tech
People in China are watching the World Cup differently this time
A 12-hour-plus time difference and various streaming options are influencing how people in China watch the World Cup.
TL;DR
- Chinese consumers predominantly watch World Cup soccer games on smartphones rather than traditional televisions.
- Social media platform Xiaohongshu is streaming World Cup games for free through a partnership with China Media Group.
- The World Cup games are often watched at home due to unfavorable timing (middle of the night or morning) and a preference for digital viewing.
- China's digital-first trend, strong 5G connectivity, and low-cost data packages support mobile viewing.
- Douyin, with over 1 billion monthly active users, is also a significant platform for World Cup content, while Xiaohongshu had 245.3 million users as of March.
- Tencent Cloud is supporting official World Cup broadcasting platforms in 16 Asia Pacific regions, including Singapore, the UAE, and Argentina.