Kuaishou’s Arthouse Film Debut
Plus: Mother's Day campaign roundup, key programming trends, and our Report Corner.
Kuaishou officially entered the movie business on Mother’s Day. The short video platform’s first foray into full-length film streaming is “The Empty Nest” (空巢), an independent film directed by Zhang Wei, whose work has focused on the plight of marginalized segments of society (watch a trailer on YouTube). Based on the novel by Xue Yiwei, “The Empty Nest” is the story of a lonely widow who falls prey to a phone scam, and stars Zhu Xijuan, best known for her role in 1961’s “The Red Detachment of Women.”
In the wake of the coronavirus and ongoing cinema closures, the move from theaters to streaming in China has been slow. Following Bytedance’s historic deal in late January to release the big-budget comedy “Lost in Russia” on its platforms, only a handful of other movies intended for theaters have found their way onto smaller screens, as the resistance from many studios and theater operators has been strong.
But by taking on a smaller film that may not find much space for distribution in cinemas that prioritize major releases, Kuaishou could be carving out a niche for itself.
Although “The Empty Nest” may not achieve anywhere near the viewership of a big studio production such as “Lost in Russia,” which drew an estimated 600 million views within the first three days of its release, it ties into the platform’s broader goals of moving into diversified and upgraded content beyond the short videos from lower-tier cities and rural areas that it became known for. Read more in Chinese from Entertainment Capital.
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Mentioned in today’s newsletter: Baidu, Chaumet, Huawei, Inxx, iQiyi, Johnson & Johnson, Kuaishou, MAC Cosmetics, Pampers, Tencent Video, Xigua Video.
Best of Mother’s Day Content Campaigns in China
Despite some concern about importing yet another holiday from the West, the second Sunday in May has been generally recognized in China as the date to celebrate mothers and their role in society. Brands across the consumer spectrum created short films and other content commenting on broader social issues faced by mothers, and this year many also included references to the nation’s recent experience fighting the coronavirus.
Johnson & Johnson’s film for its baby products spanned history and geography to connect experiences of fear among mothers, from a solitary childbirth in late-nineteenth-century America to recent parenting during the coronavirus in China, before concluding with a message about the universality of love and touch.
Pampers worked with the newspaper Southern Weekly to share a documentary story of a nurse who traveled to work in Wuhan during the coronavirus crisis, separated from her children for more than two months, and their emotional reunion and resumption of family life.
Huawei markets the activity tracking features of its GT2 smartwatch as helping to promote good sleep habits, a luxury to many new mothers. Acknowledging the loss of sleep that accompanies parenthood, Huawei graphed the sleep data obtained from a set of mothers (with their consent, according to the company), and invited composers to develop a musical interpretation of the data. The result is “The Concert at 4 A.M.” (凌晨四点的音乐会), a short brand film that shares the new composition dedicated to mothers.
Reality TV Meets E-Commerce Livestreaming and Other Programming Trends
New reality programming on Chinese television and streaming platforms continued to be subdued in April, with just 17 news shows launched, with more than two-thirds of the total appearing online, according to the latest monthly report from Starlink.
While all five of the network shows had brand sponsors, only half of the 12 online series secured brand participation — advertisers appear to be exercising continued caution in the video streaming market post-coronavirus.
But the streaming shows that did generate interest did particularly well, with the sixth season of Tencent Video’s cooking show “Go Fridge!” (拜托了冰箱) drawing seven brands and Youku’s fourth season of “New Blind Date Conference” (新相亲大会) securing six, reflecting the usual preference for reliable programming that has built up an audience over previous seasons.
A new entrant blew all others away, however. Mango TV’s e-commerce livestreaming series, “You From the Mobile Phone” (来自手机的你) has drawn 17 sponsors, including several C-beauty brands. Hosted by top Taobao livestreamer Viya, brand sponsors have the opportunity to expand their exposure beyond the show and spur sales via affiliated livestream sales broadcasts.
Meanwhile, each of the major platforms is refining its formulas for successful competition shows through the rest of the year, which tend to command some of the highest sponsorship fees.
Tencent Video has two powerful franchises, “Produce Camp” (创造营) and “The Coming One” (明日之子) and has developed spin-offs to keep viewers coming back to see their favorite idols from the shows.
Taking an early lead in ratings this year with the success of “Youth Has You” (青春有你), iQiyi will focus more on its strength of popularizing genre musical competitions with new seasons of “Rap of China” (中国新说唱) and the indie music-focused “The Big Band” (乐队的夏天).
Youku has not had as much success with big idol competitions as its major rivals, and is revising the format of last year’s “All for One” (以团之名), with a new name (“We Are Young,” 少年之名), director (Du Yan, who worked on Hunan TV’s hit “I Am Singer,” 我是歌手), and popular celebrity host (Lay Zhang, whose 30-plus endorsements include Chaumet and MAC Cosmetics). It will also bring back “Street Dance of China” (这!就是街舞), making up for the departure of host Jackson Yee by bringing in three other big names: Wang Yibo, Jackson Wang, and Lay Zhang.
Mango TV may lack the big budgets for original content of its parent, Hunan TV, but aims to contend with new angles on tried-and-tested formats. In the acting competition subgenre, Mango will offer a show focused on “mature” actresses over the age of 30, with an A-list lineup that includes Angelababy and Yang Mi that is likely to be a big draw for the streaming platform’s core audience of urban women.
Although more than 90% of Bilibili’s content reportedly falls into the “professional user-generated” category, it has increased its own content production in recent years, including several competition shows.
Brand Film Pick: Video As the Future of Fashion Shows
The cancellation of live events around the world as a result of the coronavirus has fueled a shift to livestreaming as a way of reaching audiences for a wide range of content, from conferences to museum tours.
Fashion shows have been notable in making this pivot as well, particularly in China, where the major Autumn/Winter 2020 shows in Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen were conducted entirely online, while smaller, more experimental events such as ICY x Commons virtual showcase highlighted the potential for creative explorations of the genre.
Turning to film to debut its latest collection, the high-end Chinese streetwear brand Inxx produced a ten-minute film under the theme of “Unity” (六合) that invites viewers to follow a protagonist on a surreal VR journey. The film is split into three chapters (“Past,” “Present,” and “Future”) and Inxx states its goal as bringing together “elements from different fields, space into infinite possibilities.”
A diverse cast of models presents the new collection as the films travel through different worlds — from a desert with light-filled pyramids to a parade of 20th Century architectural styles to a strange planet of ocean, rocks, and Buddhist figures inspired by the Mogao Caves. The latter two chapters involved collaborations with artists Pu Yingwei and Lin Kunhao, respectively, whose virtual worlds reflect their work.
Report Corner
In case you missed it yesterday, the CCI Guide to Streaming Platforms in China is available for free for the next two weeks.
A study from Bain & Company forecasts that mainland China will make up 28% of the global luxury market by 2025, up from 11% in 2019, and that Chinese consumers will account for nearly half of worldwide luxury sales.
GroupM analyzes the trend of dramatic series with lower episode counts, noting that the ones released so far have seen positive feedback but may have reduced opportunities for audience development.
A guide from Parklu on how brands can use experiential marketing in China to develop small-scale influencers known as “key opinion customers” (KOCs).
News in English
Baidu plans to promote livestreaming as part of its strategy to develop its mobile ecosystem, which has more than 1 billion users. Pandaily
Tiny screens and scheduled times: Viewers who tuned into the cloud version of the Beijing International Film Festival via iQiyi were frustrated by viewing restrictions on some of the films they paid to see. Abacus
While iQiyi still has other problems to contend with, it appears to have emerged from accusations of fraud from a short-selling activist research firm largely unscathed, so far. Technode
The government is promoting a multi-platform online shopping festival next month to boost sales of products related to China’s intangible cultural heritage, with Alibaba, JD.com, and Pinduoduo among those supporting the initiative. CGTN
We’ve Got China Covered
China Film Insider: Shanghai Disney Reopens to Smiles and Social Distancing
Jing Daily: The Taboo Topics Brands Need to Avoid in China
Jing Travel: Decoded: WeChat Official Accounts for Cultural Destinations
Thank you for reading, and thank you to all of the subscribers who downloaded our Guide to Streaming Platforms in China this week. What did you think of the guide? We’d love to hear from you.