From Cinemas to Streaming: Changing Viewing Preferences of Young Chinese Audiences

Lu Wang, Jamaluddin Aziz

Abstract


This study employs the Uses and Gratifications (U&G) theory to explore how young Chinese audiences actively choose streaming platforms to satisfy diverse personal, social, and psychological needs. Through semi-structured interviews with 15 participants from varied demographic backgrounds, including differences in age, education, gender, and occupation, this research investigates the motivations underpinning their shift from traditional cinemas to streaming media. The findings reveal that respondents predominantly prefer streaming platforms due to the gratifications of convenience, autonomy, personalized content selection, and cost-effectiveness. These platforms effectively align with respondents’ fast-paced urban lifestyles and fragmented viewing habits driven by demanding work schedules and contemporary media consumption patterns. Nevertheless, traditional cinemas remain essential, as they uniquely fulfil social and emotional gratifications such as family bonding, social rituals during cultural festivals, and immersive viewing experiences. This highlights a culturally distinct hybrid consumption model, significantly different from prevalent Western patterns. Furthermore, this study emphasizes the importance of understanding how Chinese socio-cultural factors, including familial traditions, collectivist values, and state regulatory influences, shape media consumption preferences. Based on these insights, the research proposes strategic recommendations for the film industry, including flexible theatrical windowing rules, culturally tailored programming, hybrid ticketing models, and integrated distribution strategies. These approaches aim to sustainably accommodate the evolving preferences of young Chinese audiences, promoting a complementary relationship between cinemas and streaming platforms within China’s distinctive media landscape.

 

Keywords: Uses and Gratifications Theory, Streaming platforms, Cinema viewing habits, Audience motivations, Chinese media culture.

 

https://doi.org/10.17576/JKMJC-2025-4102-18

 

Full Text:

PDF

References


Agarwal, R., Mehrotra, A., Sharma, V., Papa, A., & Malibari, A. (2023). Over-the-top (OTT) retailing in the post-pandemic world: Unveiling consumer drivers and barriers using a qualitative study. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 75, 103529. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2023.103529

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Cabral, L., & Natividad, G. (2020). Movie release strategy: Theory and evidence from international distribution. Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, 29(2), 276–288. https://doi.org/10.1111/jems.12344

Cesalkova, L. (2024). Film heritage on demand? Curation and discoverability of “classic movies” on Netflix. Television & New Media, 25(3), 287–305. https://doi.org/ptkr

Chen, R., & Liu, Y. (2023). A study on Chinese audience’s receptive behavior towards Chinese and Western cultural hybridity films based on grounded theory—Taking Disney’s animated film Turning Red as an example. Behavioral Sciences, 13(2), 135.

China Internet Network Information Center. (2024). The 53rd statistical report on China’s internet development (Issue 53).

DengTa. (2024). 2023 annual review report of the Chinese film market. China Film Administration. https://www.chinafilm.gov.cn/xwzx/gzdt/202401/t20240102_825148.html

D’heer, E., & Courtois, C. (2016). The changing dynamics of television consumption in the multimedia living room. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 22(1), 3–17. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354856514543451

Fang, J. (2024). The culture of censorship: State intervention and complicit creativity in global film production. American Sociological Review, 89, 488–517. https://doi.org/ptks

Feng, X. (2018). Social research methods (5th ed.). Renmin University of China Press.

Fröber, K., & Thomaschke, R. (2019). In the dark cube: Movie theater context enhances the valuation and aesthetic experience of watching films. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 15(3), 528–544. https://doi.org/10.1037/aca0000295

Fung, A. Y. (2019). Fandomization of online video or television in China. Media, Culture & Society, 41(7), 995–1010. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443719863353

Gaustad, T. (2019). How streaming services make cinema more important. Nordic Journal of Media Studies, 1(1), 67–84. https://doi.org/10.2478/njms-2019-0005

Gong, Y., Chow, I. H., & Ahlstrom, D. (2011). Cultural diversity in China: Dialect, job embeddedness, and turnover. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 28(2), 221–238. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-010-9232-6

Gupta, S., Shrivastava, P., & Gupta-Rawal, S. (2023). More the merrier! Understanding the effect of available content choices over willingness to pay for over-the-top subscriptions. Psychology & Marketing, 40(12), 2612–2626. https://doi.org/ptkt

Hanchard, M., Merrington, P., & Wessels, B. (2021). Screen choice: The relations, interactions and articulations of watching film. Open Screens, 4(1), 6. https://doi.org/gkf5zf

He, K., Eldridge Ii, S. A., & Broersma, M. (2024). Tactics of disconnection: How netizens navigate China’s censorship system. Media and Communication, 12, 8670. https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.8670

Hennig-Thurau, T., Ravid, S. A., & Sorenson, O. (2021). The economics of filmed entertainment in the digital era. Journal of Cultural Economics, 45(2), 157–170. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10824-021-09407-6

Hua, Y.-T., Liu, K.-Y., Huang, H.-C., Rotherham, I. D., & Ma, S.-C. (2023). Testing variation in eSports spectators’ motivations in relation to consumption behaviour. Sustainability, 15(3), 2028. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032028

Jung, D. O. (2022). Why do we go to the cinema?-A qualitative study of cinema attendance motivation in Sweden and Korea [Master thesis, Lund University]. http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9099500

Katz, E., Blumler, J. G., & Gurevitch, M. (1973). Uses and gratifications research. The Public Opinion Quarterly, 37(4), 509–523. https://doi.org/10.1086/268109

Khoo, O. (2023). Picturing diversity: Netflix’s inclusion strategy and the Netflix Recommender Algorithm (NRA). Television & New Media, 24(3), 281–297. https://doi.org/gss25r

Li, Q., Guan, Y., & Lu, H. (2020). Development of the global film industry: Industrial competition and cooperation in the context of globalization (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003051503

Lobato, R. (2020). Netflix nations: The geography of digital distribution. New York University Press. https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9781479882281.001.0001

McMahon, J. (2021). Selling Hollywood to China. Forum for Social Economics, 50(4), 414–431. https://doi.org/10.1080/07360932.2020.1800500

Menon, D. (2022). Purchase and continuation intentions of over -the -top (OTT) video streaming platform subscriptions: A uses and gratification theory perspective. Telematics and Informatics Reports, 5, 100006. https://doi.org/gq6wm5

Mitchell, R. (2024, January 4). Gower Street Analytics estimates 2023 global box office hit $33.9 billion. Gower Street Analytics. https://gower.st/articles/gower-street-analytics-estimates-2023-global-box-office-hit-33-9-billion/

Nee, R. C., & Barker, V. (2020). Co-viewing virtually: Social outcomes of second screening with televised and streamed content. Television & New Media, 21(7), 712–729. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527476419853450

Ni, P. (2022). The Confucian way of family under the Gongfu 功夫 perspective – A re-description (I). Journal of Chinese Philosophy, 49. https://doi.org/10.1163/15406253-12340049

Ni, W., & Coupe, C. (2023). Time-synchronic comments on video streaming website reveal core structures of audience engagement in movie viewing. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1040755. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1040755

Nie, C., & Gao, J. (2023). China internet audiovisual development research report (2023). China Online Audiovisual Program Service Association.

Nissen, K. (2024, February 29). Global cinema attendance is rebounding but not back to historic levels. S&P Global Market Intelligence. https://www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence/en/news-insights/research/global-cinema-attendance-is-rebounding-but-not-back-to-historic-levels

Parc, J., Messerlin, P., & Kim, K. (2022). The impact of protectionism on cultural industries: The effect of China’s film policies on imported films. Journal of Media Economics, 34(2), 117–133. https://doi.org/10.1080/08997764.2022.2074024

Pu, J., Hou, J., Wei, L., & Sun, Y. (2023). The analysis of marketing strategy of short video platforms—Taking Douyin as example. Advances in Economics, Management and Political Sciences, 9, 356-361. https://doi.org/10.54254/2754-1169/9/20230410

Ren, J. (2023). Exploring Chinese and Western audiences reception regarding international communication of entertainment: Take Squid Game and Hellbound (2022) as cases. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media, 7, 429-435. https://doi.org/10.54254/2753-7048/7/20221037

Ruggiero, T. E. (2000). Uses and Gratifications Theory in the 21st century. Mass Communication and Society, 3(1), 3–37. https://doi.org/cnkf55

Shao, G. (2009). Understanding the appeal of user‐generated media: A uses and gratification perspective. Internet Research, 19(1), 7–25. https://doi.org/dhvhkh

Shi, W., & Liu, S.-D. (2020). Pride as structure of feeling: Wolf Warrior II and the national subject of the Chinese Dream. Chinese Journal of Communication, 13(3), 329–343. https://doi.org/10.1080/17544750.2019.1635509

Su, W. (2022). The platformization of China’s film distribution in a pandemic era. Chinese Journal of Communication, 15(1), 95–114. https://doi.org/g77j27

Sun, J., & Wang, J. (2024, February 24). Spring Festival movies chart new, inspiring cultural trends. China Daily.

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202402/24/WS65d93f20a31082fc043b8dd4.html

Susilo, D., Hidayat, E., Winarko, H. B., & Dalangin, J. J. G. (2024). Impact of over-the-top video providers on viewing satisfaction and its effect on watching a movie in cinema: Bridging preferences and challenges. Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology, 8(5), 1434-1444. https://doi.org/10.55214/25768484.v8i5.1846

Tang, Q., Liu, L., & Liu, Z. (2025). Understanding how the Chinese youth engages with virtual streamers in digital era: An approach of affordance. International Communication of Chinese Culture, 12(1), 17–35. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40636-025-00318-1

Vallejo, A. (2020). Rethinking the canon: The role of film festivals in shaping film history. Studies in European Cinema, 17(2), 155–169. https://doi.org/gqjvww

Vandenberg, F., & Berghman, M. (2024). The show must go on(line): Livestreamed concerts and the hyper-ritualisation of genre conventions. Poetics, 103, 101782. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.poetic.2023.101782

Vinney, C. (2022, March 6). Uses and Gratification Theory in media psychology: How and why we make our choices for media consumption. VeryWell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-uses-and-gratifications-theory-in-media-psychology-5217572

Viswamohan, A. I., & Chaudhuri, S. B. (2023). Traversing boundaries: Contemporary Hindi cinema at international film festivals. South Asian Popular Culture, 21(1), 89–103. https://doi.org/10.1080/14746689.2022.2115736

Wan, L. (2023). Expanding the cross cultural communication strategy of Chinese animation movies: Drawing on Japanese experience. Advances in Education, Humanities and Social Science Research, 6(1), 198-201. https://doi.org/10.56028/aehssr.6.1.198.2023

Wang, C., Kerry, L., & Marta, R. F. (2021). Film distribution by video streaming platforms across Southeast Asia during COVID-19. Media, Culture & Society, 43(8), 1542–1552. https://doi.org/10.1177/01634437211045350

Wang, M., Tan, Z., Liu, J., & Chen, J. (2022a). Analyzing the impact of Fukushima nuclear wastewater discharge on seafood trade with gravity model. Ocean & Coastal Management, 230, 106302. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2022.106302

Wang, P., Cui, H., & Ye, L. (Eds.). (2022b). China population census yearbook 2020. China Statistics Press Co., Ltd.

Wang, W. Y., & Lobato, R. (2019). Chinese video streaming services in the context of global platform studies. Chinese Journal of Communication, 12(3), 356–371. https://doi.org/10.1080/17544750.2019.1584119

Wayne, M. L. (2022). Netflix audience data, streaming industry discourse, and the emerging realities of ‘popular’ television. Media, Culture & Society, 44(2), 193–209. https://doi.org/10.1177/01634437211022723

Wittenzellner, H., & Bustamante, R. C. V. (2023). Cinema visit or home theatre: The threat of video-on-demand for German cinemas. Economy & Business, 17(1), 146–165. https://doi.org/10.62991/EB1996196510

Wu, X., & Fitzgerald, R. (2025). The danmu discourse of user engagement with cross-posted broadcast interviews in Chinese social media. Journalism, 26(3), 733–751. https://doi.org/10.1177/14648849241253900

Xinhua News Network. (2024). 2023 China film market annual stocktaking report released. http://www1.xinhuanet.com/fortune/20240102/e25e5a8494fb4d0daeb64f99a5f820e6/c.html

Xue, N., & Li, L. (2022). Audience composition and aesthetic preferences—Based on the analysis of the “China film audience satisfaction survey.” Contemporary Cinema, 3, 4–16.

Yamatsu, T., & Lee, S. (2023). Multiple relationships between streaming and linear TV: Examining media substitution theory using big data. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 67(4), 442–465. https://doi.org/10.1080/08838151.2023.2250039

Yaqoub, M., Jingwu, Z., Xuyao, Z., & Firdous, R. (2022). Future of video streaming platforms and mainstream cinema: A case study of Fujian Province, China. Journal of Peace, Development & Communication, 6(2), 1–21. https://doi.org/ptkv

Yin Y. (2022). On the transition of film and television entertainment industry in the era of digital media. Contemporary Cinema, 3, 39–45.

Zhang, S. (2022). Exploring how Chinese TV dramas reach global audiences via Viki in the transnational flow of TV content. Journal of Transcultural Communication, 2(1), 69–89. https://doi.org/10.1515/jtc-2022-0014

Zheng, H., & Hua-Yu, S. C. (2020). State-led Chinese nationalism: An analysis of primary school textbooks. China: An International Journal, 18, 27–48. https://doi.org/ptkw

Zou, S. (2019). When nationalism meets hip-hop: Aestheticized politics of ideotainment in China. Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, 16(3), 178–195. https://doi.org/10.1080/14791420.2019.1637008


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


e-ISSN: 2289-1528