Support for young talent, new projects launched by streaming platforms

Support for young talent, new projects launched by streaming platforms

By Joyce Xu

Streaming platforms have announced their new projects and audiovisual content during the ongoing 29th Shanghai TV Festival.

Tencent Video, iQiyi, and Youku launched their 2024 online film young creators project intended to explore and cultivate new forces for the high-quality development of the industry.

By the end of November, six online film projects with creativity and big market potential will be chosen for support. They will benefit from roadshow opportunities, financial aid, and comprehensive backing for scriptwriting, filming and production.

The project is an effort to drive the flourishing online audiovisual industry which is also facing problems like a bottleneck for content creation and talent shortages.

Yang Xianghua, a senior official from iQiyi, noted it was the first time that leading platforms in China had joined hands to select and support outstanding online film projects.

“More and more excellent young creators will be discovered,” said Yang. “Their innovative and artistic works will be a boost to the long-term and healthy development of the online film industry.”

In addition to online films, Tencent Video also announced around 100 highly anticipated online series projects on Monday, following the success of epic drama “Blossoms Shanghai” and urban series “Full Bloom.”

These projects cover a variety of genres, including suspense thriller, costume drama, fantasy, comedy, romance and micro-drama.

Among the projects, “The Way You Back” is an epic based on the legendary life of the talented female entrepreneur Dong Zhujun who founded the Shanghai Jinjiang Hotel. 

“The Litchi Road” is an adaptation of Ma Boyong’s novel of the same name. It tells the story of how an ancient Chinese official fulfills the difficult task of delivering lychees over thousands of kilometres under extreme time and travel conditions.

Based on a hit online novel by Wei Yu, the fantasy romance series “Love on the Turquoise Land” portrays a world inspired by the mythic geography and beasts of the 4th century Chinese text “Shanhaijing,” or “Classic of Mountains and Seas.”

Meanwhile, Tencent Video will also cooperate with veteran comedians in China to develop both urban and martial arts comedy IPs to cater to today’s online viewers.