New reality for China’s entertainment sector as AI drama goes prime time

From low-quality “slop” such as soap operas starring humanlike cats and dating shows featuring anthropomorphic fruit, to increasingly slick productions realistic enough to pass for live action, artificial intelligence-generated video dramas have become almost inescapable on Chinese social media feeds.

This week, the format graduated to prime time. A fully AI-generated adaptation of the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West debuted on Hunan Satellite Television, a major state-owned broadcaster known for its hit entertainment programming and its streaming platform Mango TV.

The 30-episode series, with each instalment running about 40 minutes, went from commission to broadcast in just three months. Production is still ongoing – the director told local media that later episodes would be continuously refined based on audience feedback.

The premiere delivered a sharp jolt to China’s long-depressed media and entertainment sector. Shares in Mango Excellent Media, the listed unit of the Hunan broadcaster, hit their 20 per cent daily trading limit twice this week before paring gains. The surge added more than 13 billion yuan (US$1.9 billion) to its market value, signalling a strong return of investor enthusiasm.

“This sends a clear signal of policy support,” said Guo Guo, a Beijing-based producer at a leading film and television company. “AI drama is going mainstream.”