iQIYI Launches New Talent Agent Plan at 2019 iQIYI World Conference

BEIJING, May 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- iQIYI, Inc. (NASDAQ: IQ) ("iQIYI" or the "Company"), an innovative market-leading online entertainment company in China today launched the iQIYI Kiwi Talent Agent Plan ("the Plan") at its 2019 World Conference. Spanning talent hunting, cultivation and promotion, the Plan leverages the full potential and resources of iQIYI's platform, tailor-made content, online and offline entertainment activities and commercial endorsements to create a talent agent ecosystem that will enable the success of artists, benefit partners, and create a new talent agent model for the internet era.

With iQIYI's strong track record in self-produced content, new artists will gain visibility in a variety of iQIYI's online and offline events, as well as opportunities to participate in all types of variety shows and new dramas. iQIYI also provides artists with extensive publicity channels leveraging its main website, multiple independent apps and publicity channels, to help artists create diversified positioning and increase interaction with fans. Underpinned by iQIYI's robust technology and AI capability, artists participating in the Plan will also join iQIYI's Yihui system, which helps to digitize artists' information and match them with the most suitable content and characters.

According to 2018 China Talent Agent Industry Trend Insight Report, the market size of online advertising, digital music, movies, online video and other fields have experienced significant growth. From 2014 to 2018, the online video market grew 3.5 times, from 24.9 billion yuan to 112.9 billion yuan and the number of online video users in China reached 610 million, up 41% from the same period last year, with 230 million of them being paid users.

"The surging growth in China's online viewing community and their demand for quality content have created significant opportunities for artists in the internet and mobile era, as well as the talent industry. iQIYI is well positioned to promote the development of the industry by sharing our resources and capability with our partners," said Wang Xiaohui, President of Professional Content Business Group (PCG) and Chief Content Officer of iQIYI.

"We are very excited to announce iQIYI's new Talent Agent Plan," added Leon Chen, Senior Vice President of iQIYI. "As an entertainment company powered by technology and innovation, iQIYI looks forward to creating a new cooperation model and ecosystem with our partners, leveraging our premium-quality content and advanced AI technology."

Since the launch of the "White Swan Plan" in 2017, iQIYI has gained extensive experience in nurturing young actors and artists in the entertainment industry. With the success of its own variety shows and dramas such as The Rap of China, Idol Producer, Hot-Blood Dance Crew, With You and Tientsin Mystic, iQIYI has successfully produced many household names among Chinese audiences. Over the years, iQIYI has successfully joined resources along the value chain working closely with talent agencies, internet KOLs, colleges and universities, as well as the platform's high-quality self-made talent show programs. 

The Plan was announced during the Talent Agent Forum of the 2019 iQIYI World Conference, which is the industry's first ever forum focused on this subject. The Forum attracted a number of leading senior professionals from the industry including Wang Xiaohui, president of Professional Content Business Group (PCG) and Chief Content Officer of iQIYI; Leon Chen, senior vice president of iQIYI; Gu Shuhang, CEO of CAA China; Du Hua, founder of Yuehua Entertainment; Gao Shouzhi, president and founder of EntGroup; Huang Bin, founder and chairman of Weifeng Entertainment; Liu Tao, CEO of SoWonderful Media Co.Ltd. and Liu Tianchi, founder of Liu Tianchi Performance Workshop.

About iQIYI, Inc.                                                 

iQIYI, Inc. 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 and e-commerce. For more information on iQIYI, please visit http://ir.iqiyi.com

SOURCE iQIYI, Inc.