Core Insights - The internet service model has shifted from free access to a paid membership system, with limited benefits for lower-tier members [2][3][24] - Video streaming platforms are increasingly segmenting membership levels and reducing member benefits, leading to a saturation of subscriber growth [3][6][27] - The decline in membership value and the rise in service fees are evident across various platforms, indicating a broader trend in the industry [14][18][24] Membership Dynamics - Users are finding it increasingly difficult to access content without a membership, as most platforms restrict viewing to members only [3][5][6] - Major platforms like Tencent Video and iQIYI have reported significant revenue from membership fees, with iQIYI's membership revenue accounting for 61.7% of its total revenue in Q2 2025 [24][25] - Membership income is becoming a core revenue source for internet companies, driving them to enhance membership offerings and increase fees [27][28] Content Strategy - To maintain competitiveness, video platforms are investing heavily in exclusive content to differentiate themselves [6][40] - Platforms are also exploring international markets and short-form content to attract and retain users [38][39][40] User Experience and Challenges - Even with a membership, users face limitations such as ads and device restrictions, which diminishes the perceived value of membership [14][16][18] - The trend of "nested" memberships, where users must pay for additional features or content, is becoming more common [22][23] Industry Trends - The overall user base for major platforms is declining, with significant drops in monthly active users reported [36] - Companies are adapting to these challenges by diversifying their content offerings and exploring new revenue streams [40][41]

Group 1: TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) - TSMC's 3Q25 revenue reached $33.1 billion, with a gross margin of 59.5%, exceeding previous expectations and guidance [3][4] - The company raised its full-year revenue guidance from a year-on-year increase of over 30% to approximately 35% [3][4] - Capital expenditure for 2025 is adjusted to $40-42 billion, with a mid-term AI revenue growth forecast of around 45% from 2024 to 2029 [4] Group 2: iQIYI - iQIYI's content supply in 3Q25 exceeded previous expectations, with a focus on the positive impact of new broadcasting regulations [5][6] - The target price for iQIYI is adjusted to $2.80, reflecting a potential upside of 35.9% based on a 15x 2026 P/E ratio [5] - The expected revenue for 3Q25 is $6.63 billion, with adjusted operating losses projected at $27 million and net losses at $150 million [6] Group 3: Market Indices - The Hang Seng Index closed at 25,247, down 2.21% for the day but up 17.80% year-to-date [7] - The S&P 500 index closed at 6,664, reflecting a year-to-date increase of 13.30% [7] - The Nasdaq index closed at 22,680, with a year-to-date increase of 17.45% [7]

Group 1 - The event "Hai Hao You Ni - Zhongguancun Campus Recruitment Season" kicked off in the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway Ruins Park, featuring over 80 well-known companies and institutions from Haidian District offering more than 1,000 quality job positions [1][2] - The recruitment fair attracted participation from over 1,000 young students from more than 50 universities, showcasing a strong demand for talent in cutting-edge fields, particularly in artificial intelligence [1][2] - The event is set to continue until March 2026, with more than ten dual-selection activities planned, releasing over 10,000 recruitment demands [2] Group 2 - Notable participating companies include Xiaomi, Huawei, Baidu, Tencent, and Meituan, indicating a strong presence of major tech firms in the recruitment landscape [1][2] - A "Corporate Mentor Team" consisting of representatives from five companies, including Xiaomi and Huawei, was present to provide guidance and support to students, emphasizing the importance of retaining talent in Haidian [2] - The recruitment fair also expanded its reach by setting up a sub-venue in Hong Kong and simultaneously releasing job postings in Singapore, aiming to attract global talent [2]

Market Performance - The three major U.S. stock indices closed higher, with the Dow Jones up 0.52%, the S&P 500 up 0.53%, and the Nasdaq up 0.52% [1] - Popular tech stocks showed mixed performance, with Tesla rising over 2% and Apple nearly 2%, while Oracle fell over 6%, and AMD and ARM dropped over 3% [1] - Chinese concept stocks also had mixed results, with New Oriental rising over 2%, Alibaba and JD.com up over 1%, while Zhihu, iQIYI, and Kingsoft Cloud fell over 1% [1] European Market - European stock indices closed lower, with Germany's DAX down 1.61%, France's CAC40 down 0.18%, and the UK's FTSE 100 down 0.86% [1] Commodity Prices - International precious metal futures generally declined, with COMEX gold futures down 0.85% at $4267.90 per ounce and COMEX silver futures down 5.01% at $50.63 per ounce [1] - U.S. oil main contract rose 0.46% to $57.25 per barrel, while Brent crude oil main contract also increased by 0.46% to $61.34 per barrel [1] Currency and Debt Markets - The U.S. dollar index rose 0.20% to 98.56, while the offshore RMB against the U.S. dollar fell by 24 basis points to 7.1269 [1] - U.S. Treasury yields collectively increased, with the 2-year yield up 4.77 basis points to 3.466%, the 3-year yield up 4.96 basis points to 3.472%, and the 10-year yield up 4.00 basis points to 4.013% [1] - European bond yields also rose, with the UK 10-year yield up 3 basis points to 4.529% and the German 10-year yield up 1 basis point to 2.579% [1]

Company Analysis - iQIYI (IQ US; Buy; Target Price: $2.70) is expected to have total revenue in Q3 2025 remain flat quarter-on-quarter, with a year-on-year decline of 8% to 6.64 billion yuan, supported by a strong content reserve leading to a 3% quarter-on-quarter growth in membership business [2] - The non-GAAP operating loss for iQIYI in Q3 2025 is projected to be 23 million yuan, compared to operating profits of 369 million yuan and 59 million yuan in Q3 2024 and Q2 2025 respectively, primarily due to adjustments in non-core businesses and increased content investment during the summer peak season [2] - The revenue forecast for FY25-27 remains largely unchanged, but the non-GAAP operating profit forecast has been adjusted down by 0.4-2% to account for increased content investment [2] Market Performance - The Hang Seng Index closed at 25,889, down 0.09% for the day but up 29.06% year-to-date, while the Hang Seng Tech Index fell 1.18% for the day but is up 34.36% year-to-date [2] - The A-share market saw gains, with coal, banking, and industrial trade sectors leading the rise, while steel, building materials, and non-ferrous metals lagged [4] - Southbound capital recorded a net inflow of 15.82 billion HKD, with Zijin Mining, Xiaomi, and Alibaba seeing the largest net purchases, while SMIC, Giant Biogene, and Laopu Gold experienced significant net sales [4]

Core Viewpoint - The regulatory policy for long dramas is shifting from strict regulation to a balance of relaxation and deepening, with a more diversified and refined regulatory approach. The implementation of new broadcasting regulations is expected to promote content supply innovation, leading the industry into a virtuous cycle in the future [2][5]. Background Review - The rise of short dramas, represented by platforms like Hongguo, has intensified competition for long dramas, leading to tightened budgets in the downstream sector. This has accelerated the clearing of supply in the upstream sector but has also affected the stability and creativity of content creators [4][6]. - The supply side of the long drama industry is gradually stabilizing after a period of adjustment, with a focus on quality improvement and diversification of genres. The overall number of new dramas is expected to stabilize starting in 2024 [4][14]. New Regulations Observation - The new broadcasting regulations aim to foster content supply innovation, providing a friendly environment for content creation. The key to future development lies in the impact of supply changes on user retention. Short-term benefits include the release of backlog dramas and shortened review cycles, while medium-term strategies focus on optimizing cost structures through a "script-centered" approach [5][34]. - The long-term outlook suggests that series development will enhance production stability and IP value potential, with the industry likely to recover under the new policy cycle [5][37]. Industry Trends - The long video platforms are increasingly focusing on exclusive dramas and member content, with membership revenue becoming a core income source. For instance, in 2024, membership revenue accounted for 60.8% and 24.4% of total revenue for iQIYI and Mango TV, respectively [23][24]. - The supply of costume dramas, a significant genre for young female audiences, has shown a recovery trend after a decline from 2019 to 2022. The proportion of costume dramas in the top 10 popular dramas has exceeded 40% in recent years [27][28]. Policy Background - The regulatory framework for the video drama industry is evolving from strict regulation to a more relaxed and detailed approach, with the implementation of new measures aimed at enhancing content supply and innovation. The new regulations emphasize improving the efficiency of review mechanisms and expanding content categories [32][33]. Future Development - In the short term, the release of backlog dramas and shortened review cycles are expected to facilitate cash flow and stimulate industry recovery. In the medium term, a focus on script quality and cost management is anticipated to improve production efficiency [34][36]. - Long-term strategies will likely involve a shift from standalone hits to series development, enhancing the stability of production and maximizing the potential of IP value through diversified derivative products [37][39].

Core Points - The U.S. stock market showed mixed results on October 15, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down by 0.04%, while the Nasdaq increased by 0.66% and the S&P 500 rose by 0.4% [1] - Major technology stocks experienced significant gains, with AMD rising over 9%, Intel up more than 4%, and Google and Broadcom increasing by over 2% [1] - The Nasdaq Golden Dragon Index, which tracks Chinese companies listed in the U.S., rose by 1.7%, with notable increases in popular Chinese stocks such as New Oriental up over 10% and Century Internet up more than 4% [1] - Other Chinese stocks like Bilibili, Alibaba, Xpeng Motors, Baidu, and JD.com saw increases of over 1%, while iQIYI experienced a decline of over 3% [1]

Core Insights - The article discusses the increasing popularity of video content and the entry of established platforms like iQIYI into the creator revenue-sharing model to attract quality creators [1][3]. Group 1: Company Initiatives - iQIYI has launched a creator revenue-sharing plan aimed at expanding its ecosystem by attracting more quality creators [1][3]. - The platform is currently in an early development stage, offering generous rewards to both users and creators to enhance user retention [1][3]. Group 2: Revenue Potential - Creators can earn money by publishing videos on iQIYI, with reported earnings of nearly 60,000 yuan over four months, averaging about 15,000 yuan per month [5]. - The revenue-sharing model allows creators to monetize their content based on viewership, making it an appealing opportunity for potential users [3][5]. Group 3: Operational Guidelines - To start earning, creators need to obtain an "IQ account," similar to the requirements for other video-sharing platforms, which necessitates a minimum follower count [5][15]. - The process of creating and publishing videos is streamlined, taking approximately five minutes to complete, encouraging creators to publish multiple videos daily to increase exposure [15].

Group 1 - The core idea of the article is that established platforms like iQIYI are launching creator revenue-sharing plans to attract quality creators, similar to other platforms like Sohu [1][4]. - iQIYI's creator revenue-sharing plan allows users to earn money by publishing videos that receive views, making it an appealing opportunity for content creators [4][6]. - The article highlights that current management on iQIYI is not very strict, allowing users to repurpose videos without significant issues, which presents a window of opportunity for creators [7][17]. Group 2 - The article provides a step-by-step guide on how to start earning through iQIYI, beginning with obtaining an "IQ number" to enable revenue generation [8]. - It suggests using AI-powered editing software like Jianying and Kuaiying to create videos quickly, emphasizing the ease of content creation [9][14]. - The process of generating and publishing videos is described as straightforward, taking about five minutes to complete, and encourages users to publish multiple videos daily to increase exposure [17].

Core Insights - The ratio of small screen to large screen usage has reached 1:1, indicating a significant presence of large screen users in the entertainment landscape [1] - Despite the perception that television is declining, data shows that large screen viewing is thriving, with platforms like iQIYI and Youku reporting substantial increases in viewing time on large screens [1][3] - The Chinese smart large screen market is expanding, with nearly 1 billion people covered and a steady annual growth rate [1][4] User Demographics - The total number of television users in China remains the highest among all viewing populations, with 1.197 billion television users compared to 1.108 billion internet users [4][7] - Smart TV users are projected to exceed 1 billion by the end of 2025, with a 25% growth rate over the past five years [4][7] - The user base for large screens is diverse, including couples, single young adults, families with children, and older adults, each with distinct viewing preferences [8][10] Viewing Behavior - Large screen users are primarily engaged in watching long-form content, with a significant portion of viewing time dedicated to dramas and movies [12][13] - The viewing habits of different demographics show a preference for quality long content, with single young adults and families particularly active during prime viewing hours [10][11] - The demand for long-form content on large screens remains strong, despite the rise of short video formats [11][15] Market Trends - The sales of smart TVs are on the rise, with an expected increase of 23.59 million units in 2024, driven by government subsidies and consumer demand [7][20] - The content landscape is shifting, with a growing emphasis on high-quality long-form content as the primary draw for large screen users [18][22] - Platforms are adapting to the large screen environment, with strategies that include offering exclusive content and enhancing user experience [20][22] Industry Implications - The resurgence of large screens as a viable platform for long-form content suggests a potential shift in content strategy for streaming services [19][23] - The integration of short-form content into large screen viewing is being explored, but long-form content remains the dominant format [11][15] - The industry must address the operational challenges of large screen platforms to fully capitalize on the growing user base and viewing habits [22][24]