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BEIJING, July 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — iQIYI, China’s leading online entertainment platform, wrapped up the first half of 2026 with a strong performance on its domestic platform, delivering hit after hit across dramas, variety shows, and beyond. From standout popularity indices to top critical scores, the results cement iQIYI’s position as a go-to platform for high-quality, diversified content in China’s streaming market.
Dramas: A Commanding Lead Across Metrics
iQIYI accounted for 10 of the 16 newly released long-form dramas that received an S+ rating from leading third-party data platform Enlightent across the industry in H1 2026. Furthermore, three hits spanning various genres surpassed 10,000 on iQIYI’s popularity index, reflecting the company’s leadership in consistently producing the industry’s biggest titles.
Historical romance "Pursuit of Jade" led with a peak iQIYI popularity index of 10,604 and an Enlightent peak viewership market share of 55.1%. It topped iQIYI International’s rankings for H1 2026, with three of its characters placing in Enlightent’s top 10 most-watched long-form drama characters of the period. Crime drama "The Punishment" followed with a peak iQIYI popularity index of 10,209 and a 26.9% viewership market share on Enlightent; absurdist crime drama "Born with Luck" recorded 10,054 and 30.4% respectively.
Across 14 industry indices from Enlightent, Maoyan, Dengta, and Ky.live, iQIYI titles held the majority of top-10 positions for cumulative playback, episode-average views, and peak-period performance.
Variety Shows: Franchise Strength and a Deep Creative Pipeline
iQIYI’s variety slate earned three Enlightent S+ ratings in H1 2026, including "Wander Together", "HAHAHAHAHA 6", and "Become a Farmer 4". "HAHAHAHAHA 6" set a new peak popularity index record for long-running seasonal IPs and topped Enlightent’s variety show chart 68 times, ranking first overall in the category for H1 2026.
New productions matched the pace of returning franchises. "Wander Together" captured an Enlightent peak viewership market share of 71.4% and ranked first on Enlightent’s Q1 cumulative effective playback chart.
Consistent Performance Across Every Category
The momentum extended beyond dramas and variety shows. Original Chinese animation viewing duration surged 98% year-on-year, with playback volume growing 63% year-on-year. The platform’s micro drama library surpassed 50,000 titles, with several leading both platform and industry charts. iQIYI-produced online movies set new platform records for both popularity index and audience ratings. In children’s content, iQIYI held the industry’s top viewership market share for effective playback, per Enlightent.
iQIYI’s strong H1 2026 performance demonstrated its scale, consistency, and creative depth across categories, reinforcing its ability to meet the evolving tastes of a growing audience.
Contact: iQIYI Press, press@qiyi.com
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