Market Context

The worldwide Connected TV (CTV) market is projected to reach USD 260.56 billion in 2026 and to expand at a 6.03% CAGR through 2032, with the Asia‑Pacific region accounting for roughly 45% of total demand (MarkNtel Advisors). In the United States, streaming comprised 48.6% of total TV watch time in May 2026, with YouTube at 13.8% and Netflix at 8.0% (Nielsen). Poland saw Netflix’s share of TV‑screen viewing rise from 83% in May to 86% in June 2026 (Nielsen), underscoring a global shift toward big‑screen streaming.

iQIYI Smart‑TV Reach

In China, active smart‑TV devices reached 302 million in June 2026, up 12.04 million year‑over‑year (QuestMobile). iQIYI’s smart‑TV application, QIYIGuo TV, led the market with 141 million monthly active devices. Daily active devices on QIYIGuo TV were 50.42 million in June, slightly ahead of the 45.14 million daily active users on iQIYI’s mobile app. Assuming an average of 2.6 viewers per smart TV (Gozen Data), iQIYI’s big‑screen content reaches approximately 130 million individual viewers each day, nearly three times its mobile DAU.

User Engagement

Gozen Data reported that iQIYI TV users averaged 256 minutes of daily viewing in August, an increase of 13 minutes from the prior month and marking three consecutive months of growth. This deep engagement signals strong willingness to pay on the big‑screen platform.

Subscription Leadership

According to iiMedia Research, QIYIGuo TV captured a 32.45% share of the 2026 TV video subscription market, ranking first among consumers’ preferred TV video subscription services.

Content Performance

iQIYI produced three dramas in 2026 that surpassed its content popularity index of 10,000 – “The Punishment,” “Born with Luck,” and “Pursuit of Jade.” Among the summer releases, iQIYI accounted for seven of the 15 dramas rated S+ across all platforms by Enlightent, with all seven streamed exclusively on iQIYI.

AI‑Generated Film Initiative

In July, iQIYI exclusively premiered “Mystic Tales: The Spider Lady’s Vendetta,” marking China’s first AIGC internet feature film released under an Internet Drama and Film Distribution License. This was followed by the debut of two films in the “The Ferry Man” AIGC series – “The Ferry Man: Butterfly Dream” and “The Ferry Man: The Dream of the Celestial Maiden” on 22 August 2026. Within the first ten days, the two films generated over RMB 6 million in revenue‑sharing box‑office earnings, indicating early audience receptivity to AI‑produced premium content.

Outlook

The combination of a rapidly expanding smart‑TV base, high daily engagement, leading subscription share, strong content slate, and AI‑driven production efficiency positions iQIYI to capture the accelerating big‑screen viewing trend and reinforce its status as a premier destination for long‑form video in China.