Hit Chinese shows gain popularity in overseas markets

The series depicts the journey of a college student and a game designer who are stuck in a "time loop" as they determine the truth behind the bomb explosion on the bus, which kills all passengers aboard. The series has garnered more than 2 billion views in China and is also hugely successful in Thailand.

Due to the rising popularity of Chinese content in recent years, TrueID set up a dedicated Chinese television section last month featuring dozens of popular series.

Wang Shuang, who is in charge of the overseas market at WeTV, an international version of leading Chinese streaming platform Tencent Video, said, "Chinese content is gaining popularity not only in Thailand, but throughout Southeast Asia."

According to Wang, demand for Chinese dramas has soared in Southeast Asia in recent years, especially in Thailand, where Chinese series have edged out those from South Korea, followed by series from Japan, the United States and European countries.

WeTV has been downloaded about 150 million times globally. About 30 million downloads are from Thailand, a country with a population of less than 70 million.

Lu Di, professor at Peking University's School of Journalism and Communication, said: "Thailand is a very mature market for Chinese dramas. The country is close to China geographically and people from the two nations share many similarities in daily life and culture. Communication and exchanges between China and Thailand have been taking place since the Han Dynasty (202 BC-AD 220)."

The rising popularity of Chinese series elsewhere in Asia is largely due to streaming platforms attracting young people, who form the majority audience for these dramas overseas, Lu added.