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2021 marked a year of significant achievements for iQIYI, an innovative market-leading online entertainment service in China, for the company strengthened original content creation covering dramas, variety shows and more, uncovered new depth in the commercialization of original IPs, and developed a further streamlined mechanism to combine technology and entertainment.

Below iQIYI shares with you the top ten highlights from 2021. The company is looking forward to continuing devoting itself to the entertainment industry for a prosperous new year and creating value for users, content creators and the industry.

1.iQIYI CEO Gong Yu shares insights on outlook of technology-based industrialization of film and TV at the 2021 iQIYI World Conference

iQIYI held its annual World Conference, themed "We are Together Witnessing the Brand New Future," in Shanghai in May, gathering industry professionals, scholars and iQIYI partners from around the world to exchange their views on the most important trends in the industry, covering hot topics such as content, technology, the membership economy, the IP ecosystem, and new modes of consumption.

At the conference, GONG Yu, CEO of iQIYI, delivered a keynote speech and shared his thoughts on the crucial role intelligent production will play in the standardization and industrialization of the entertainment industry. "The industrialization of film and television has always been the central theme, but it is still an innovative term that needs to be reintroduced at this time because of the development of technology such as 5G, AI and cloud computing. Technological innovation will support the reformation of industry rules," said Gong.

With technologies including the IP valuation system, intelligent casting system and co-reviewer platform, iQIYI leads the China market in the standardization of the whole process of film production - from project approval to product launch - via intelligent R&D, production, labelling, and distribution.

2.iQIYI releases 260 new titles at the 2021 iJOY Conference, further enriching its content library to cater to the diversifying needs of audiences

iQIYI announced the upcoming release of 260 new films, TV series, and variety shows at the iJOY Conference held in Shanghai in October. The new releases entailed content from genres ranging from variety shows, dramas, films, children's content, animation, documentaries, sports, and more. With the slate of new releases, iQIYI remains dedicated to creating high-quality content that grows with the viewers.

In the past few years, iQIYI already created a diverse range of original content across genres, built content studios, and forged deep partnerships with film creators, artists and more from across the entertainment industry. Notably, following the company's highly successful Light On series, which was dedicated to suspense and thriller series and romance-dedicated collection Sweet On, along with the upcoming comedy collection Laugh On, iQIYI is stepping up its themed operation model for short drama series, making it the genre collection an innovative format in the streaming industry.

3.iQIYI debuts Luoyang as part of the iQIYI Chinese Historic City Universe, demonstrating strong commitment to IP development

In December, iQIYI premiered its original drama Luoyang. The show premier also marked the launch of the iQIYI Chinese Historic City Universe (iCHCU), which was first announced at iQIYI’s iJOY Conference in October as part of the company's continuous innovation and diversification of its monetization model. Reaching a content popularity index of 9,257, which qualifies it as a 'national hit’ by iQIYI’s classification system, Luoyang shows the robust potential of iQIYI’s IPs. At present, twelve projects and counting—including drama, variety show, documentary, animated series, games, merchandise, VR, and commercial real estate projects—are under development as part of the iCHCU of Luoyang.  

WANG Xiaohui, President of Professional Content Business Group (PCG) and Chief Content Officer of iQIYI, highlighted the breakthrough iCHCU's launch represents: "With its release, the iCHCU shows iQIYI breaking new ground in cinematic expression, original IP development, and business model innovation. Years of hard work laid a solid ground for the company's boundary-breaking attempt today.”

4.iQIYI deepens technological endeavors in effort to enhance industry development and user experience

2021 marked another year where iQIYI used technological innovations to empower content creators and advance the sustainable development of the entertainment industry. Data showed that in 2021, iQIYI users left over 70 million bullet comments on iQIYI’s platform; iQIYI used AI technology to translate over 750,000 lines of dialogue in content for overseas viewers; Qiguan, an original feature that iQIYI rolled out to allow viewers to identify the information on screen with just one click, was used 2.7 billion times by iQIYI users.

Moreover, in September, the Company launched Co-Viewer, a video review and collaboration platform, and Co-Time, a plug-in that integrates content editing to the video review process. Doubling the efficiency of the video review process and making it easier for global teams to work together, the two tools embody iQIYI's commitment to developing forward-thinking applications for the entertainment industry. For example, using Co-Viewer and Co-Time in the post-production of The Tales of Wonder Keepers, an iQIYI original 3D animation adventure series produced by teams in China and Russia, helped overcome the challenges of remote collaboration among staff living 6,000 kilometers and five time zones apart, thereby doubling the footage review efficiency.

Application of technological innovations like this has helped significantly increase the efficiency of post-production processes. Another example being iQIYI utilizing its IQDubbing platform to dub dramas issued overseas, in which for a 45-minute TV show episode, dubbing with IQDubbing takes only a sixth of the time traditional dubbing would take.

5.iQIYI ushers in the next generation of entertainment with world-class extended reality (XR) concert

In March, THE9, a Chinese girl group, holds its debut "X-City" extended reality (XR) concert on iQIYI’s platform. iQIYI was the world's first company to deliver an extended reality (XR) live concert on cinematic class LED stage with photorealistic virtual production.

Using advanced technologies, the company innovated the interactive experience between idols and fans to create one of the most memorable virtual events of all time. Features such as virtual seating, virtual queues, virtual glowsticks, and invitations for attendees to get "on stage" all contributed to the construction of a highly interactive experience.

By combining innovative tech and high-quality content, iQIYI will continue to create greater business value, building a bigger stage for the next generation of entertainment.

6.iQIYI strengthens VR offering with Innovative Product Releases and Global Developer Recruitment Program

In September, iQIYI launched the virtual reality (VR) headset, the QIYU 3 (in Chinese literally means “wonderful adventure”) , which is China's first computer vision head-hand 6DoF VR interactive technology and the first piece of hardware for the company’s premium VR gaming ecosystem. In December, iQIYI launched a new all-in-one VR headset, QIYU Dream.

iQIYI is the first long-form video company in China to invest in the VR software and hardware ecology. On hardware products, iQIYI completes a product iteration on average once a year. On content development, iQIYI has also built an innovative content ecology featuring dramas, films, variety shows, and games.

Earlier in the year, the company launched “Columbus”, a global VR game developer recruitment program. Through Columbus, iQIYI partners with global developers from three key aspects: content procurement, studio contracting, and strategic partnerships.

Over the past few years, Qiyu VR has risen to become the leading VR consumer brand in China.

7.iQIYI strengthens presence and network in Asia

iQIYI has continued to make significant strides in building up its original content globally, promoting the overall growth of the Asian entertainment industry. At the 2021 Asian Contents and Film Market that took place in October, iQIYI unveiled a new slate of shows including four Korean original productions, two Philippines Originals along with new exclusive content from Thailand and Malaysia.

In March, iQIYI announced the plan to co-produce four movies in collaboration with Singapore’s Clover Films as well as the launch of a strategic joint venture with Malaysia’s G.H.Y Culture & Media Holding Co., Limited ("GHY").

The partnership with Clover Films marks the first collaboration between the two companies in content creation and will be an important foray by Singapore media companies into the China entertainment market.

This joint venture entity aims to identify and promote talent across Southeast Asia.

Building on iQIYI‘s success in the region, the ventures signals iQIYI’s continued global ambitions and represents the company’s growing presence across Asia and added strength to iQIYI’s production capabilities.

8.iQIYI original productions achieve critical acclaim in China and abroad, broadening the influence of Chinese productions in the international entertainment market

In 2021, the artistic value of iQIYI original productions was widely recognized. In October, iQIYI original drama The Bad Kids won the Silver Bird prize of Mini-series at the 2021 Seoul International Drama Awards (SDA), making the show the first Chinese short drama to win the award. Original drama The Long Night was awarded “Best OTT Original” at the 3rd Asia Contents Awards (ACA) of the Busan International Film Festival ("BIFF") held in Busan, South Korea.

In the Chinese American Film Festival and Chinese American TV Festival in November, iQIYI wins five awards, with A Little Dilemma and Get Married Or Not winners of the “Golden Angel Award - TV Series.”

iQIYI also brought home “Best Variety Program” and “Best Web Series” with its original productions. Also in November, the Sport Movies & TV 2021 – 39th Milano International FICTS Fest saw the iQIYI-produced documentary Tough Out nominated for the "Sports & Society" category. In December, iQIYI original comedy My Heroic Husband won “Best Comedy Programme” at the 2021 Asian Academy Creative Awards (AAA).

Last but not least, iQIYI original film Let Life Be Beautiful was named the Best Children's Film at the 34rd Golden Rooster Awards held in Xiamen, China.

9.iQIYI empowers China’s entertainment industry with original variety shows showcasing up-and-coming industry talents 

Variety shows of iQIYI, which feature different themes including debate, rap, and suspense mysteries, exemplified how the company's productions inspire young people today by keeping an authentic record of lives as lived by them. As such, iQIYI also became a trend setter of popular culture in China.

In 2021, the original variety show New Generation Hip-Hop Project accelerates China’s rap industry by identifying and cultivating new talent, and Super Sketch Show brings China's comedy scene to the attention of the mainstream public and sets out the great potential of the industry's development.

Showcasing the amazing young comedy talent whose art had not received extensive attention, Super Sketch Show broke new ground in China's broader entertainment ecosystem.

10.iQIYI enhances user experience through partnerships with industry-leading companies

In 2021, iQIYI continued dedicating itself to enhancing the viewing experience of users through newly established partnerships with world-class companies including Dolby and IMAX.

In February, iQIYI announced that its smart TV application QIYIGuo TV is partnering with IMAX and DTS to launch IMAX Enhanced on application, bringing immersive movie-watching experiences to its subscribers' living rooms. IMAX Enhanced combines digitally remastered 4K HDR content and DTS audio technologies with best-in-class consumer electronics products and streaming platforms. QIYIGuo TV was one of the first streaming platforms in China to provide IMAX Enhanced content.

Fast forward a few months, iQIYI announced in July that it’ll bring Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos to iQIYI's global app, which is available in 191 countries and regions across Southeast Asia, Middle East, and North America. This is part of iQIYI's ongoing momentum as it grows its appeal to global audiences. In the Southeast Asia region, one of the first original iQIYI titles available in Dolby was The Ferryman: Legends of Nanyang, which was released in Dolby Atmos. 

Through these partnerships, iQIYI has once again raised the bar for the home entertainment experience, injecting new vitality into the audio and video experience for its subscribers.