Chinese Movie & TV Streaming Platforms
China's film and TV business is a subscription race with an unusual shape. Three services — iQIYI, Tencent Video and Youku — fight over original dramas, variety shows and licensed films, each charging a VIP membership on top of a free ad-supported tier. A fourth, Mango TV, wins differently: a provincial broadcaster feeds it the variety formats that drive subscriptions, and it stays profitable. Two older sites sit outside the race — Sohu TV, which pioneered legally licensed US dramas, and 1905, the movie channel's own portal, which gives away classic Chinese film. For a reader outside China the deciding question is which one has an international edition with English subtitles.
Chinese movie and TV streaming platforms compared
| Platform | What it is | Operator & launch year | Outside-China access | English UI | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iQIYI / 爱奇艺 | Free ad-supported tier plus VIP subscription, carrying original dramas, licensed films and anime | Baidu-backed, online since 2010; more than 100 million paid subscribers | International app at iq.com carries most originals with English, Spanish and Thai subtitles, though the library differs from the domestic one | Yes on iq.com | Free with ads; VIP for ad-free and early episodes |
| Tencent Video / 腾讯视频 | Tencent's streaming arm: original dramas, exclusive anime, box-office films and live NBA | Tencent, 2011 | Its WeTV app serves Southeast Asia and other markets; NBA rights and some titles stay geo-restricted | English subtitles on WeTV originals | Free with ads; VIP for exclusives and ad-free playback |
| Youku / 优酷 | Alibaba-owned video site mixing licensed drama, anime and everyday user clips | Launched 2006; merged with Tudou 2012; Alibaba subsidiary 2016 | An international version exists, but licensing keeps much of the catalogue mainland-only | Select titles subtitled in English | Free with ads; VIP for ad-free and early viewing |
| Mango TV / 芒果TV | Variety and reality hub built on Hunan Satellite TV's formats, plus in-house dramas and licensed film | Hunan Broadcasting System, state-owned; run within listed parent Mango Excellent Media | International MangoTV app since 2018, strongest in Southeast Asia; subtitles run to Thai, Vietnamese and Malay, not English | No | Membership for the full catalogue |
| Sohu TV / 搜狐视频 | Video arm of the Sohu portal, with licensed HD drama, imported US series and a creator follow stream | Sohu; fully licensed HD shows from 2008 | No international edition; the catalogue is Chinese and aimed at mainland viewers | No | Free with ads |
| 1905 Movie Network / 1905电影网 | The CCTV-6 movie channel's portal, pairing nearly ten thousand licensed films with film news and reviews | China Movie Channel (CCTV-6), 2004 | Mainland service in Chinese; no overseas edition | No | Mostly free with ads |
How this market is structured
Three subscription businesses, and one that does not play that game
iQIYI, Tencent Video and Youku became the big three by paying for content and then charging viewers twice — advertising on the free tier, a VIP fee for no ads and early episodes. iQIYI, online since 2010 and backed by Baidu, is the largest, with more than 100 million paying subscribers and originals such as The Bad Kids. Tencent Video, launched 2011, leans on the wider Tencent group: sign-in runs through QQ or WeChat, and its exclusives include the NBA in China plus adaptations of Tencent's own games and anime. Youku got there first, launched in 2006, absorbed Tudou in 2012 and joined Alibaba in 2016 on the way to losing the lead; it still produces hits, and now ties content into Alibaba's commerce.
Why the fourth one is profitable
Mango TV does not compete on volume. It is the online arm of Hunan Broadcasting System, a state-owned broadcaster, and runs inside Mango Excellent Media beside Hunan Satellite TV — so the reality and variety formats that pull subscriptions arrive from its own sister company instead of being bought at market prices. That is the whole difference: content cost. The big three spend on licensed drama and sport against rivals with the same budgets; Mango spends little on the one genre where its parent is already the country's biggest producer, and sells memberships on it. It is the only consistently profitable major in the group, and its formats have been exported — Sisters Who Make Waves has been remade abroad.
Using it from outside China
Every one of the big three runs an international edition, and each keeps a different library under different licences. iQIYI's overseas app at iq.com is the most English-friendly, localising interface and subtitles in several languages; Tencent Video's overseas face is WeTV; Youku runs an international version with selected subtitled titles. Mango TV's international app, live since 2018, is built for Southeast Asia and subtitles in Thai, Vietnamese and Malay rather than English. Sohu TV and 1905 have no overseas edition at all. What you gain in access you lose in catalogue, so check that the series you want is actually listed on the international copy before paying for a membership.
