Chinese streamer iQIYI is moving AI-assisted longform from a test case to its main slate. At its iJOY conference in Shanghai, the company announced more than 350 new AI-assisted titles for 2026/27, built around youth-facing dramas in contemporary, historical, romance, suspense and sci-fi.
It is a scale play with an economic argument behind it. iQIYI says the first two instalments of its The Ferry Man series recouped their production costs within the first week of release. In the first month, the series generated more than US$1.19m in cumulative platform revenue-share earnings.
From pilot to programming line
The next proof point is Immortals Over Mortal Love, a 16×20-minute drama iQIYI describes as its first multi-season title built on a hybrid AI model. It premieres in the fourth quarter of 2026 and pairs live-action performances from professional actors with AI-generated content.
The company is also building around the format rather than treating it as a single experiment. Its feature-length AI-generated film slate covers adventure, suspense, action, romance and animation. Nine projects were chosen from more than 100 global submissions, with cinematographer and director Peter Pau on board to provide guidance.
What the slate includes
- 350+ AI-assisted titles announced for 2026/27, led by youth-focused dramas.
- First hybrid series: Immortals Over Mortal Love arrives in Q4 2026.
- Validated economics: The Ferry Man recouped its first two instalments within a week and took in US$1.19m in first-month revenue share.
- Format bets: horizontal-format shortform dramas and a variety-show slate with Douyin.
iQIYI founder and CEO Yu Gong framed the goal as making the platform “a community for film and television creators and audiences where every creator can be seen, earn sustainably and be recognised.” Chief content officer Xiaohui Wang said the company wants to be a destination for creators as AI tools make film and TV creation accessible to more people.
Why this matters for screen business planners
For media planners, entertainment marketers and streaming professionals, the useful signal is not just the volume of titles. It is the recoupment language. A production model that recovers costs in a week changes how you value AI-assisted content: it becomes a programming cost lever, not a lab project.
The slate also tests audience acceptance. Youth-skewed romance, suspense and sci-fi are exactly the categories where speed, iteration and volume matter most. If Immortals Over Mortal Love performs in the same pattern as The Ferry Man, expect AI-assisted longform to become a standard pitch in Asian drama slates and beyond.
Keep an eye on two follow-on metrics: whether revenue-share earnings hold across multiple seasons, and whether the Douyin variety partnership gives iQIYI a lower-cost path to reach shortform-first viewers without diluting its drama brand.
Source: C21media
