ByteDance’s AI-enhanced short-drama app eclipses China’s Netflix rivals combined
TikTok parent ByteDance has scored another hit in China with Hongguo, an artificial intelligence-powered short-drama platform. Launched in 2023, Hongguo quickly became a household name by riding China’s short-drama boom. A surge in AI-generated content propelled it past some of the country’s biggest professional streaming platforms, while iterations of AI-animated dramas – using AI video models…
ByteDance's AI-driven short-drama app, Hongguo, has outpaced China's major streaming services, including China's Netflix rival iQiyi. Launched in 2023, Hongguo gained popularity due to the surge in AI-generated content, featuring AI-animated dramas created with ByteDance's Seedance video models. As of July, Hongguo had 168 million daily active users (DAU), a 157% year-over-year increase, surpassing the combined DAUs of Tencent Video, iQiyi, Alibaba's Youku, and Mango TV.
Hongguo's growth highlights ByteDance's increasing influence over Chinese consumers' attention, as these users increasingly favor short-form content over traditional streaming platforms, which have seen declining viewership. Despite criticism of short dramas for formulaic plots and uneven quality, Hongguo's rise has attracted established filmmakers like Chinese director Jia Zhangke, who views the format as an alternative form of storytelling.
A Hongguo app dedicated to AI-animated series attracted 16 million DAU in July, up 37% from the previous month, while five ByteDance services accounted for 35% of the monthly time spent on China's top 20 apps.
Written by urgent.news from SCMP Tech's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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