iQiyi to Create Genre-Specific Content to Meet Different Audience Demands

Baidu-backed video streaming service iQiyi is betting big on developing three genre-specific content libraries in the coming year for lovers of scripted content.

The three content libraries will include the existing Mist Theater, which is known for airing suspense dramas, the new Sweet On Theater, which will focus on romance dramas and the new Laugh On Theater, which will feature comedy shows, iQiyi said in a company statement released on Friday.

The Mist Theater, which was launched this year as a stylized theater-like category for online dramas, has so far aired five drama series including “Kidnapping Game”, “The Bad Kids”, “Crimson River”, “Sisyphus” and “The Long Night’, with VIP subscribers reaching 68 million as of earlier this month, according to iQiyi.

Besides drama content, iQiyi will also expand its offerings in global sports, variety shows and animation, according to the statement.

Last month, iQiyi Sports, a joint venture between iQiyi and Super Sports Media, and FC Barcelona agreed to jointly create a dedicated channel in China for the top-tier Spanish football club in the 2020/2021 season, offering exclusive and non-exclusive video content including behind-the-scenes access, player challenges, training session and interviews.

 

– This article originally appeared on Caixin Global.