BEIJING, July 5, 2019
/PRNewswire/ -- Since its debut on May
25, 2019, The Big Band (the "Show"), a
variety show broadcasted and produced by iQIYI, an innovative
market-leading entertainment service in China, and MEWE, has been met with great
acclaim by industry professionals and audiences for its
originality, its impact on the revival of China's indie music and bands as well as
immersive and interactive viewing experience that's achieved
through the application of innovative technologies such as
interactive video features and VR.
Set against a mission to seek out the best rock bands in
China, The Big Band is a music variety show that
brings together 31 top Chinese bands, some of which come from
China's biggest indie labels –
Modern Sky, Taihe Music, Caotai
Music and Street Voice, to compete in various stages and battles in
order to earn a spot in the final "Top 5". Bands featured on the
Show represent a diverse range of bands and music styles, composing
a controversial yet well-received line-up that includes legendary
names of the Chinese indie bands dating back from the late 1980s
such as rock metal band The Face to staples from
the mid-2000s like alternative rock
band Hedgehog and promising new acts such as
popular brit-pop band Penicillin.
The Show is also joined by MEWE Founder and CEO and well-known
television personality Ma Dong,
veteran musician Gao Xiaosong, well-known music producer Zhang
Yadong, Taiwanese pop band Sodagreen vocalist Wu Qingfeng, cellist
and actress Nana Ouyang, and
comedian Qiao Shan, who host and are
given judging capacity.
At present, the Show has achieved a score of 6,223 on iQIYI's
"Content Popularity Index", while posts on Weibo made under the
hashtag #TheBigBand have received 1.84 billion views, making
the Show and relevant subjects the number one trending Weibo topic
multiple times. The Show's innovation in content and its music
focus has successfully brought the charm and culture of underground
indie bands to the attention of the mainstream public, prompting
the revival of the Chinese indie music scene.
A leading figure in setting youth culture trends and bringing
underground music culture to the mainstream
According to the 2018 China Live Music Industry Report released
by iDaolue Music Industry Research Center, the total revenue of
live music concerts reached 4.857 billion
RMB in 2017, a deconstruction of this figure shows a 51%
growth in the revenue from live indie concerts, with millennials
born in the 1990s and early 2000s representing the primary
audience. Against the backdrop of this revival of indie music and
live concerts, iQIYI saw this growing youth culture trend as an
opportunity to revisit the rich history of China's indie music scene and use the Show as
a platform for discussion by bringing this growing appreciation of
indie and rock culture to the mainstream.
iQIYI has a proven track record in successfully bringing
underground cultural trends to the mainstream and opening up
opportunities for industries of smaller audiences. Since its debut
in 2017, iQIYI's hit variety show The Rap of China prompted the popularization of
Chinese rap in mainstream Chinese youth culture. The online Chinese
buzzword "Skr", for instance, originated from the show and received
470,000 searches on Baidu, China's
leading search engine, just one day after it was used by Chinese
singer Kris Wu in the show's second
season. Original rap songs popularized from the show have also
topped the rankings of leading Chinese music platforms. The show's
recently aired 2019 season continues to explore the value and
potential behind the cultural significance of Chinese-language rap,
further advancing iQIYI's endeavors in setting cultural trends for
young Chinese audiences. Prior to the first broadcast of the 2019
season, the hashtag #TheRapOfChina reached 8.7 billion tags on
Weibo, with more than 44.23 million users discussing the show.
In addition, iQIYI also produced the hit debate show Qi
Pa Shuo, one of China's most popular talk shows, which through
its never-before-seen debating format spurred an appreciation for
discussion on controversial cultural topics amongst young people in
China.
Redefining the viewing experience through technological
innovation
Aside from making breakthroughs from a culture and content
perspective, iQIYI redefines the viewing experience of online
entertainment in The Big Band through the
application of innovative technologies. For example, viewers are
provided with the "content exploring" feature which entails a
pop-up indication during certain performances in the Show which
users can choose to finish watching performances which aren't
broadcasted entirety in the final cut of episodes. This innovative
feature allows iQIYI to produce content of the highest quality and
efficiency while not compromising the unique and diverse needs of
different audiences, achieving an impeccable integration between
interactive video features and traditional video
characteristics. The Big Band also marks the first
entertainment content to incorporate features taken from the
interactive video guideline (IVG), which was launched in May
earlier this year by iQIYI.
The Show also offers what is known as "Qiyu VR KTV", an
interactive entertainment function with social features that is
enabled by iQIYI's 4K VR headset
Qiyu. By offering a setting that entails a 3D 180° view of 4K playback quality, users are able to enjoy a
truly immersive virtual reality experience that mimics the
experience of live concerts. Aside from top-tier visuals, the
function also has a sound and volume control system which allows
users to sing along to the performances, of which can be recorded
in audio and video and be uploaded onto social media. More features
are expected to be rolled out for "Qiyu VR KTV", including an
8K VR playback quality as well as an
online karaoke competition function.
With the rapid development of 5G and AI, the traditional film
and television content structure will continue to adapt and see the
normalization of technologies such as interactive video functions
and VR. iQIYI is committed to exploring the possibilities of
technologies that are bound to change the landscape of China's film and television industry. At
present, iQIYI has already implemented these features to multiple
productions, including the recent launch of China's first interactive film and television
work His Smile, as well as a series of VR-function
enabled variety shows, including Qi Pa Shuo
VR and The Rap of China VR.
About iQIYI, Inc.
iQIYI, Inc. (NASDAQ: IQ) ("iQIYI" or the "Company") is an
innovative market-leading online entertainment service in
China. Its corporate DNA combines
creative talent with technology, fostering an environment for
continuous innovation and the production of blockbuster content.
iQIYI's platform features highly popular original content, as well
as a comprehensive library of other professionally-produced
content, partner-generated content and user-generated content. The
Company distinguishes itself in the online entertainment industry
by its leading technology platform powered by advanced AI, big data
analytics and other core proprietary technologies. iQIYI attracts a
massive user base with tremendous user engagement, and has
developed a diversified monetization model including membership
services, online advertising services, content distribution, live
broadcasting, online games, IP licensing, online literature,
e-commerce, etc.
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SOURCE iQIYI, Inc.