iQIYI Reports 12% Rise in Daily Viewing Time During National Day Holiday
iQIYI says average daily viewing time on its platform grew by more than 12% during China's National Day holiday from October 1 to 7, compared with the pre-holiday period. According to the company, TV screens accounted for nearly 60% of that viewing time.
- iQIYI says average daily viewing time rose more than 12% versus the pre-holiday period during October 1 to 7.
- TV screens made up nearly 60% of daily viewing time, while in-car viewing grew nearly 60% year over year.
- Interaction time in Taodou World, with over 1,000 AI-powered characters, increased by over 40%.
- Micro animation daily viewing time surged 57%, and the AIGC series "The Ferry Man" passed RMB 10 million in revenue-sharing box office by October 3.
Big screens lead, in-car viewing climbs
The streaming platform, which describes itself as China's leading online entertainment platform, attributed the rise to a strong content slate and growing multi-terminal viewing. TV screens stayed the main way users watched, making up nearly 60% of average daily viewing time.
In-car viewing also grew, with a year-over-year increase of nearly 60%. iQIYI said this reflects the growing role of premium content as a travel companion during the holiday.
Dramas, films and variety shows drive traffic
According to iQIYI, its dramas, movies and variety shows were the main traffic drivers of the week.
- Dramas: The Suspense Theater production "The Old Story of Yu Hong" was described as a breakout success. It reached iQIYI's content popularity index of 8,414, a measure of audience engagement on the platform. Enlightent, a Chinese entertainment data provider, reported a peak market share of 63.4% for the title. "A Prophet", "Spring of the Blade" and "Shadow Punisher" stayed in the top five of iQIYI's drama charts.
- Movies: Stephen Chow's "Kung Fu Soccer" began streaming on October 3 and topped the film heat index immediately. The AIGC internet feature film "The Ferry Man: The Dream of the Princess" also performed strongly. The cumulative revenue-sharing box office of the "The Ferry Man" AIGC series passed RMB 10 million (US$1.5 million) by October 3. In this model, production partners share earnings with iQIYI based on viewership.
- Variety shows: "Two Stars, One Boss" reached a peak market share of 51.4% on Enlightent's new variety show rankings.
AI characters, micro animation and offline parks
Engagement went beyond simple viewing. Interaction time in Taodou World, iQIYI's virtual community where users can talk in real time with more than 1,000 AI-powered characters from its titles, rose by over 40% during the holiday.
Micro animation and children's content also gained. Average daily viewing time for micro animation increased by 57%. For children's content, two major new releases took the top two spots on the platform's popularity charts.
Offline, iQIYI LAND Yangzhou recorded strong visitor traffic. Families and cross-generational groups made up more than 80% of guests. Visitors came from across eastern China, including Jiangsu and neighbouring areas such as Zhejiang, Anhui, Shanghai and Shandong.
What it means
The figures are company-reported and cover a single holiday week, but they point to a platform leaning on large-screen viewing, in-car use and AI-driven formats at the same time. iQIYI said it will keep refining its content strategy and use AIGC to enhance storytelling, so that premium entertainment stays accessible to users whether they are "at home" or "on the road".
