iQIYI Cancels ‘Idol Contest’ Shows Amid China’s ‘Celebrity Cult’ Criticism

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Chinese video streaming platform iQIYI is canceling its idol competition shows, according to multiple media outlets, including Reuters. It comes after the Chinese government criticized companies “promoting celebrity worship.” The spokesperson for IQIYI told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that it takes its responsibility as an entertainment platform seriously. To fulfill its duty as a responsible corporate citizen and help maintain a healthy online streaming environment, the company is canceling its idol competition shows, and future iQIYI programs will not feature any form of online voting.

According to Reuters, the Chinese government has criticized “idol competition” programs for creating an “unhealthy fan culture”. It came after celebrities such as pop star Kris Wu and actor Zhang Zhehan were recently embroiled in scandals.

IQIYI is known for several shows including the variety show Youth With You. In May, the streaming platform canceled the final live broadcast of Youth With You 3 after avoiding wasted milk. Chinese dairy conglomerate Mengniu, which was behind the variety show’s marketing campaign, also apologized. The marketing stunt forced viewers to purchase Mengniu’s bottled milk and scan the QR code inside the bottle caps to vote for their favorite contender on the variety show. By purchasing more bottles of milk, fans will increase the contestants’ chances of getting more votes and winning. Several media outlets previously reported that fans ended up buying more milk than they could consume and resorted to eliminating the milk and keeping the caps only to scan the code.

Meanwhile, China’s internet industry has also come under more scrutiny from the government. Last week, the government passed a data protection law detailing stricter rules on how businesses collect and process information from their users, CNBC reported. The Personal Information Protection Act includes a comprehensive set of rules regarding the collection and protection of data.

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Photo courtesy: 123RF

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