BEIJING, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Advancements in technology and the continuous crackdown on pirated content are making China's growing middle class pay to stream videos and music online, CNN reported.
The monthly fee for major Chinese video platforms is about 20 yuan (3 U.S. dollars), and streaming music ranges from 8 to 15 yuan (1 to 2 dollars) per month. This is significantly lower than that of Netflix (8 dollars) and Spotify (10 dollars).
The shift from pirating to paying among Chinese consumers has resulted from several factors. A key one is the rapid spread of digital payment, as Tencent's WeChat Pay and Alibaba's Alipay make it easy to pay for goods and services online, the report said.
China's major video platforms include Tencent Video, iQiyi, a subsidiary of internet giant Baidu, and Youku, affiliated with Alibaba.
Even for free videos or music online, Chinese users generate revenue for the tech companies by viewing the accompanying advertisements.
China's long-running crackdown on pirated content has been fruitful. The new film industry law, which protects intellectual property and encourages film-related merchandise and licensing, took effect on March 1, 2017, delivering a blow to piracy.
