Welcome to iQIYI’s bi-weekly news round-up! Here you’ll find the latest news and stories from the company, from entertainment, tech to business and from local to regional. If you are interested in learning more about iQIYI, please do not hesitate to reach out to press@qiyi.com .
(Nov. 15, 2021-Nov. 26, 2021)
CONTENT
iQIYI Debuts Original Series Luoyang Globally, As Part of Its IP Universe
On Nov. 26, iQIYI announced it will premiere its original drama Luoyang on Dec. 1 exclusively on iQIYI main app, iQiyi International app and www.iQ.com. The launch marks Luoyang the first city to be featured in the iQIYI Chinese Historic City Universe (iCHCU), which, encompassing a variety of content drawing inspiration from Beijing, Guangzhou, Longxi county of Dingxi, Dunhuang, Nanjing, and other Chinese cities, aims to bridge between China’s local culture and iQIYI’s global audience. At the press conference held today in Shanghai, the company emphasized the significance of iCHCU as the company continues to explore and diversify the business value of IPs.
Posters of "Luoyang" worldwide
As the first production of “iCHCU of Luoyang”, so far, the TV series Luoyang has attracted more than 3.27 million users to register their interest in viewing on the iQIYI main app. Overseas audiences also indicated strong interest in the show, which hit seven trending topic charts on Twitter in Singapore, South Korean, Thailand, and Vietnam. Before the announcement of its premiere, the show has already been successfully distributed in seven countries and regions, including Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and more. After the premiere, the show will be released in more local mainstream channels and platforms in other countries and regions.
iQiyi Presents Global Slate of Chinese Films: 26 New Works Featuring Award-Winning Cast across Seven Genres
iQiyi International announced its 2021 to 2022 line-up of new Chinese films on Nov. 18. Viewers can look forward to enjoying 26 new titles across seven genres, including suspense, heartwarming and inspirational, Asian fantasy, romance, comedy, as well as animation, available worldwide on the iQiyi International app and on www.iQ.com.
Some posters of the films announced
Leveraging local expertise and insight, iQIYI is gradually transitioning from bringing Chinese content abroad to producing original content overseas. iQIYI is proud of the progress it has made in overseas businesses and recognizes the importance of deepening localized operations. In the future, iQIYI will double down its investment in introducing premium pan-Asian content by collaborating with outstanding creative minds and young talents and bring more compelling Asian stories to users.
WANG Xiaoshuai, Director of The Pavilion: iQIYI to Focus on Social Issues and Explore Suspense Storytelling
On Nov. 16, WANG Xiaoshuai, director of the iQIYI-produced suspense series The Pavilion, said: “iQIYI has trusted us and adopted a hands-off approach throughout the production process, which allowed us great creative freedom." Wang hopes that The Pavilion can push the limits of the suspense drama genre. Wang said: "As viewers may get bored watching the same genre, The Pavilion approaches suspense storytelling from a different angle, which will be the beginning of the sustainable development of the suspense genre."
As iQIYI’s Light On series includes many unconventional suspense dramas, such as The Bad Kids and Gold Panning, the series inspires more exploration in suspense storytelling.
Commonly recognized as one of China’s “sixth generation” of directors, Wang rose to true international success by winning the Silver Bear Jury Grand Prix at the 51st Berlin Film Festival for his work Beijing Bicycle. The Pavilion is Wang’s first web series.
A still of "The Pavilion"
The Pavilion belongs to one of the four suspense drama of iQIYI’s 2021 Light On series, a major installment in iQIYI’s endeavors in the suspense genre. Earlier in October, iQIYI announced the Light On series’ return after one year.
iQIYI will continue collaborating with outstanding artists to produce quality and diverse content. In October , iQIYI releases 260 new titles at its 2021 iJOY Conference. Behind the new releases, iQIYI has worked with more than 160 directors, 150 screenwriters, 40 authors, 30 film directors, and 20 variety show directors and producers.
Tough Out of iQIYI Receives Nomination on the Sport Movies & TV 2021 – 39th Milano International FICTS Fest
At the award ceremony of the the Sport Movies & TV 2021 – 39th Milano International FICTS Fest on Nov.14, the iQIYI-produced documentary Tough Out received a nomination for the "Sports & Society" category.
The documentary tells a story of a group of children from across China learning to play baseball from scratch and finally making it to a tournament in the United States. With a rating of 8.5 on Douban, a Chinese media review platform, Tough Out was awarded "Best Documentary" at the 14th FIRST International Film Festival, and the Special Jury Prize at the Golden Kapok Award Competition of the 18th Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival of China.
Poster of "Tough Out"
Founded in 1982, the Milano International FICTS Fest is co-organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Federation Internationale Cinema Television Sportifs (FICTS). The festival this year received a total of 974 submissions from 55 countries and regions, among which 120 were shortlisted as finalists.
YANG Xiaoxuan from iQIYI Named Final Judge of the 2021 International Emmy Awards
On Nov. 23, the International Emmy Awards announced Vice President of iQIYI, YANG Xiaoxuan to be a final judge for the Short-Form Series category of the 2021 International Emmy Awards.
YANG believes that: "Chinese original content needs to find common and empathetic points in its creation and tell viewers stories from China in a universal language and in an empathetic way." In 2020, the 3D children's animation Deer Squad, produced by YANG and iQIYI I.N.K. Studio became the first Chinese original animated series to broadcast on the Nickelodeon Global and Nickelodeon America Channels. It also ranked No.1 in ratings during its premiere in the UK, Singapore, Philippines and Australia, and achieved No.3 in ratings during its premiere in the US.
Poster of "Deer Squad"
As of now, Deer Squad has been translated into over 30 languages including English and Spanish, and broadcasted in more than 160 countries and regions. Around New Year's Day in 2022, the second season of Deer Squad will go global again. In the future, iQIYI will continue its focus on developing original content, launch more high-quality original content with international standards, and continue enhance the international influence of original IP from China by highlighting the IPs’ unique cultural value.
Hosted by the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the International Emmy Awards are an important part of the Emmy Awards, designed to honor outstanding television programs and television workers around the world, encourage innovative expression of literary and artistic works, and serve as a signpost for international artistic creation.
CORPORATE
iQIYI Announces Third Quarter 2021 Financial Results
iQIYI announced on Nov. 17 its unaudited financial results for the third quarter ended Sept. 30, 2021. Total revenues were RMB7.6 billion (US$1.2 billion), representing a 6% year-on-year increase. Membership services revenue was RMB4.3 billion (US$665.5 million), representing an 8% increase from the same period in 2020.
“We are determined to continue improving the efficiency of our operations as we execute our diversified content strategy. Meanwhile, we are seeing a promising growth trajectory for our new initiatives, such as iQIYI Lite and our overseas business. We will continue to take the lead in rolling out new intelligent production capabilities and driving the industrialization of the long-form video production process, which will help to further optimize our operating efficiency,” commented Mr. GONG Yu, Founder, Director, and Chief Executive Officer of iQIYI.
During the last quarter, the Company continued to see strong momentum in overseas expansion. iQIYI’s overseas user base has significantly expanded in the last quarter with DAUs increasing sequentially in a number of Southeast Asian countries. Downloads of the iQIYI app remained on top of the charts across various regions, and ranked No.1 in Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam.
Success of iQIYI Lite app has driven user penetration and growth in advertising revenue. Peak DAUs increased by nearly two times sequentially and user retention and monetization has also improved. The iQIYI Lite app also served as the main driver behind the year-on-year and sequential increase in revenue from performance ads.
App Annie: iQIYI Recognized as Top 10 Non-Gaming Apps by Overseas Revenue in China
According to the latest "Top 10 Non-Gaming Apps by Overseas Revenue in China in October 2021" released on Nov. 16 by App Annie, a mobile app analysis and data science company headquartered in San Francisco, iQIYI is ranked among the top 10 apps and also the only streaming platform on the list.
In October , iQIYI released a slate of six new Asian original content, including two Philippines originals "Saying Goodbye" and "Hello, Heart", as well as four new Korean original productions, namely Crazy Love, Us at One Point, "My Oppa Is An Idol," and "Weekday Wife". All six iQIYI originals are now in development and are expected to premiere on iQIYI international in 2021 and 2022. As of the end of Q2, the number of iQIYI’s overseas subscribers has exceeded one million.
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
iQIYI Launches Light On Social Responsibility Campaign
iQIYI launched a Light On series-themed social responsibility campaign, which runs from Nov. 17 to 30. To participate, people can show their support by tapping a red button installed in Beijing’s Xidan metro station or follow the relevant Weibo hashtags and make donations. Based on the overall participation both online and offline, iQIYI will distribute stationery and teaching tools to ten hospitals in eight cities for medical social staff to carry out volunteer services for children.
"Light On" series-themed social responsibility campaign
The campaign, launched by iQIYI in partnership with Ai You Foundation, took place in Beijing’s Xidan metro station, the traffic of which exceeds 400,000 every day. A large digital screen was installed at the station to show the number of participants in real time.
iQIYI leveraged the popularity of its Light On series to raise awareness and call for actions to support underprivileged groups. As a leading member of China’s cultural and creative industry, iQIYI shows its commitment to corporate social responsibility through the campaign.
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