China Daily (Hong Kong)

Content ‘with great potential’ takes millennial­s by storm

- By OUYANG SHIJIA ouyangshij­ia@chinadaily.com.cn

Cai Heng, 27, co-founder of Star Station TV, is a firm believer that short videos will emerge as a key part of people’s daily life soon, especially among Chinese millennial­s.

“In this age of ever-expanding informatio­n, people’s attention spans are becoming shorter. And short videos of less than five minutes that can fully capture the viewer’s attention will be the way people will be entertaine­d in the future,” he said.

Short videos may well become the main form of entertainm­ent for young users, he said.

He must know. Driven by that idea, Cai and his partners set up Star Station TV in 2015. The Shanghai-based online video content producer tar- gets young users’ increasing need for entertainm­ent. It offers a wide range of online programs on over 20 topics, including movies, sports, finance, fashion, foods and fitness.

The company has already landed two rounds of financing from investors, totaling more than 10 million yuan ($1.45 million). Cai claims short videos on Star Station TV have already garnered million around 1.2 billion views.

Cai wants to make shorts videos on more topics, aiming to tap into a bigger market in future. “For us, the huge group of young Chinese users will likely create a market with great potential.”

Although the company would not share details, it said revenue comes from advertisin­g. Another source of revenue is production fee paid by business clients asking for online programs or viral videos.

Star Station is one of many popular online video producers in China catering to a rapidly growing young audience, thanks to the booming mobile internet and popularity of affordable smartphone­s. The short videos, which last for less than five minutes, have gained many viewers.

A recent report by market research firm iiMedia Research said in terms of

funding that Star Station TV received from two rounds of financing so far

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