What is iQIYI and how to get started

iQiyi, also known as 爱奇艺 or Aiqiyi, is one of China's largest online video sites with over 500 million monthly active users and has produced many highly successful shows.

By the 21YunBox Compliance Team·Reviewed 2026-10-07·Verified against primary sources

What does a foreign company need to distribute content or run a commercial presence on iQiyi in China?

The iQiyi app is a free download; a commercial relationship with it is not. A foreign company cannot license content onto iQiyi, advertise on it, or operate a branded presence on an account of its own. iQiyi is a licensed online audio-visual service — the permit behind it is reserved for state-controlled operators and closed to foreign capital — so the real gate is a Chinese operating license you place content through, plus a China entity or licensed partner of record, not a sign-up screen.

Three things sit under that screen. First, operating an internet audio-visual program service in China requires the state’s audio-visual transmission permit under SARFT–MIIT Order No. 56 — part of China’s internet-licensing regime — and that permit is open only to wholly state-owned or state-controlled entities, so a foreign content owner reaches audiences through iQiyi’s license, never one it holds itself. Second, “Internet audio-visual program services” sit in the prohibited column of China’s foreign-investment negative list, so foreign capital cannot own or control the operating entity — you come in as a content, co-production, or advertising partner. Third, overseas films and series are treated as imported audio-visual content, subject to the broadcasting regulator’s content review and registration before they may stream, and the viewer, subscriber, and campaign data you handle is governed by the PIPL. The guide below walks through iQiyi’s partnership and advertising intake; this layer is the compliance map beneath it.

This is a risk map to work through with counsel, not a yes/no verdict — what you need turns on whether you license content, advertise, or operate a presence, and on whose data you handle. Our China team can map your path with you →

What a foreign business must clear to put content or a presence on iQiyi

Fact	Primary source
iQiyi runs on a state-issued audio-visual license, and a foreign company places content through it rather than holding one. Under the Provisions on the Administration of Internet Audio-Visual Program Services (SARFT–MIIT Order No. 56, in force 2008-01-31; 2015 amendment), providing an internet audio-visual program service requires the 《信息网络传播视听节目许可证》 — the Information Network Dissemination of Audio-Visual Programmes permit — issued by the broadcasting authority, and without it “no work unit or individual may engage in Internet audio-visual program service” (Article 7). That permit is the platform’s; a foreign content owner, advertiser, or brand reaches audiences through iQiyi’s license, not one of its own. How China’s internet-licensing regime works →	Provisions on the Administration of Internet Audio-Visual Program Services (SARFT–MIIT Order No. 56), Article 7 — Stanford DigiChina translation; cross-checked against the official 2015 text; retrieved 2026-10-07
The audio-visual permit is reserved for state-controlled operators, and foreign investment in the service is on the negative list. Order No. 56 requires an applicant to “be a wholly State-owned or State-controlled work unit” with legal-person status and no record of violations in the prior three years (Article 8). Separately, the current Special Administrative Measures (Negative List) for Foreign Investment Access (2024 edition, NDRC and MOFCOM, effective 2024-11-01) place “Internet audio-visual program services” in the prohibited column — carried over from the 2021 edition — so overseas investors cannot own or control the operating entity. A foreign player therefore partners with a licensed Chinese operator rather than standing up its own.	Order No. 56, Article 8 (DigiChina translation); Special Administrative Measures (Negative List) for Foreign Investment Access, 2024 edition — Shanghai Municipal Government (English), retrieved 2026-10-07
Overseas films and series are “imported” content, reviewed and registered before they may stream. Foreign programming brought into China for distribution is subject to the broadcasting regulator’s content review: in a law-firm analysis of the rules, imported foreign TV series “are subject to censorship by central-level” regulator (then SAPPRFT; since 2018 the National Radio and Television Administration). In practice each title must clear that review and carry the required distribution or screening approval before a platform like iQiyi can put it online, and the regulator sets limits on imported programming. Whether a given title or campaign is cleared is a content-review question to settle with the platform and counsel, not an assumption.	Hogan Lovells, “China eases cross-border film and media regulations” (2016), on central-level censorship of imported and co-produced TV series; regulator now NRTA; retrieved 2026-10-07
iQiyi onboards foreign partners by company verification, which in practice assumes a China entity or local partner of record. iQiyi invites content collaboration and commercial advertising through a partnership intake that asks a company to submit its business information and the intended scope of cooperation (iq.com). Because the operating license and the negative-list bar sit on the platform side, a foreign company does not run its own service — it contracts in as a verified content, co-production, or advertising partner, and that contracting and verified party is typically a mainland China entity (a WFOE or joint venture) or a licensed local partner / agency of record (an inference from the licensing and foreign-investment rules above, to confirm for your own structure).	iQiyi / iQ.com partnership intake (iq.com) — first-party; entity structure inferred from Order No. 56 and the foreign-investment negative list; retrieved 2026-10-07
The audience and campaign data an iQiyi presence touches is personal information under the PIPL. Viewer, subscriber, and advertising data you collect or receive through the platform is personal information; moving it to headquarters or an offshore tool is a cross-border transfer that the Personal Information Protection Law conditions on notice, separate consent, and a lawful transfer mechanism (Articles 38–43). A critical-information-infrastructure operator or large-volume handler must “store domestically the personal information collected and generated within” China (PIPL Article 40; Cybersecurity Law Article 39 (formerly Article 37)). Where your iQiyi data lands is a question to settle with counsel before you scale.	Personal Information Protection Law, Arts. 38–43 & 40 (China Laws Portal); Cybersecurity Law Art. 39 (formerly Art. 37), retrieved 2026-10-07

Sources verified by the 21YunBox compliance team on 2026-10-07.

About iQiyi

Iqiyi, also known as 爱奇艺 or Aiqiyi, is one of China’s largest online video sites with over 500 million monthly active users and has produced many highly successful shows.

Founded in 2010 by tech giant Baidu, China’s dominating search engine, iQIYI is currently the top streaming platform for market share in the VOD (video on demand) service market in China, one of the largest online video sites in the world. The company went public in the U.S. stock market in 2018.

With at least 65% of its content produced in-house, iQIYI is also the network behind the nation’s household names, such as “Story of Yanxi Palace,” which had a record-breaking 15 billion views on the day its finale was released.

iQIYI features a mix of content ranging from professionally produced to user-generated content, with 65% of its content produced in-house. It has successfully made many record-breaking dramas and TV shows in China, such as the costume drama “Story of Yanxi Palace” and the talent show “Youth with You.”

Besides its wild success in China, iQiyi has also been growing internationally. It presents the hottest dramas, popular variety, exclusive movies, and awesome anime with multilingual support, from Korean to Japanese, English, and Chinese.

Talent Show Youth With You Produced by iQiyi

How To Get Started On iQiyi

iQiyi provides partnerships ranging from content collaboration to commercial advertising. To get started, submit your company’s information and intent of collaboration at https://www.iq.com/intl-common/partnerShip.html.

Do not have a Chinese entity, Chinese phone number or Chinese ID? We can help!

If you do not have a Chinese entity, Chinese ID, or Chinese phone number, which is essential to get started on iQiyi, 21YunBox is here to help.

We can provide the necessary supporting documents to get started on iQiyi and walk you through the process. Meanwhile, we will also bring your company, product, and service into full compliance with Chinese law.