How big data helped iQiyi decide to back a summer blockbuster about back-stabbing concubines


Both man and machine proved right as ?Yanxi Palace concluded its run on China

?iQiyi chief executive Gong Yu recalls trusting veteran producer Yu Zheng to deliver a blockbuster hit with The Story of Yanxi Palace, a 70-episode drama about Qing dynasty imperial concubines back-stabbing each other to gain the emperor’s favour.

After all, his algorithms have concluded that the show, set in the court of Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799), would likely be a winner, based on big data analysis of past viewership patterns of similarly themed shows.

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