STVFORUM | Decode the Future of Chinese Audiovisuals with New Quality Communication

At the forum “Digital Intelligence Enabling New Value in Film and Television” held on June 26, Zhu Yannan, Party Secretary and Director of the Development Research Center of the National Radio and Television Administration, released selected content from the “2024 Report on the Development of Chinese Audiovisual New Media”. Li Qingguo, Director of the Research and Analysis Department of the Broadcasting and Television Information Network Center of the National Radio and Television Administration, shared some content from the “Viewing Data Release for 2024 Chinese Audiovisual Big Data”. Cui Yanzhen, General Manager of CMMR, delivered a keynote speech on “Innovations in Film and Television Content and Industry Empowerment under the Context of Media Integration”. During the forum, three industry researchers elaborated on topics such as new characteristics of TV screen viewing, emerging trends in long-form video playback, and how film and television content creation can achieve a win-win situation for social and economic values.

Zhu Yannan

Party Secretary and Director of the Development Research Center of the National Radio and Television Administration

Regarding the “2024 Report on the Development of Chinese Audiovisual New Media”, I primarily want to share two parts: First, in terms of aggregating new dynamics and demonstrating new achievements, Chinese audiovisual new media has shown increasingly powerful vitality. Second, the new transformation of the audiovisual new media industry and the missions it should undertake in the future.

The first part mainly includes the following six aspects:

1.       The position of online audiovisual media as a mainstream platform for public opinion is more consolidated. In the year starting with the implementation of the report of the 20th CPC National Congress, the audiovisual new media industry has undertaken significant missions in serving the overall interests of the CPC and the country, especially in deepening the publicity of President Xi Jinping’s Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, thereby sounding a strong voice of the times.

2.       Online audiovisual media has become a pioneer force in promoting the development of cultural industry in China. Last year, the market revenue of online audiovisual media exceeded RMB 1.1 trillion for the first time, with the total revenue of audiovisual service institutions included in the statistics of NRTA reaching RMB 779.5 billion, an increase of 16% year-on-year. The rapid development of online audiovisual media has brought about more new increments, forming a huge consumer market.

3.       Online audiovisual media continues to build a matrix for the dissemination of diversified and high-quality program systems. With the increase and deepening of main theme works, including various online audiovisual products such as online dramas, online movies, online variety shows, online animations, and online videos, a number of works conveying positive values have emerged, with a total online playback volume of 51.53 billion views.

4.       With the blessing of new technologies, the productivity in content development, production, and distribution stages of online audiovisual media continues to improve. New quality productivity transforms into new creativity, production capacity, dissemination power, and research power, especially exerting far-reaching influences on overseas markets.

5.       The comprehensive governance capability and level of online audiovisual media continue to improve. NRTA has been focusing on the three major areas of long-form videos, short videos, and live broadcasts, and has formed normalized management. It continuously strengthens the supervision of VR, AR, interactive programs, especially micro-dramas, and implements a distribution license system.

6.       The advantages of online audiovisual media in international communication continue to increase. Currently, Chinese micro-dramas occupy 80% of the micro-drama market in the United States. Accounts built by domestic online audiovisual platforms and radio and television new media on platforms such as TikTok and YouTube have also achieved new breakthroughs.

The second part mainly includes the following five aspects:

1.       Audiovisual new media faces many prominent problems and urgent situations. Overall, there is a phenomenon of “massive plateaus and few peaks” in content, and excellent works, outstanding works, and globally influential outstanding works are still insufficient.

2.       High-quality development is the current main theme, and all platform entities must strengthen their thinking in this regard, summarize past experiences, and explore the path for our future development.

3.       Fine content supply speaks volume. Despite the rapid development of AI technology, which challenges the status of “content speaks volume”, focusing on content creation is still a must-follow rule at this stage.

4.       We must attach great importance to the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation. AI has become a standard configuration in all links of the entire industry chain. How to achieve comprehensive integration and implementation on all dimensions should attract high attention from the industry.

5.       In enhancing international communication capabilities, we must make great efforts in products and services. Whether it is localized communication or overseas communication, “service” is a foundation. We need to build an international communication system that is three-dimensional from content to model, platform, and service.

Li Qingguo

Director of the Research and Analysis Department of the Broadcasting and Television Information Network Center of the National Radio and Television Administration and Engineer with High Professional Title

Since August of last year, the nationwide radio and television industry has embarked on the complex task of regulating the “matryoshka-like” charging system in the TV industry and operations. Over the past year, live broadcast users across the country have continued to grow, with monthly active rates in the first half of this year exceeding those of the same period last year. From the data, effective dual governance measures have successfully driven users back to large screens, boosting channel program ratings. With increased viewership activity, the first half of this year has also seen some highlights in large-screen audiovisual content.

In theoretical topics, “It’s Great to Know You - General Secretary Xi Jinping’s Reading List” was broadcast on 21 satellite channels and ranked among the top two in local satellite TV program ratings in 12 provinces and regions. Dragon TV’s “China Now” adopted innovative program production methods, recording abroad for the first time, with all three special episodes ranking in the top three of local satellite TV ratings during the same time slot. Jiangsu Satellite TV’s “Q&A of the Times” also ranked among the top three in theoretical program ratings in the first half of this year.

In terms of arts programs, SINGER 2024 adopted live singing and dual-screen integration methods, achieving record-high ratings on provincial satellite TVs this year. The show aired 7 episodes, each ranking first in viewership during its time slot, simultaneously boosting provincial satellite TV ratings on Friday nights nationwide by over 10% compared to April, playing a very positive role for the entire large screen landscape.

Regarding dramas, several outstanding works have emerged in the integration of culture and tourism, literary adaptations, and contemporary themes. Last year, the TV series MEET YOURSELF drove tourism in Dali, becoming a case study of “film + cultural tourism”. This year, TO THE WONDER, with its simple expression, sparked a tourism boom in Xinjiang, with each episode achieving over 2.6% ratings, and its premiere in Xinjiang achieving over 20% audience share. Adapted from literary works, BLOSSOMS SHANGHAI maintained a rating of above 1.7 and ranked second in CCTV-8’s first-half ratings. Joy of Life saw its overall ratings climb to 1.53, nearly 50% higher than its debut episode.

In contemporary dramas this year, episodes of CITY OF THE CITY, LIKE A FLOWING RIVER 3, and ALWAYS ON THE MOVE have all exceeded 3% viewership, with City of the City breaking 3.8% and setting a record for single-episode viewership this year.

Miniseries have made frequent appearances on the large screen this year, demonstrating exceptionally high viewer stickiness. Series like GOT OLD RECENTLY - NEW YEAR EPISODE, DON’T DISTURB ME FARMING, I WAIT FOR THE SEA BREEZE TO HUG YOU, and THE WARRIOR have all achieved loyalty rates exceeding 75%, with some surpassing 85%. Audience completion rates are high, indicating strong binge-watching continuity.

Cui Yanzhen

Managing Director of CMMR

In the context of deep media integration and the overlay of intelligent communication, capturing the flow cipher has become the primary direction of evolution in all-media communication today. In 2024, the most noteworthy trend in the fields of radio, television, media, and marketing communication is the new-quality communication power. Today, the core feature is the narrative and expression of warm realism, guiding common topics, collective concerns, and consumer trends in this era.

It can be said that under the logic of warm realism, nearly every creation of high-quality content shapes a distinct guidance for real scenarios and consumption, including people’s emotions and sentiments. Consider a city like Shanghai, where numerous contemporary excellent films and television works have focused on it. Notably, last year’s hit drama BLOSSOMS SHANGHAI presented this oriental metropolis with a kaleidoscopic new world from the media perspective of the 1990s for securities and finance. Similarly, hits like I Will Find You A Better Home and DWELLING NARROWNESS in recent years reflect sensitive urban living environment issues, resonating deeply with young urban white-collar workers and a generation of youths. Not to mention, historical and revolutionary-themed works like BEGINNING OF THE GREAT REVIVAL and the war-themed Joint Savings Bank Warehouse, which provided multifaceted displays of this city, offering diverse perspectives and impressions to this consumer hub.

In recent years, short videos and miniseries have sparked tourism in some cities and transient consumption booms. However, due to their brief and fragmented storytelling, these short forms establish mere presence and one-off heat rather than building long-term brand assets that deeply influence people’s cognition and loyalty to a place. Conversely, excellent film and television themes conveyed through long videos and large screens will live enduringly in people’s hearts and gradually ferment. Just as outstanding novels become specimens and carriers of Chinese culture, exceptional long-form video content on large screens will undoubtedly leave lasting cultural and economic imprints on a place, achieving a dual win of social and economic value.

Overall, I believe that comprehensive content design and production across the entire chain, process, and cycle provide us with more choices, perspectives, robust points of connection, touchpoints, value points, and dissemination points today. New communication perspectives, methods, and traditional technologies will enable radio and television professionals to better reflect society, depict the times, approach people’s lives, and reach their innermost selves in the most effective manner possible, while also capturing, generating, and creating sparks, explosive points, and hot topics.

The 29th Shanghai Television Festival (STVF) is hosted by the National Radio and Television Administration, China Media Group, and the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, and organized by Shanghai Municipal Administration of Radio and Television and Shanghai Media Group, with co-organization by the Administration Committee of Lin-gang Special Area of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, and special support from Shanghai Lingang Special Area Investment Holding (Group) Co., Ltd.