iQIYI's Wheat Field Concert Charges for Online Viewing
TapTechNews reported on June 5 that the second Wheat Field Concert of the reality show Let's Farm produced by iQIYI will open tomorrow (June 6). While the offline tickets are free and limited-edition merch can be purchased, netizens found that they have to pay an additional $1.87 (about 12 yuan) to watch the online live stream, and the viewing validity period is set until June 14.
This practice has sparked heated discussions among netizens, and iQIYI free offline but charges for online quickly topped the Weibo hot search list.
The official Weibo of Let's Farm shows that the second Wheat Field Concert will be live streamed on June 6 from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., exclusively live streamed via the iQIYI App. In addition to the 200 lucky VIP Harvest Partners who have successfully signed up and have the opportunity to be present at the concert in person, the rest of the audience can watch the live stream in real-time through online payment. The VIP member price is $1.87, and the non-member price is $3.74.
TapTechNews found that the Wheat Field Concert of Let's Farm last year was held on June 6, 2023. The whole concert lasted for nearly 5 hours and performed 38 songs, and it was free to watch the live stream online for netizens, while this year it was changed to paid viewing.
In the comment section under the official Weibo announcement of paid live viewing, most of the top popular comments expressed disappointment and accused the program team of fleecing the flock and having an ugly eating appearance.
In the first quarter of 2024, iQIYI's total revenue was 7.9 billion yuan, a 5% year-on-year decline; the non-GAAP operating profit was 1.1 billion yuan, a 5% year-on-year increase, reaching a record high, and the operating margin was 14%. Among them, the revenue of member services was 4.8 billion yuan, and the average monthly single-member revenue (ARM) reached a new high, with a consecutive six-qu arter increase quarter-on-quarter; the revenue of online advertising services was 1.5 billion yuan, a 6% year-on-year increase; the revenue of content distribution was 928 million yuan, a 27% year-on-year increase.