Sou Hu Cai Jing·2025-06-03 21:32Core Insights - The Chinese internet content industry is overcoming long-standing profitability challenges, with companies like Bilibili and Zhihu achieving quarterly profitability for the first time in 2024, driven by advertising growth and membership optimization [1][2][15] - The "content five giants" (Tencent Music, Bilibili, iQIYI, Yuewen Group, and Zhihu) share a common revenue model focused on content payment, contrasting with reliance on advertising and e-commerce [2][19] Group 1: Industry Challenges - High copyright costs and weak user payment awareness are significant barriers to profitability, with some platforms spending 40%-60% of operational costs on copyright procurement and average long video industry payment conversion rates remaining at 10%-15% [1][14] - The competition for quality content has driven up copyright prices, creating financial burdens for companies [14][28] Group 2: Financial Performance - In 2024, Tencent Music led in adjusted net profit with 77 billion, followed by iQIYI with 15 billion, while Bilibili and Zhihu reported losses of 221 million and 96.3 million respectively [21][22] - Revenue sources vary among the giants, with membership income being the primary revenue stream for Tencent Music and iQIYI, while Bilibili and Zhihu also rely on advertising and other services [20][19] Group 3: Business Strategies - Companies are adopting cost control strategies to maintain profitability, with iQIYI reducing costs significantly from 207 billion in 2021 to 157 billion in 2024, while Zhihu also cut costs to achieve a reduction in losses [31][32][33] - Tencent Music, Bilibili, and Yuewen Group are exploring new business increments alongside cost reductions, with Bilibili's revenue growing by 19% in 2024, driven by increases in membership and advertising [34][35] Group 4: Future Outlook - The market is cautious about the sustainability of profitability among the content giants, with Tencent Music's market value significantly higher than its peers, indicating a disparity in perceived growth potential [39][40] - Companies are focusing on stabilizing core businesses and exploring AI integration to enhance content creation and user engagement, although the commercial viability of AI applications remains uncertain [41][42]