Cyber celebrity industry booms

Promoting brands, products now a main way for them to make money

China's online celebrity industry expanded in 2017 and social media personalities are becoming even more skilled at converting their influence into cash, a report said.

"By May 2018, cyber celebrities with a fan base of more than 100,000 increased 51 percent from a year ago and their total followers surged 25 percent to 588 million," said the report titled 2018 China Online Celebrity Economic Development Insight. It was jointly published by market research consulting firm iResearch and social media platform Sina Weibo on Tuesday in Shanghai.