Goodbye icecream, hello I stream

As movie theaters offer more bells and whistles for screenings, it's time for filmmakers to take a serious look at streaming-enabled platforms.

Video websites used to be a hotbed for pirated content. But with the infusion of big capital, they are turning into an alternative venue for mass viewing.

In the sizeable Chinese contingent at the just completed 71st Venice International Film Festival, one company stood out. It was not a film production company per se, but it hosted China Night, and the number of participants it drew hinted at its gravitas. It was iQiyi, a video streaming website that few outside China have heard of.