Tencent Video now one of world's largest streaming platforms

One of China's most popular sci-fi series, Three-Body — an online series adapted from Hugo Award-winning writer Liu Cixin's The Three-Body Problem — has been streamed around 11 billion times since its global debut earlier this year, said Sun Zhonghuai, vice-president of Tencent, during the ongoing MIPCOM event in Cannes, France.

An annual trade market for entertainment content, MIPCOM, or Marche International des Programmes de Communication (International Market of Communications Programs), kicked off on Monday and runs until Thursday.

During an event on the first day, Sun, who is also the chief executive officer of Tencent Video, said that the Chinese entertainment industry is increasingly in sync with global megatrends.

"Thanks to the rapid development of internet and AI technologies, China's online video industry has undergone more than a decade of exploration and growth, and has become a highly competitive market," he added.

Sun revealed that the number of paid subscribers to Tencent Video reached 115 million in the second quarter of this year, making it one of the largest online platforms in the world.

Stating that the service streams a variety of genres including drama series, variety shows, films, animation, sports, and documentaries, Sun said that it adds an average of 100 new dramas each year.

He highlighted two of the most popular, Lost You Forever, a mythological romance set in ancient China, and Three-Body, the sci-fi saga that recounts the story of how humanity deals with an invasion by a highly advanced alien civilization.

With Three-Body as one of its most popular series abroad, he said that Tencent Video has streamed more than 300 series in 200 countries and regions.

He added that Three-Body has been streamed in North America since September and revealed that a sequel is being produced and planned for release overseas.