37.39 billion yuan ($5.31 billion), marking a sizable surge of 267.65 percent year-on-year, according to a survey released by the market consultancy iiMedia Research earlier this year.

Dong Xin, another deputy director of the administration, said that with social and economic advancements and the progress of information technology, micro-dramas, as an emerging artistic category, have gained significant momentum in their development.

He revealed that the administration will work toward establishing a common entertainment format in the future, where exceptional micro-dramas can be released on both TV screens and smaller screens on mobile devices, as well as endeavoring to promote the production of micro-drama franchises.