Chinese tech giant Tencent surpassed Facebook in market value this November, and is the first Asian company worth more than $500 million. Unlike Facebook, which earns 97% of its revenue from advertising, online advertising only represents 16.9% of Tencent’s revenue, according to the company’s Q3 2017 report–lagging behind domestic competitors like Alibaba in terms of ads gain. Determined now to gain a larger slice of the digital advertising market, Tencent focuses on improving targeting and algorithms to intensify ads on its ubiquitous platform WeChat while not undermining the user experience, as well as leveraging opportunities in the company’s other products and services, including mobile games.
China Stands Ready to Lead eSports Globally
eSports is more than playing digital games online. With an estimated market value of $104 million in 2017, it is a multi-billion industry that both traditional and tech companies are pursuing in China. It is about networking, with millions of people watching contests online at a same time, and about a new way for brands to get closer to Chinese millennial, a demographic many find tricky to connect to. Behind the momentum is both digital sophistication and a maturing internet ecosystem in China. Yet to continue expanding, the industry is facing the difficulty of finding an entrance for traditional sports like soccer and basketball.
Game On: Companies Battle for the Chinese video game market
In China a healthy gaming culture centered around PC games, and more recently, mobile games, is thriving. Despite a historic decision by China’s Ministry of Culture in January 2014 to lift its 14-year ban on video game consoles, foreign console companies Sony and Microsoft have largely failed to woo China’s 517 million gamers. In July 2015, Niko Partners estimated that fewer than 550,000 of Sony Playstation 4 and Microsoft Xbox One, combined, will be sold in China by the end of the year, a pittance compared to the profits made by both PC and mobile gaming. Both companies are trying to make headway in this potentially fruitful market.
Gaming in China: Can China Make the Next Angry Birds?
Gaming in China is a passion that knows no bounds. But can the Chinese gaming industry build something as phenomenal as Angry Birds? Max Zhang has 16 games on her smartphone and usually plays 2-3 hours per night. The 26-year-old Shanghainese teaching assistant prefers casual games for their simplicity. “I don’t want to use my […]
China’s Mobile Gaming Companies and the Battle for Users
China’s mobile gaming companies are using every trick in the book to lure users in what is now one of the world’s largest and fastest growing gaming markets. Welcome to the new battleground in China’s fast-changing internet economy. “Welcome to this super cute game! Protect the carrots from monsters!” This is the lead of the second edition of the Chinese mobile […]
China Roundup: China’s Slowing Economy; Tencent’s Profits Up; and Facebook’s China Office
The week that was: China’s slowing economy; Tencent profit rises on growth in online games; Alibaba battles fakes; and Facebook will finally dip its toes in Chinese waters with a Beijing office (but won’t scale the Great Fire Wall). A slower Chinese economy? Get used to it Last week’s surprisingly solid trade numbers (exports and […]
China Round-up: Video Game Consoles Resurrect; Fight on Shadow Banking; and More Coal for China
The week that was: Beijing continues to restrict shadow banking practices; top economic planning agency approves more coalmines; a 13-year-old ban on video game consoles is lifted temporarily; and L’Oréal pulls the plug on the Garnier brand in China. Gaming consoles set to come back to China, legally If you see a Chinese guy playing on […]
Game theory: How companies adapt for the game industry in China
China is a daunting place to bring intellectual property. It’s especially tough for businesses that produce content, like movies and music. Widespread piracy has all but shut out Western publishers, record labels, and television studios. But for the video game industry, the Chinese gaming market is becoming central to growth. Not only is it vast […]
Playing for keeps: Online gaming in China
Over the past decade, online gaming has boldly entered the heart of mainstream mainland entertainment. Parents who may have once chastised their children for spending too much time playing online have, themselves, become zealous fans of zombies and angry birds. “In North America, Europe, or Australia, if you tell people, ‘I’m a World of Warcraft […]
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