爱奇艺 (iQIYI)
Platform · this deep dive is built from the official pages of the platform itself and of the tools that support it.
Overview
爱奇艺 (Àiqíyì, iQIYI) is a Chinese online video platform. On its investor page the company describes itself as "a leading provider of online entertainment video services in China" and lists its revenue sources: subscriptions, advertising, content distribution, games, a talent agency. The company trades on Nasdaq under the ticker IQ.
For an author something else matters more: the platform has a creator dashboard of its own — 爱奇艺号 (Àiqíyì hào, "iQIYI number") at creator.iqiyi.com. It exposes rules that Chinese platforms usually keep closed: file requirements, how income is calculated, payout deadlines and the procedure for signing a contract are published in the guide without signing in.
The difference from short-video platforms: clips are not all that is expected here. The dashboard accepts twelve types of material — from short video through to films, series, comics and prose novels.
Who's here
There are fewer public audience numbers than you might expect. The first-quarter 2026 report (18 May 2026) gives no subscriber or active-user figures at all — only revenue. As of the check date, official data does not allow iQIYI's audience to be compared with other platforms.
What the report does contain: quarterly revenue of 6.23 billion yuan (902.5 million dollars), down 13% year on year. From subscriptions — 4.20 billion yuan (−5%), from online advertising — 1.24 billion yuan (−7%), from content distribution — 358.7 million yuan (−43%). Operating loss — 228.4 million yuan. The same document says that in March 2026 plans for a listing on the Hong Kong exchange were announced.
The only estimate of scale from the platform itself is on the dashboard's front page: "daily content consumption across the product matrix exceeds one hundred million", with distribution across seven device types — phone, TV, computer, tablet, smart home, car and VR. No methodology sits behind that number.
Getting started
You sign in to the dashboard with a QR code from the mobile app, by SMS or by password; a phone number with the +86 code. An unregistered number is registered by the platform automatically.
After that, real-name verification is mandatory: the user agreement explicitly ties publishing video to identity verification. The timings are given in the guide: personal verification usually completes in real time, verification of a legal entity does too, while verification of an authorised representative takes 1–3 working days with a check payment to the settlement account.
Restrictions from the same place: one identity document can be linked to only one 爱奇艺号; one organisation may link no more than two accounts; after three failed check payments the documents are submitted again; after successful verification the subject cannot be changed. Nickname rules are published separately: the name must contain no punctuation marks or spaces, and a personal account may not contain the words "company", "group", "media" or "studio".
What you can publish
The dashboard's front page sets out the types of material and their formal parameters: short video; films; long series — episodes of 30–45 minutes, 4–40 episodes; medium series — 10–25 minutes, 15–30 episodes; short series — 1–3 minutes, from 40 episodes; short-form animation — 1–3 minutes; shows — episodes from 10 minutes; documentary — episodes no shorter than 5 minutes with a total running time from 40 minutes; children's content for ages 0–14; animation — episodes no shorter than 3 minutes; courses, comics and prose novels.
File requirements are in the "Publishing video" section of the guide: 16:9 for horizontal and 9:16 for vertical; length when uploading from a computer is recommended up to 60 minutes, through the app — 30–60 seconds; resolution is recommended at at least 1920×1080, up to 4K is supported with HDR detection; file size from a computer — up to 16 GB, through the app — up to 2 GB. The formats listed are mp4, wmv, asf, rm, rmvb, mpg, vob, mov, 3gp, m4v, mkv, avi and other common containers.
The daily publishing limit depends on two quantities at once — the account's credit score and the number of followers. With a score below 500 you cannot publish at all. With a score of 500–600 the limit is 2 to 10 items, with 600–800 — 5 to 50, with 800–1000 — 10 to 200. The follower tiers are: under 100, 100–1,000, 1,000–10,000 and from 10,000.
Publication can be scheduled from 2 hours to 15 days ahead. Visibility is public, self-only or password-protected; the password option works only in the desktop web version.
How to grow
The platform describes not a formula but a set of signals. In the "How to make a video more recommendable" section of the guide it says that recommendation takes account of the cover image, the title and the content, and then come the requirements for the cover: a sharp image, tidy composition, coherent colours, nothing overlapping or cropped. Material can be edited after publication, but only text and images; every edit sends the item back for re-moderation, and deletion is irreversible.
Path to monetization
The entry condition is stated outright in the "Income rules" section of the guide: 100 followers, verification passed and an agreement with the platform signed. After that the author receives a share of the ad revenue from their own short videos.
There is no fixed rate: the platform writes that CPM is assessed on view volume, "monetizable" watch time, the quality and originality of the material and the make-up of the audience. The previous day's data is updated around 15:00. A separate line is "platform subsidies", financial support for quality authors, including the 追光计划 programme; it cannot be withdrawn separately, as it is combined with ad income. Live streams, original light novels and knowledge courses are not part of the overall income.
Payouts. The conditions: a signed contract in force, no violations and a balance above 100 yuan; for MCNs the condition applies to each sub-account separately. The calendar for ad income: request on the 1st–5th of the month, checks on the 6th–10th, approval and scheduling for payment on the 10th–20th, money on the bank card by the 20th. Organisations and MCNs additionally issue a VAT invoice — electronic or on paper by the 10th; the tax rate is given as 3% for small taxpayers and 6% for ordinary ones.
The platform withholds tax on individuals itself and publishes the scale: up to 800 yuan no tax is charged, from 800 to 4,000 — 20% on the amount less 800, from 4,000 to 25,000 — 20% on 80% of the amount, from 25,000 to 62,500 — 30% minus a 2,000 deduction, above 62,500 — 40% minus a 7,000 deduction. Two withdrawals in one calendar month are taxed as one.
Short series and animated episodes need a separate contract: the default authorisation term is three years (you can choose three or five), and the rights territory is mainland China; mainland China together with Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan; or worldwide.
Tools and automation
The domain open.iqiyi.com returns a 503 error. Publishing and managing material are described only through the web dashboard and the mobile app.
In place of an API the platform offers dashboard features. The description of creator.iqiyi.com names content management, audience interaction, a data centre, monetization channels and the AI creation tool «纳逗 Pro». For agencies there is an MCN mode: the guide describes joining, renewal, adding an account to the matrix, a member leaving and publishing on behalf of a sub-account.
Limits and rules
Payouts inside China only. Withdrawal goes to a Chinese bank card, organisations issue a VAT invoice, tax is withheld on the Chinese scale — all of it in the guide. There is no mechanism for paying out beyond the country in open sources.
The account. The user agreement calls the account personal and non-commercial, bans transferring, renting out and selling it, and warns that an account inactive for 180 days in a row may be closed permanently. The same document bans unauthorised extraction of the platform's data, including video and audio for training AI models.
Content. Material that violates constitutional principles, threatens state security, spreads obscenity, gambling and violence, defames or incites hatred is banned. The law is that of mainland China, and disputes are heard by the people's court at the defendant's location.
Sanctions. The section on withdrawing funds names the grounds for withholding outright: inflated views and likes, and violations in borrowing someone else's material.
Who it's for
It suits producers of long-form and serial content in Chinese: series, short series from 40 episodes, documentaries, children's and animated projects. It suits those who value transparency: iQIYI openly publishes its file requirements, its tax scale and its payout calendar.
It does not suit authors without a Chinese legal or tax presence: payment goes to a Chinese card and organisations are required to issue a VAT invoice. It does not suit programmatic automation or a fast start: below 100 followers there is no income, and with a low credit score publishing is closed off entirely.
Verified data
The checked data this deep dive rests on.
About the platform
the platform describes itself like this: «爱奇艺（iQIYI）是中国领先的在线视频平台，提供海量免费正版高清电视剧、短剧、电影、综艺、动漫等视频内容，成功打造了狂飙、新说唱、偶像练习生、我是刑警、迷雾剧场等现象级IP，热门大片、独播剧集实时更新，畅享流畅观影体验。»
Self-description: this is the platform's claim about itself, not an independent assessment
source, checked 2026-07-28
Languages
the interface language of the home page: zh
The language is taken from the markup attribute, the versions from hreflang
source, checked 2026-07-28
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