The deterritorialization of China pop: a pilot study on the global presence of Chinese streaming services

Abstract Purpose Through a close examination of various platforms and content offered by the top three Chinese streaming services, iQiyi, Tencent Video and YouKu, this study provides an overview of these services’ international operation and starts mapping out the global presence of Chinese pop culture content. Design/methodology/approach This study mostly relies on empirical data collected from several sources, including documents and digital artifacts. Documents include BAT’s financial results and annual reports in recent years, as well as some analyses of their reports. Digital artifacts include hundreds of screenshots taken from various platforms run by iQiyi, Tencent Video, YouKu, and third-party platforms: Netflix, Rakuten Viki and YouTube. These data are sorted and analyzed to map out their global reach. Findings The study finds that the three platforms have wide global reach that can be conceptualized as the first stage of deterritorialization. This stage is carried out with scale, synergy and strings attached, and that private-sector media companies are the main force. Practical implications It maps out the global reach of China’s pop culture content. Social implications The case of global reach of China pop is a significant development in cultural globalization. The deterritorialization of Chinese media content further complicates but also advances cultural globalization. Originality/value By conceptualizing the global reach of Chinese streaming services as the first stage cultural deterritorialization, this study makes theoretical contributions to the broader discussion of cultural globalization. This study also makes contributions to the study of Chinese media globalization by providing micro level analysis of the global expansion of iQiyi, Tencent Video and YouKu, China’s top three video streaming services.