Online stars Zhang Hua (left) and Zhang Dou, who study in the United States, attend a forum in April in Beijing.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Channels of options

Streaming companies are seizing the opportunity and have developed strategies to connect their projects with these social media stars.

Chinese video-sharing app RRTV, for example, has launched a channel for producing original short videos, especially those featuring Western social media stars who share their insights into cultural differences.

The company mainly streamed US TV shows with Chinese subtitles when it was founded three years ago.

RRTV has more than 35 million registered users. Some 2,000 students from Chinese universities and Chinese studying overseas have been enlisted to shoot, produce and translate, CEO Zhou Weimin says.

Online stars' value is measured by the number of followers, and they have stable fan bases, he says.

"We call them 'influencers'," he said at a media conference for the launch of the short-video channel last month in Beijing. "We can measure our reach by looking at the likes, shares and comments."

He points out viewers often consider the hosts to be friends.

"These internet stars are just ordinary people," Zhou says. "They share their everyday lives in ways that resonate with others."

Former China Central Television host Ma Dong, who founded the media company Mewe in 2015 to produce online variety shows, said at the conference: "I believe this is the very beginning. These people deliver personalities through their videos, either as performers or producers. Some entertainment companies have begun to cast these people in their TV and film projects."

That said, the future is less than certain, he believes.

"How much can they achieve if social media goes further? We'll see."