Apr. 24 (NBD) -- More and more internet industry players are showing up at grand events of the film and TV industry. It appears that based on the powerful resources and capital advantages, internet companies are making inroads into every production link of the industry. 

Game changers for industry

Internet firms will dominate the film and TV market in the future, a senior executive with a listed film and TV company told NBD during the eighth Beijing International Film Festival, which was held from Apr. 15-22.

Such a statement is not groundless. 

Last year, Alibaba Pictures invested and released a number of films including See You Tomorrow and Eternal Love. Recent reports said the film "The Knight of Shadows: Between Yin and Yang" starred Jackie Chan and Elaine Zhong is set to be released on the first day of the 2019 Lunar New Year. This is the first big-budget theatrical film invested by online video provider iQiyi's film production division iQiyi Motion Pictures. 

To internet tycoons like Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent, the film and TV industry is not an isolated sector, and they can create core intellectual properties (IPs) based on content. With core IPs in hand, they can develop derivatives such as games, animation, derivative products, and VR parks. 

In the eyes of Cheng Wu, vice president of Tencent Holdings Ltd. and CEO of Tencent Pictures, the film and TV industry is the sector that can make the most out of IPs. 

Tencent Pictures has set up a distribution subsidiary called Tencent Pictures Distribution, aiming to expand its presence in production, distribution, copyright, licensing, and other areas and to create smash-hit IPs in China. 

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Beyond investments in film production and distribution, internet companies are fostering film and TV talents through various means, such as earmarking special fund, holding originality competition, and launching youth film program. 

Art films to be next big opportunity

At this year's Beijing International Film Festival, art films became highly sought-after among investors. 

Liu Kailuo, vice president of Alibaba Digital Media & Entertainment Group's streaming service Youku, is bullish on the development of art films. In his view, based on precise positioning, niche films will have a promising prospect in the future. 

The sole internet firm in the founding members of the National Arthouse Film Screening Alliance, online ticketing platform Taopiaopiao will invest 300 million yuan (47.4 million U.S. dollars) over the next three years to produce and promote 20 high-quality art films in collaboration with Alibaba Pictures, Dirty Monkeys Film Corporation, Youku, and Beijing Culture. 

Sun Xianghui, director of China Film Archive, also holds a buoyant attitude towards the development of art films over the next decade.

According to her, art films will be the next big opportunity following theme films. An audience reaction survey shows that of the 174 films surveyed, 92 attained audience satisfaction, including 10 art films. 

Sun, however, admitted that there is still a big gap between art film supply and demand in terms of quantity and quality. More work needs to be done to improve the art film distribution and projection market. She hopes the number of screens specially used for art film projection could reach 10 percent of the total in the future.  

Email: lansuying@nbd.com.cn