China’s massive short video and live streaming sector has continued to expand, with the number of professional hosts surpassing 15 million, even though viewer numbers nationwide have reached a plateau, according to a report.

The number of professional short video hosts and live streamers in the world’s largest internet market totalled 15.08 million at the end of December last year, the state-run China Netcasting Services Association (CNSA) said in a report published on Wednesday.

That expansion shows how short video and live-streaming campaigns have boosted online retail sales, as popular influencers and small merchants peddle everything from lipsticks, food and beverages to smartphones and cars.

The CNSA estimated this e-commerce segment was already worth hundreds of billions of dollars on the mainland. The state-run body reports to the National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA), China’s broadcasting regulator.

China’s live-streaming industry heats up as millions of would-be hosts vie to break into the field

Last year, 71.2 per cent of users surveyed by the CNSA said that they made online purchases based on viewing short videos and live streams, compared to only 42.7 per cent in 2022, the report said.

The CNSA said the same 2023 survey also found that more than 40 per cent of internet users considered short videos and live streams as their “primary consumption channel”.

There are now more than 660,800 companies on the mainland that run online video services as their primary business, according to the CNSA report.

Sales from live-streaming e-commerce jumped 58.9 per cent in the first 10 months of 2023 over the same period in 2022, reaching 2.2 trillion yuan (US$304 billion) and accounting for 18.1 per cent of all online shopping in China, according to data from the Ministry of Commerce.

More than 40 per cent of mainland internet users considered short videos and live streams as their “primary consumption channel”, according to a 2023 survey by the state-run China Netcasting Services Association. Photo: Shutterstock

More than 40 per cent of mainland internet users considered short videos and live streams as their “primary consumption channel”, according to a 2023 survey by the state-run China Netcasting Services Association. Photo: Shutterstock

More than 40 per cent of mainland internet users considered short videos and live streams as their “primary consumption channel”, according to a 2023 survey by the state-run China Netcasting Services Association. Photo: Shutterstock

In spite of the broad popularity of influencers in internet shopping campaigns on the mainland, the number of online video users has already plateaued, according to the CNSA.

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It estimated that there were 1.074 billion users of online video apps and other video services – about 98.3 per cent of the country’s total internet population – at the end of December last year, which showed a modest gain from 1.04 billion in 2022.

Still, the number of online video service users in China’s rural areas has been growing at a faster pace than those based in cities, according to the CNSA. It said 98 per cent of rural internet users subscribed to online video services at the end of December last year.

In 2022 and 2023, rural users of such platforms rose 12.6 per cent and 6.8 per cent, respectively. By contrast, users in cities grew just 2.1 per cent and 1.9 per cent, respectively, in the same two-year period.