China's Variety Show Market, Marketing, and Optimization

Concordia University, John Molson School of Business, International Business (BComm), 1450 Rue Guy, Montreal, QC H3H 1J5, Canada

^* Corresponding author: y_huijia@live.concordia.ca

Abstract

In the fierce competition in China's variety show market, online self-produced variety shows characterized by the innovative integration of content creation and marketing strategies in the digital era have developed rapidly. This study comprehensively re-examines the content production and marketing strategies of Chinese variety shows. This study adopts a case study analysis method, taking China's self-produced online variety shows as the main research object, and selects representative popular programs as analysis cases. The core purpose of this article is to discuss how online variety shows can use the native advantages of the Internet to innovate marketing methods. The study mainly found that the focus of current variety shows has shifted to narrower, youth-centered content. At the same time, in terms of marketing, the current program adopts cross-platform promotion, using the connective tissue of social media to expand influence and audience investment, thereby deepening audience relationships and cultivating communities around program content. Ultimately, the research conclusion shows that audience segmentation, cross-platform promotion, and real-time interaction are not only trends, but also necessary strategies to survive and develop in the increasingly segmented variety show market.