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 .

(May. 30, 2022-June. 10, 2022) 

CONTENT

The iQIYI-Presented Film Fading Shadow Shortlisted for the Special Screening of the 36th Edition of the Cabourg Film Festival, iQIYI Continues to Focus on Realistic Content

On May 30, Fading Shadow, a film presented by iQIYI, was shortlisted in the section of special screening for the 36th Edition of the Cabourg Film Festival, marking the only Chinese film selected in the film festival. The Cabourg Film Festival is dedicated to films with elements of romanticism and of the romantic genre, and it attracts thousands of film fans from around the world every year.

Fading shadow will soon premiere on iQIYI, and it tells the story of the forensic sketch artist ZHANG Xin, who devotes himself solving a serial murder case from more than a decade ago. In addition to the realistic theme that the film depicts, the film also deploys various cinematographic techniques, alternating between close-ups and long shots, which allow viewers to take note of the details but also to understand the tone of the scene.

iQIYI Releases Original 3D Adventure Anime Babydino Tales, A Fun and Educational Adventure Story

On Jun. 1, International Children's Day, iQIYI released its original 3D adventure anime Babydino Tales. Taking children on a fun and educational journey to prehistoric times, Babydino Tales tells the story of Amy and Max who travel back in time through a dinosaur egg-shaped time machine in the company of their dinosaur friends.

The anime, made for children aged between four to six, aims to guide children to recognize colours, various animal species, changes in environments, and different food categories. The series effectively combines education and entertainment, giving children an opportunity to learn about the history, nature, and science in the prehistoric world, helping them develop an interest in science and nature.

Throughout its production process, Babydino Tales leveraged iQIYI's innovative intelligent production system to facilitate co-production across time zones, ensure security and confidentiality, and facilitate collaboration between multiple companies and departments. The technology-enabled content production technology greatly improved the overall efficiency of the process.

TECHNOLOGY

iQIYI Showcases Technology-Enabled Green Production Techniques on World Environment Day

On Jun. 5, World Environment Day, iQIYI shared its commitment to a sustainable future, joining businesses, communities, and governments around the world to raise awareness of the importance of the environment. iQIYI sees sustainability as a core element of its organisational and operational strategy and is committed to optimizing the production process to reduce power consumption in all areas of operations.

iQIYI embraced technology to help drive a green economy. For instance, iQIYI developed a film production management system that enables the full digitization of production crew operations. Crew members can divide scripts, make plans, send notices, and read reports all through one integrated digital system. In total, the digital system saves the shooting of the 30-episode show close to 12,000 sheets of A4 paper, the equivalent of 1.2 trees. In the production of Luoyang, iQIYI used innovative laser 3D technology to digitize and permanently preserve a physical production set that took 120 people 65 days to build, enabling the set to be reused digitally for a variety of future productions. Since its digitization, the set has been used for different projects—such as the music videos for Wind Blows from Buliangjing and Xinnian—allowing for a zero-emission production. In the office, iQIYI installed programs to automatically shut off the lights and air conditioning in office areas where there was no occupant. The energy saved is equivalent to that generated by an electric bike traveling for five million kilometers or circling the earth 125 times.

iQIYI continually seeks opportunities to use technology throughout its production processes to reduce its carbon footprint and drive a green transition.

BUSINESS

iQIYI Upgrades QiBubble Platform to Provide Parents and Children with Premium Content

In celebration of the International Children's Day, iQIYI announced on Jun. 1 an upgrade to QiBubble, bringing new dimensions to the platform's brand identity, content library, user access and service concept. In terms of brand building, QiBubble will be an independent iQIYI brand dedicated to children’s content, boasting an array of offerings including iQIYI Children's Channel, the QiBubble app and QIYI Guo Kids Edition. In its content library, QiBubble will add more original anime IPs to facilitate genre diversification and bring more quality content to subscribers. In addition, users will be able to access QiBubble's content through the platform's in-vehicle streaming solution, which supports multi-device access across PC, mobile and tablets. In the future, QiBubble will be rolled out in more than ten models of cars to further create a diversified viewing experience for parents and children. Meanwhile, QiBubble is committed to fulfilling its social responsibilities and providing age-appropriate content.

According to Enlightent, a pan-entertainment big data service provider, the efficient viewing volume of children's content on iQIYI reached a 46% market share in 2021, significantly higher than its industry peers. Currently, nearly 8000 titles for children are available on QiBubble, which is expected to introduce even more premium content in the future. After the upgrade, QiBubble will release around 200 original anime episodes this year.

Senior Vice President of iQIYI Leon CHEN Attends “Future Stage” China Forum: "Technology + IP" Interactive Model Opens Up Imagination for Entertainment

On May. 26, Leon CHEN, Senior Vice President of iQIYI, attended the "Future Stage" China forum and delivered a keynote speech entitled "Entertainment Imagination and Exploration in the New Era." Chen detailed iQIYI’s exploration in areas including the metaverse, virtual idols, AR, VR and XR, and said that the interplay between different modes of communication, including those between people, content, technology and scenes, will pave the way to the future of entertainment. "Future Stage" is an online forum jointly organized by Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation and the Harvard University metaLAB.

Chen said: "Dramas and games are similar to the metaverse in that they can give people a strong sense of immersion in experiencing a virtual world." For example, the real scenes in the iQIYI original show Luoyang of iQIYI’s Chinese Historic City Universe (iCHCU) have been reproduced online. The exquisite stage settings in the show were transformed into digital assets, which can be reused for the future development of games, VR movies, murder mystery role-playing games, digital collectibles and other film and television content.

Meanwhile, Chen shared the THE9 X-City concert, which is the world's first realistic virtual concert on a cinematic class LED stage. With the support of technology, the concert allows users with the same shared interests to gather, experience, and socialize through live streaming.

Technology increase the users’ access to IP-based content and offerings. For example, in the variety show Game of Shark, users can choose to engage with the show through “Shark Mode”, which allows them to take on the identity of a character, join their favourite celebrities to investigate cases, collect hidden clues and identify murderers.

Chen concluded that iQIYI will continue to focus on developing IP content as a core business strategy in the coming years. iQIYI will continue to create a fully immersive interactive experience with technology and build a "new social" universe based on users’ interests. Meanwhile, it will continue to focus on developing young talents.

iQIYI Representative to The Children's Media Conference: Positive messaging, Dialogues, and Localization are Key to Creating Engaging Children’s Content

On May. 27, ZHU Chenfei, a producer at the iQIYI I.N.K Studio, spoke virtually at the Children’s Media Conference online, where she shared insights regarding developing children’s content for Chinese and global markets.

Using Deer Squad, an iQIYI-Nickelodeon collaboration, as an example, Zhu shared that “producing content with both the local and global audiences in mind” is the key to successfully crafting a story with a Chinese perspective that can also appeal to a global audience. According to Zhu, the teams at iQIYI and Nickelodeon “kept constant dialogues, which lasted the entirety of the creative and production process. This in-depth collaboration model has provided new possibilities for domestic animations to travel beyond their own shores.”

Zhu also remarked on the great potential in the market for children’s content worldwide. Zhu said: “Parents pay close attention to what their children are reading and watching, and this means we must continuously improve upon our content quality to meet the needs of our audience.”

Sarah Baynes, Deputy Chair of the Children's Media Conference Advisory Committee said: "Kid's media is a unifier to inspire children to be imaginative and creative. Here at the CMC we are delighted to keep deepening our relationships with iQIYI who is a major player on the international stage."

Alicia Liu, producer of the CMC 2022 Focus on China added, "storytelling for children is all about helping them understand the world around them. I'm excited to curate the CMC China session this year by bringing together the latest successful global case studies that connect with audiences in the East and the West."

Two seasons of Deer Squad are currently online on iQIYI while also being broadcasted on Nick globally, with season three currently in production, set to introduce new characters and new plotlines.