Youku’s 2025 Content Strategy: Revenue Sharing, AI & Genre Growth
2025 marked a pivotal year for Youku’s content platform, driven by a dual strategy of “revenue sharing innovation” and enhanced “product and service” offerings. This approach aims to foster a new stage of value creation with its content partners.
Revenue Sharing Revolution
Youku significantly revamped its revenue distribution system for top-performing projects, introducing the EPI value assessment index. This index directly links the rewards for quality content to its market popularity. The platform also leveraged intelligent algorithms to analyze vast datasets, pinpointing potential hits across various categories and providing comprehensive content support to boost their visibility.
Content Successes in 2025
The new strategy yielded impressive results. The film Black and White Pursuit 2 topped the annual online movie box office charts with over 29 million in revenue sharing. The series I Am Zhao Jia Season 2 continued the success of the IP, exceeding 50 million in revenue sharing. The short-form drama Anti-Fraud: Honey Bee set a new benchmark in its genre with over 10 million in revenue sharing. Furthermore, categories like children’s content, gaming, and documentaries experienced steady growth, while the animation sector saw a surge in “manhua” (comic-adapted) dramas.
AI-Powered Support and Comprehensive Services
In 2025, Youku upgraded both its products and services, utilizing AI technology to create an intelligent and precise system for discovering and supporting promising content. The platform’s AI models integrate internal user behavior data, resource allocation effectiveness, and overall online sentiment to drive “data-driven decision-making.” When the system identifies high-potential programs, it automatically generates multi-dimensional evaluation reports, triggering operational responses like dynamic resource allocation and customized marketing plans.
Youku also launched “Kaiping Supermarket,” a product offering comprehensive services for partners, including project promotion, material optimization, and marketing creativity. This service has supported over 20 production companies, including those behind Anti-Fraud: Honey Bee, Azure Fox吟, She in the Night, and Beloved Game.
Category Deep Dive: 2025 Performance
Network Movies
Youku continued to focus on IP series within the network movie category. Black and White Pursuit 2 earned over 29.14 million in revenue sharing, claiming the top spot for the year. The total box office revenue for the IP series exceeded 66.81 million, with over 12.36 million viewers. In September 2025, Youku opened a channel for “Network Story Films,” releasing a new collaboration model in December offering incentives covering both exclusive and non-exclusive partnerships, with potential revenue increases of up to 20%.
Short-Form Dramas
Facing a shift from rapid growth to refined quality in the short-form drama market, Youku’s short-form dramas achieved breakthroughs in content quality and social value. The summer hit Anti-Fraud: Honey Bee, earning over 10 million in revenue sharing, skillfully integrated anti-fraud education into a suspenseful storyline. Panda and You: Rolling Around actively promoted local culture and tourism, becoming a representative of Chinese culture internationally. Youku also experimented with vertical short-form dramas, producing titles like Private Meeting, Under the Knee, and Blood Ties.
Revenue-Sharing Dramas
Youku’s revenue-sharing dramas continued to thrive with IP series. I Am Zhao Jia Season 2 earned over 50 million in revenue sharing, setting a benchmark for male-focused sequels. The northeastern comedy Erlong Lake: Village Warmth 2, with a focus on rural revitalization, earned over 22 million in revenue sharing. The urban romantic comedy The Great Chef and His Son-in-Law blended culinary culture, family relationships, and mystery.
Children’s Content
Youku upgraded its children’s content revenue-sharing strategy, focusing on efficient refinement. Top IPs like Yina and Chacha Season 2, Baby Domi Season 4, and Ha Xiaolang Family Season 4 continued to lead the industry. The platform introduced a full-process support mechanism for new partners, including high revenue-sharing rates for initial releases, collaborative script development, and targeted traffic allocation. Youku also embraced AI technology to enhance poster design and content creation.
Animation
Youku’s animation sector saw a 120% increase in content and a 200% increase in partners, covering 3D animation, dynamic comics, IP series, and various “manhua” content. 2025 was dubbed the “year of manhua,” with AI-powered manhua content doubling year-over-year. All People are Strange: Starting with Zero Yuan Purchase (non-exclusive) earned over 1 million in revenue sharing.
Other Categories
Significant growth was also reported in gaming (20% increase in membership content), documentaries (30% increase in content), and new knowledge categories. The health channel launched in October 2025, featuring over 400 programs and 50 fitness instructors and doctors.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the EPI value assessment index?
The EPI value assessment index is a new metric introduced by Youku in 2025 that comprehensively evaluates a drama’s performance based on station ratings, viewership, and revenue.
What is “Kaiping Supermarket”?
“Kaiping Supermarket” is a new product launched by Youku in 2025 that provides comprehensive services to content partners, including project promotion, material optimization, and marketing creativity.
Which genres saw significant growth in 2025?
Several genres experienced growth, including children’s content, gaming, documentaries, animation, and new knowledge categories.
As Youku continues to innovate its revenue-sharing models and leverage AI technology, how might these changes impact the types of content produced and the overall quality of online entertainment?