A small-budget online series entitled "Go Princess Go" has become a hit among young Chinese viewers since it was broadcast on a streaming website in December, with daily views exceeding 10 million, despite the lack of a star cast, as reported by China Daily.
The ongoing original series was produced by LeTV, one of China's biggest online video companies. By Tuesday, it had been watched around 1.5 billion times, bringing in a new era for original programming by online video companies.
The 35-episode series is adapted from an online novel. It's a comedy about a playboy who accidentally goes back in time to a fictional dynasty and turns into a crown princess and then an Empress Dowager.
The series broadcasts one episode a day, with its final episode scheduled to be released on Saturday.
Netizens have often described the series as addictive, with viewers claiming watching a single 20- to 30-minute episode can cause one to watch the entire series.
Data on Sina Weibo shows that discussions of the series have brought in around 2 billion clicks as of Tuesday.
"It's very funny and light-hearted. All the actors are handsome. Many of my friends and classmates are fans. I will pay to watch it," said Feng Shanshan, a student in Beijing.
Feng said that part of her enjoyment comes from sending out messages with her friends while watching it online, feeling as if she can share comments with viewers across China about the show's funny parts.
Several college students have complained online how the series has been distracting them from their studies.
The rating of "Go Princess Go" on the review website Douban is significantly higher than "The Legend of Mi Yue," a series that features several well-known directors and stars.
However, despite its online popularity, Jin Bo, a commentator, believes that it is a "lousy drama series because of its weak plot," as he said on his WeChat account.
Jin thinks the series caters to "low-brow tastes" of the young audience, a growing trend in film and TV circles. He said that high-quality films and TV dramas in China are not paid attention to and earn poorly compared with these shows.