More online series have been produced during this year's summer season. (Photo : 台灣愛奇藝/YouTube)
The summer season this year has seen the boom of online series as a total of 107 new productions were released in July and August, a figure double the number of those released on the same period last year.
Among these titles, 11 have each received more than 100 million views, led by the top-performing series of iQiyi, "The Lost Tomb."
The series, which ended on Aug. 17, has received a total of 2.4 billion views. It also broke records when it garnered 30 million views within an hour after its premiere in June.
With well-reviewed episodes and word of mouth, titles such as "Wu Xin The Monster Killer" and "Evil Minds" have also championed the online arena.
Though both have not relied on any huge IP power or on an all-star cast, the shows have established positive reputation and gathered their own audience base as they aired more episodes online.
As part of the popularity of "Wu Xin The Monster Killer," the show began airing on Taiwanese television stations, catapulting the career of lead actor Zhang Ruoyun in the region.
This move, by which television stations pick up online series, is yet another proof of the growing power of Web-based productions.
Additionally, the milestone achieved by online series has also influenced the traditional movie industry. For instance, the blockbuster hit "Jian Bing Man: A Hero or Not" by leading man Da Peng first got his production and acting stints from the online comedy series, "Diors Man."
Nonetheless, criticisms are still thrown at the booming sector.
Li Shengli, a professor at the Community University of China, said, "I am afraid that online shows will see a trend where we have a few very high quantity productions but most of them are still of low quality."
The professor told the Global Times that "many online shows are too wordy and their scripts are not logical enough. Some of them get money from companies which end up turning them into advertisements for these companies' products."
"Though we all know online shows are still young and growing, producers still need to see traditional TV shows, both domestic and overseas, as their competitors. This is the only way they can help make this industry develop in a healthy direction," Li explained.
