Tech giants offer Spring Festival services
Tech giants Apple, iQiyi and Kuaishou are offering new digital entertainment services ahead of the Spring Festival holiday.
Because of the pandemic, many people will be staying put during the festival and are expected to spend more time on services such as online video, streaming, music and games, a golden opportunity for tech firms to expand their business and customer base, according to analysts.
China’s leading online video platform iQiyi is offering users a new video on demand service. The company plans to offer the latest movies online and be a platform for artists and directors during the pandemic, said Song Jia, iQiyi’s vice president.
New releases during the festival include a kungfu movie, one about poverty alleviation movie and several cartoons for children. The company has 105 million paid subscribers.
A new kungfu movie is one of the offerings from iQiyi during the Spring Festival holiday.
Apple Music is to launch a special interface and song lists for the Spring Festival. It has features such as Siri support, PGC or professional-generated content and multi-device support covering Apple devices, Android phones, smart TVs, cars and Windows computers.
It is charging users 10 yuan (US$1.54) a month for unlimited access, with student and family packages. It is offering up to five months’ free trial for JD Plus users. Normally, Apple Music offers three months’ free trial for new users.
Apple Music improves its scrolling lyrics feature.
Short-video giant Kuaishou, which is to get listed in Hong Kong on Friday, plans to offer various Spring Festival programs on smart devices through partnerships with a number of TV stations.
Kuaishou will offer 2.1 billion yuan digital red packets or hongbao during the festival to encourage user interaction.
After the listing, Kuaishou will become China’s first listed company of its kind.
