Chinese audiences accustomed to watching free TV shows on their phones and tablets are now paying for VIP packages to watch a popular Korean drama online.

習慣在手機或平板上觀看免費電視節目的中國觀眾，現在紛紛為一部熱播韓劇買單，成為VIP會員。

The provider of the online stream is offering VIP members priority viewing of the latest episodes.

VIP會員可以享受該視頻網站提供的搶先觀看最新劇集的特權。

"Descendants of the Sun" is a record-breaking 16-episode rom-com broadcast on Korean channel KBS2. It dominates the Wednesday-Thursday evening slot and was watched by a staggering 31.6 percent of the Korean audience on Thursday.

《太陽的后裔》是一部打破收視記錄的韓國愛情喜劇，共16集，在韓國KBS2頻道周三周四晚間檔播出，并在周四以31.6%的驚人收視率創下了記錄。

Exclusive rights to stream the show in China are owned by iQiyi. In December of last year, iQiyi had 10 million paying users. Zhang Yuxin, an intellectual property rights (IPR) manager at the provider, claims more than 1.2 billion views on the series since it premiered on Feb 24. The company's VIP package is ad-free and broadcast at the same time as the TV version in Korea, two episodes ahead of free users.

中國的網絡獨家播放版權歸愛奇藝所有。截至去年十月，愛奇藝已擁有一千萬付費用戶。愛奇藝知識產權經理張語芯表示，《太陽的后裔》自2月24日開

播以來，播放量已過12億。該網站VIP會員在觀看時無廣告插播，并且與韓國觀眾同步觀看該劇，擁有比免費用戶提前看兩集的特權。

The exact increase in subscriptions is not yet available and the drama will not conclude until the middle of April, but iQiyi estimates that at least 3 million new VIP users have signed up to watch. With annual membership priced at 198 yuan ($30), this could represent as much as more than half a billion yuan in revenue.

雖然具體的訂閱用戶增加數據尚為統計出來，況且該劇直到四月中旬才會完結，但是愛奇藝預估，至少已經有300萬用戶為了觀看此劇加入愛奇藝VIP，

成為新會員。以每年每位會員支付198元(約30美元)計算，這將給愛奇藝帶來超過5億元的收入。

Set in the fictional war-torn Republic of Uruk, Song Joong-ki plays a dashing captain in the army alongside Song Hye-kyo, a beautiful volunteer doctor. Their love grows week by week as they battle earthquakes and epidemics, massacres and mayhem together.

該劇以飽受戰火摧殘的烏魯克共和國為背，宋仲基飾演一名邪魅狂狷的部隊大尉，宋慧喬扮演一名美麗動人的志愿醫生，他們的愛情在一同經歷了戰火，地震，疫情，屠殺和暴亂中與日俱增。

Zhang Xinyi, 21, a student at Wuhan University is a big fan. What appeals to her most about the series is that in traditional TV dramas, the heroine is almost invariably subservient to the leading male character, but "Descendants of the Sun" steps away from such stereotypes and depicts a relationship of equals. Both main characters are excellent in their field; both have strong, independent minds; and both are highly regarded by their peers.

張心儀，21歲，武漢大學的一名學生，也是此劇的超級粉絲。該劇最吸引她的是在傳統電視劇中，女主通常都對男主卑躬屈膝，但是《太陽的后裔》卻

擺脫了這種舊俗，體現了一種男女對等的關系。男女主在自己的領域內都很優秀;他們都堅強而思想獨立，受到同行的尊重。

Zhang paid 19.8 yuan for a one-month membership just to watch the series and has joined the swelling ranks of Song Joong-ki's Chinese followers. "I have heard he may come to Wuhan. If he does, I will try to see him at the airport or at his hotel," she said.

為了觀看該劇，張每月花費19.8元，并且現已加入宋仲基日漸龐大的中國粉絲后援團?！拔衣犝f他會來武漢。如果他真的來，我會去機場接機或者去酒店蹲點”她說。

"Descendants of the Sun" is not the first drama to bring a sharp rise in paying viewers.

《太陽的后裔》并非第一部付費用戶猛增的電視劇。

Last July, the Chinese series "Grave Robbers' Chronicles," based on a best-selling series of young-adult novels, attracted 1 million new VIP members to iQiyi. In that case, VIPs were allowed immediate access to all episodes, rather than the regular updates provided to free users.

去年7月，改編自暢銷青少年系列小說的中國電視劇《盜墓筆記》，吸引了100萬愛奇藝VIP新會員。那時，VIP們可以立即觀看全部集數，而不像免費用戶還要等待每周更新。

Other online players, such as LeTV and Youku, have begun to offer a range VIP memberships alongside their free services. At Youku, for example, free users can watch the first two episodes of "Yong Pal," another popular Korean TV series, but only VIP users can watch the remaining 16. LeTV allowed free users to watch the whole of its latest cliffhanger drama, except the final installment, which was only available to those prepared to pay.

其他網絡媒體，如樂視TV和優酷已經開始在免費觀看視頻的同時為用戶提供一些VIP特權。比如，普通用戶在優酷視頻上只可以免費觀看《龍八夷》(另一部韓國熱播劇)的前兩集，只有VIP用戶才能觀看剩下的16集。而普通用戶在樂視TV上可以觀看除最后一集以外的任何最新劇情，而最后一集只有付費用戶才得以觀看。

According to last year's white paper on individual paying members of online streams in China by consulting firm iResearch, the China Internet Network Information Center and iQiyi, the number of people prepared to pay up front for what they watch is rising steeply, described in the paper as "the beginning of a new era" in China's viewing habits. The amount paid for such services has jumped from 210 million yuan in 2024 to 590 million in 2024.

根據去年艾瑞咨詢公司，中國互聯網絡信息中心以及愛奇藝發布的關于中國在線視頻個人付費用戶白皮書，有意愿為他們所觀看的視頻預先付費的人數正急劇上升。白皮書里描述該種現象為 “中國電視觀看習慣的新紀元”。為這項服務支付的總金額從2024年2.1億躍升為2024年的5.9億。

"We took four years to find the first 5 million VIP users, but only five and half months to see another 5 million," said Zhang.

張經理說，“我們用了4年時間才擁有首批500萬VIP用戶，但我們僅用5個半月就吸引了第二批500萬VIP用戶?！?/p>

Yin Hong, director of the center for film and television at Tsinghua University, said the changes to the membership market reflected a greater emphasis in China on protection of intellectual property rights.

清華大學電影電視中心主管尹宏認為付費會員市場的變化反映了中國對于知識產權方面的重視。

"Paying to view adds value to the value of the intellectual property and the member gets higher quality video sources, It really is a win-win situation," he said. Online stream providers are now competing fiercely for exclusive rights to mainstream TV drama.

付費觀看使知識產權增值，同時會員能夠觀看更高品質的視頻資源，這的確是一種雙贏的局面?！彼f。如今，網絡主流媒體供應商為取得熱播劇的獨家播放權正展開激烈角逐。

While some drama-addicts are happy to pay for their high quality fix, many are looking for loopholes. In some cases, multiple users may share one common VIP account and so selling ID codes and passwords online has become widespread. These kind of transactions are currently a gray legislative area. If the win-win expansion of TV is to continue, Yin believes the government must act to better protect the interests of IPR holders.

盡管一些電視劇迷樂意為優質劇集付費觀看，還有不少人在尋找該模式下的(付費)漏洞。比如多個用戶可能共享同一個VIP賬號，在網上出售ID賬號及密碼的情況已經較為普遍，而這種交易目前處于法律的灰色地帶。若想讓電視的這種雙贏局面繼續發展下去，尹教授認為政府需要采取措施以更好保護知識產權所有者的利益。

Chinese audiences accustomed to watching free TV shows on their phones and tablets are now paying for VIP packages to watch a popular Korean drama online.

習慣在手機或平板上觀看免費電視節目的中國觀眾，現在紛紛為一部熱播韓劇買單，成為VIP會員。

The provider of the online stream is offering VIP members priority viewing of the latest episodes.

VIP會員可以享受該視頻網站提供的搶先觀看最新劇集的特權。

"Descendants of the Sun" is a record-breaking 16-episode rom-com broadcast on Korean channel KBS2. It dominates the Wednesday-Thursday evening slot and was watched by a staggering 31.6 percent of the Korean audience on Thursday.

《太陽的后裔》是一部打破收視記錄的韓國愛情喜劇，共16集，在韓國KBS2頻道周三周四晚間檔播出，并在周四以31.6%的驚人收視率創下了記錄。

Exclusive rights to stream the show in China are owned by iQiyi. In December of last year, iQiyi had 10 million paying users. Zhang Yuxin, an intellectual property rights (IPR) manager at the provider, claims more than 1.2 billion views on the series since it premiered on Feb 24. The company's VIP package is ad-free and broadcast at the same time as the TV version in Korea, two episodes ahead of free users.

中國的網絡獨家播放版權歸愛奇藝所有。截至去年十月，愛奇藝已擁有一千萬付費用戶。愛奇藝知識產權經理張語芯表示，《太陽的后裔》自2月24日開

播以來，播放量已過12億。該網站VIP會員在觀看時無廣告插播，并且與韓國觀眾同步觀看該劇，擁有比免費用戶提前看兩集的特權。

The exact increase in subscriptions is not yet available and the drama will not conclude until the middle of April, but iQiyi estimates that at least 3 million new VIP users have signed up to watch. With annual membership priced at 198 yuan ($30), this could represent as much as more than half a billion yuan in revenue.

雖然具體的訂閱用戶增加數據尚為統計出來，況且該劇直到四月中旬才會完結，但是愛奇藝預估，至少已經有300萬用戶為了觀看此劇加入愛奇藝VIP，

成為新會員。以每年每位會員支付198元(約30美元)計算，這將給愛奇藝帶來超過5億元的收入。

Set in the fictional war-torn Republic of Uruk, Song Joong-ki plays a dashing captain in the army alongside Song Hye-kyo, a beautiful volunteer doctor. Their love grows week by week as they battle earthquakes and epidemics, massacres and mayhem together.

該劇以飽受戰火摧殘的烏魯克共和國為背，宋仲基飾演一名邪魅狂狷的部隊大尉，宋慧喬扮演一名美麗動人的志愿醫生，他們的愛情在一同經歷了戰火，地震，疫情，屠殺和暴亂中與日俱增。

Zhang Xinyi, 21, a student at Wuhan University is a big fan. What appeals to her most about the series is that in traditional TV dramas, the heroine is almost invariably subservient to the leading male character, but "Descendants of the Sun" steps away from such stereotypes and depicts a relationship of equals. Both main characters are excellent in their field; both have strong, independent minds; and both are highly regarded by their peers.

張心儀，21歲，武漢大學的一名學生，也是此劇的超級粉絲。該劇最吸引她的是在傳統電視劇中，女主通常都對男主卑躬屈膝，但是《太陽的后裔》卻

擺脫了這種舊俗，體現了一種男女對等的關系。男女主在自己的領域內都很優秀;他們都堅強而思想獨立，受到同行的尊重。

Zhang paid 19.8 yuan for a one-month membership just to watch the series and has joined the swelling ranks of Song Joong-ki's Chinese followers. "I have heard he may come to Wuhan. If he does, I will try to see him at the airport or at his hotel," she said.

為了觀看該劇，張每月花費19.8元，并且現已加入宋仲基日漸龐大的中國粉絲后援團?！拔衣犝f他會來武漢。如果他真的來，我會去機場接機或者去酒店蹲點”她說。

"Descendants of the Sun" is not the first drama to bring a sharp rise in paying viewers.

《太陽的后裔》并非第一部付費用戶猛增的電視劇。

Last July, the Chinese series "Grave Robbers' Chronicles," based on a best-selling series of young-adult novels, attracted 1 million new VIP members to iQiyi. In that case, VIPs were allowed immediate access to all episodes, rather than the regular updates provided to free users.

去年7月，改編自暢銷青少年系列小說的中國電視劇《盜墓筆記》，吸引了100萬愛奇藝VIP新會員。那時，VIP們可以立即觀看全部集數，而不像免費用戶還要等待每周更新。

Other online players, such as LeTV and Youku, have begun to offer a range VIP memberships alongside their free services. At Youku, for example, free users can watch the first two episodes of "Yong Pal," another popular Korean TV series, but only VIP users can watch the remaining 16. LeTV allowed free users to watch the whole of its latest cliffhanger drama, except the final installment, which was only available to those prepared to pay.

其他網絡媒體，如樂視TV和優酷已經開始在免費觀看視頻的同時為用戶提供一些VIP特權。比如，普通用戶在優酷視頻上只可以免費觀看《龍八夷》(另一部韓國熱播劇)的前兩集，只有VIP用戶才能觀看剩下的16集。而普通用戶在樂視TV上可以觀看除最后一集以外的任何最新劇情，而最后一集只有付費用戶才得以觀看。

According to last year's white paper on individual paying members of online streams in China by consulting firm iResearch, the China Internet Network Information Center and iQiyi, the number of people prepared to pay up front for what they watch is rising steeply, described in the paper as "the beginning of a new era" in China's viewing habits. The amount paid for such services has jumped from 210 million yuan in 2024 to 590 million in 2024.

根據去年艾瑞咨詢公司，中國互聯網絡信息中心以及愛奇藝發布的關于中國在線視頻個人付費用戶白皮書，有意愿為他們所觀看的視頻預先付費的人數正急劇上升。白皮書里描述該種現象為 “中國電視觀看習慣的新紀元”。為這項服務支付的總金額從2024年2.1億躍升為2024年的5.9億。

"We took four years to find the first 5 million VIP users, but only five and half months to see another 5 million," said Zhang.

張經理說，“我們用了4年時間才擁有首批500萬VIP用戶，但我們僅用5個半月就吸引了第二批500萬VIP用戶。”

Yin Hong, director of the center for film and television at Tsinghua University, said the changes to the membership market reflected a greater emphasis in China on protection of intellectual property rights.

清華大學電影電視中心主管尹宏認為付費會員市場的變化反映了中國對于知識產權方面的重視。

"Paying to view adds value to the value of the intellectual property and the member gets higher quality video sources, It really is a win-win situation," he said. Online stream providers are now competing fiercely for exclusive rights to mainstream TV drama.

付費觀看使知識產權增值，同時會員能夠觀看更高品質的視頻資源，這的確是一種雙贏的局面。”他說。如今，網絡主流媒體供應商為取得熱播劇的獨家播放權正展開激烈角逐。

While some drama-addicts are happy to pay for their high quality fix, many are looking for loopholes. In some cases, multiple users may share one common VIP account and so selling ID codes and passwords online has become widespread. These kind of transactions are currently a gray legislative area. If the win-win expansion of TV is to continue, Yin believes the government must act to better protect the interests of IPR holders.

盡管一些電視劇迷樂意為優質劇集付費觀看，還有不少人在尋找該模式下的(付費)漏洞。比如多個用戶可能共享同一個VIP賬號，在網上出售ID賬號及密碼的情況已經較為普遍，而這種交易目前處于法律的灰色地帶。若想讓電視的這種雙贏局面繼續發展下去，尹教授認為政府需要采取措施以更好保護知識產權所有者的利益。