BEIJING, July 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- iQIYI, Inc. (NASDAQ:
IQ) ('iQIYI' or 'the Company'), an innovative market-leading online
entertainment service in China, is
pleased to announce the launch of two new features on its
domestic streaming platform, Heartbeat Mode and Revolving
Bullet Comments, as part of its efforts to enhance its viewers'
viewing experience.
Heartbeat Mode enables viewers to participate in exciting
moments on screen by syncing their phones' vibrations with
on-screen actions. Meanwhile, the Revolving Bullet Comments
technology allows bullet comments—text-based user reactions
displayed on the screen as online videos play—to automatically
orbit around specific characters in shows. Pushing the boundaries
of interactivity, the two new features help forge a stronger
connection between viewers and the content.
Heartbeat Mode first appeared in the newly released
show Moonlight, which stars Yu Shuxin and
Ding Yuxi and is part of the Company's
"SWEET ON Theater" collection. iQIYI's latest data shows
that for one specific scene in Episode 19, over one million users
tried the new feature, with an average of approximately 14
times per person. This adds up to over 25 million "heartbeats"
in total and is equivalent to each viewer replaying the scene for
seven minutes. The show has become one of the top three shows
on iQIYI International in Asia, the Middle East
and North America, among which
Moonlight is the most watched show in countries and regions
including Singapore, Taiwan and South
Korea.
Revolving Bullet Comments appeared in the latest iQIYI original
reality show The Detectives' Adventures. The
reality show, featuring a group of celebrities doing live action
role playing (LARP) games, has generated more than 820 million
views of related discussions about the show on the Chinese
internet. Topics about the series are currently the trendiest
hashtags on social media platforms such as Weibo.
iQIYI's world-leading tech team made viewing experiences as such
possible. Based on "Dance Mode," the rhythm detection
algorithm used last year in The Rap of China 2020, Heartbeat Mode mimics
heartbeats and thereby helps strengthen the connection between the
audience and the characters. Once launched on an interactive video
platform (IVP), the Heartbeat Mode will be available to more
production teams as a plug-in, ready to be added to other shows
during post-production.
Moreover, iQIYI's product and tech teams worked together to
create the Revolving Bullet Comments feature, which uses AI
character recognition and portrait matting technologies to insert a
dynamic background between the original background and the
characters. This technology not only enables users to see the
bullet comments as passing between the characters and the
background (as opposed to on top of the characters), but it also
prevents issues such as stuttering and shaking, which distract from
the viewing experience. A variety of reality shows—such
as The Detectives' Adventures—currently features this
technology.
The development of the two new features demonstrates iQIYI's
keen observation of the ever-evolving viewer needs. In the past,
viewers were accustomed to interacting with the characters only
through imagination and did not express any need for reciprocity.
Today's audience, however, craves the ability to express their
reactions, feelings, and opinions in real-time while viewing
content. This need for real-time interactivity is a key
differentiator between online content and traditional TV programs.
As iQIYI builds out an immersive, interactive viewing experience,
it enables the viewers to forge strong emotional bonds with the
characters and feel as if they were part of the show.
According to a recent report from the China Netcasting Services
Association on the development of China's online video industry, close to
half of the total online video viewership actively engaged with the
content. For instance, of all viewers, 44.6% would click
"Like" on the materials they appreciated; 27.9% read the bullet
comments; and 24.1% shared content via social media.
Furthermore, the research indicates that the younger, more
educated generations were among the most active in interacting with
the content. As a leading content platform for young viewers, iQIYI
is optimally positioned to capitalise on this trend. While the
online video market in China
remains highly competitive, iQIYI's continual commitment to
expanding its technological capabilities will allow the
Company to secure a differentiation advantage.
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SOURCE iQIYI, Inc.