Chinese video streaming services in the context of global platform studies

While recent platform theory within media and communication studies has been developed around US-based examples, platformization has taken a rather different path in China. Focusing on the video streaming service iQiyi, this article asks: What can we learn from approaching Chinese platforms not merely as exception to Western models, but as an opportunity for theory-building around platformization generally? We argue that Chinese online video represents a useful case for rethinking specific elements of platform theory as currently developed in English-language scholarship. Through a close analysis of iQiyi’s interface and regulation, we develop two arguments. The first argument concerns the relationship between regulatory environment, market structure, and platform affordances; and the second concerns platform interfaces, personalization, and fragmentation.