Online video dramas out to find their niche

Once shot for commercial promotions and coupled with cheesy jokes, Chinese online video dramas now appear to be flourishing thanks to China's booming "Internet Plus" economy. According to a recent report on video series made by video websites such as Youku Tudou and iQiyi, an estimated 2,000 episodes will be produced by the end of this year, taking the 2016 total to more than 5,000, almost 250 times the figure in 2009.

Like other internet-based cultural products, online video dramas, despite borrowing heavily from traditional TV series - from narratives to promotional tactics - have also made notable progress in terms of innovation and creativity. In fact, many of them have managed to get rid of such dependence and can co-exist with the dramas broadcast by TV channels.

The themes of online video dramas, for one, cater to a diverse audiences, as unlike the TV audience, online video viewers - based on their age, education level and appreciation aptitude-have vastly different preferences.