Youku Statistics – Insights into Streaming Growth and Trends (2026)
Updated · Feb 07, 2026
Table of Contents
Introduction
Youku Statistics: The global video streaming market constantly changes, but Youku (优酷) has become a major force since 2025, which creates new ways for viewers across China and other regions to watch extended video content. Youku started as an online video platform but now operates as a profitable business through its premium content and innovative revenue methods, which help it maintain user interest while achieving long-term financial success. Youku’s 2025 results show how the company will develop digital media through its combination of traditional streaming and e-commerce platforms, which work together as a complete system.
This article analyzes the current Youku statistics and revenue developments, user engagement metrics, and the competitive obstacles Youku faces and its current standing in the media industry for this year.
Editor’s Choice
- The monthly active users of Youku increased by 5% from the previous year during 2025, reaching about 281 million between January and September.
- Youku achieved notable MAU growth because China had USD 1.45 billion mobile internet users across its devices, which created a near-saturated market.
- The content library of Youku expanded from 2900 titles to 4000 titles between 2020 and 2025, which represents a 38% growth.
- Youku’s library contains more variety shows than any other category, which accounts for 28% of its content library, while animation represents 20%, and dramas make up 18%.
- Youku established a methodical approach to releasing new content, which resulted in the company releasing between 90 and 100 new titles each year.
- The digital media and entertainment division of Alibaba generated RMB 22.27 billion in revenue during FY2025, which represented a 5% year-over-year increase because Youku played a crucial role in this revenue growth.
- The company achieved its first profitable quarter of adjusted EBITA in Q1 FY2025 when it recorded a gain of RMB 36 million, which marked its transition into a profitable business model.
Youku’s Steady Rise In China’s Long-Form Video Economy
- According to Oreate AI, Youku’s steady growth in the Chinese long-form video market demonstrates its continuing success.
- The 2025 performance of Youku shows a fundamental change in how Chinese people watch long videos, according to research studies, which show that the platform has increased its user base by 5 % each year.
- The platform reached 281 million monthly active users from January to September 2025, which shows exceptional growth because the market already approaches maximum mobile internet usage.
- The independent mobile devices in China now exceed USD 1.45 billion, which means that Youku needs to focus on capturing user attention because user growth has reached its peak.
- The newest Youku statistics demonstrate how their content-first strategy has achieved success.
- The flagship titles of the platform, which include Hard to Please and Legend of the Hidden Sea, showcase their commitment to producing high-quality stories through the development of series that attract viewers to watch more episodes.
- Users now choose to watch content in longer sessions instead of watching multiple short programs because they value content that offers high quality.
- The long-form storytelling medium maintains its strategic importance to the market despite short-video platforms controlling access to USD 12.3 billion device touchpoints.
- Viewers are increasingly dedicating their time to watching immersive content, which provides both emotional and cultural depth.
- The Youku statistics demonstrate that sustainable growth in China’s video market requires both high engagement levels and widespread user reach.
- Youku uses this market position to enhance its competitive advantages in the growing digital entertainment sector, which is becoming more diverse.
OTT User Preference
(Reference: scoop.market.us)
- According to Scoop.market.us, the above data demonstrates that content specialization drives user loyalty in China’s streaming market more than platform size.
- Users select different platforms for specific needs instead of choosing one platform to fulfil all their requirements.
- Mango TV dominates TV drama viewership with 64.5% user preference, which exceeds both Tencent Video and iQIYI, which have 57.7% and 45.9%, respectively.
- The advantage of Mango TV comes from its decision to focus on emotionally serialized dramas, which have regional appeal throughout its history.
- Youku shows a weaker performance in this category because its 37.3% preference rating falls just above Migu Video, which has 35.2% preference but shows potential to improve its major drama intellectual property.
- The variety show landscape changes. iQIYI leads decisively with 70.4% preference, followed by Tencent Video at 66.1%.
- Mango TV holds a competitive position with its 58.7% preference, while Youku shows mid-tier performance through its 50.7% viewing rate, which exceeds Migu Video’s 43.6% performance.
- Youku shows better user engagement with entertainment formats than it does with standard dramatic programming.
Youku Content Library Expansion
- According to Medium, Youku has expanded its content offerings through controlled development, which matches its strategic goals from 2020 to 2025.
- Youku has grown its content library from about 2900 titles to almost 4000 titles during the five-year period, which represents a 38% increase.
- Youku statistics show that the platform continues to invest in original content and licensed shows, and programs that reflect local cultures instead of pursuing aggressive growth through increasing content volume.
- Youku decided to invest more resources into domestic audience programs because they developed high audience appeal for domestic markets.
- The largest segment of programming for Youku included variety shows, which reached 28% of total viewership, while animation received 20% and dramas acquired 18% of viewers.
- The data from quarterly releases shows that Youku introduced between 90 and 100 new titles during each year, which they used to establish a controlled release schedule that accomplished two goals: maintaining content freshness and avoiding content oversaturation.
- The statistical data from Youku demonstrates that the platform focuses on developing deep content through localized material, which builds audience loyalty instead of expanding its user base.
- Youku improves customer retention rates while decreasing production costs and strengthening its position as the top streaming service for Chinese cultural content.
Youku Profitability
- The long-form video market currently faces a contraction, yet Youku achieved its 2025 turnaround, which stands as the single positive development.
- Youku’s financial data shows that the company controls costs to achieve profits while most platforms struggle with declining income and reduced advertising funds.
- The Digital Media and Entertainment Group of Alibaba achieved FY2025 revenue of RMB 22.27 billion, which represents a 5% increase from the previous year. Youku functions as a primary engine for growth, which operates in tandem with Alibaba Pictures.
- The group’s adjusted EBITA loss narrowed sharply to RMB 554 million, compared with RMB 1.54 billion a year earlier.
- In Q1 FY2025, the inflection point became clear: revenue rose 12% YoY to RMB 5.55 billion, while adjusted EBITA swung to a RMB 36 million profit, largely powered by Youku’s advertising recovery and tighter cost controls.
- The current performance shows differences when compared to other workers. iQIYI experienced a 14% decrease in revenue during Q4 2024, while Mango Supermedia reported a net profit decline of over 60% during 2024.
- The advertising market for brand promotion has contracted throughout the industry, which led to iQIYI experiencing an advertising revenue decline from approximately RMB 11 billion in 2018 to about RMB 4 billion, while Youku achieved significant advertising growth.
Youku Genre Trends
- Youku developed its content strategy from 2020 until 2025 through its genre evolution, which purposely pursued domestic audience preferences instead of following global trends.
- Youku statistics show that variety shows have remained the platform’s anchor category, consistently accounting for around 28–30% of its content library.
- The platform proves its strength through its ability to maintain stable entertainment formats, which become popular during the Chinese New Year, when viewers watch variety programs at increased rates.
- Youku developed its animation collection from 15% of total content five years ago to nearly 20% today because the platform intends to attract younger viewers who will remain dedicated to its content.
- The new content structure enables users to spend more time with content while watching shows multiple times, which becomes essential for success in the cutthroat OTT market.
Youku Viewer Engagement Patterns
- Youku viewer ratings and audience engagement metrics from 2020 until 2025 demonstrate to analysts that the platform achieves its best results through regional content and its most impactful content formats instead of offering universal audience appeal.
- Youku statistics indicate an average content rating of around 4.0 out of 5, which shows that viewers across its main categories, especially variety shows and animation programs, experience high content satisfaction.
- Youku variety shows create significant temporary viewing spikes during national holidays and special event shows, which lead to quick increases in audience numbers for brief time periods.
- Younger viewers display higher repeat viewing of animation content, which aids their ability to remember shows over extended periods.
- Although viewers complete scripted series at higher rates than they do variety shows, viewers show strong interest in both click-through rates and social sharing, which results in increased platform visibility throughout all content types.
Conclusion
Youku Statistics: Youku delivers its 2025 results through a business model that began with community expansion but now depends on high-value products for its financial success. The company demonstrates strategic development through its consistent monthly active user growth in a competitive market and its controlled content spending, which now emphasizes high-traffic formats like variety shows and animation.
The company controls its expenses more effectively through library expansion, which prevents content overload. The transition to positive adjusted EBITA represents a significant point in the company’s financial progress. Youku demonstrates superior operational strength and better revenue generation improvement than other companies, which currently face declining income.
Youku statistics demonstrate that the long-form platform maintains sustainable performance, which matches current viewer preferences and the development of China’s digital media market.
FAQ.
Youku recorded approximately 281 million monthly active users, which represents a 5% increase from the previous year in a market that has reached its maximum capacity.
Youku expanded its title collection from 2,900 to almost 4,000 titles between 2020 and 2025, which resulted in a 38% increase.
According to Youku statistics, variety shows account for 28% of total content on the platform, while animation makes up 20%, and dramas represent 18% of content.
Youku holds 37.3% preference in TV dramas and 50.7% in variety shows, which allows it to compete with other companies at the mid-tier level.
Youku content achieves an average rating of 4.0 out of 5, which shows that viewers are satisfied with the content.
I hold an MBA in Finance and Marketing, bringing a unique blend of business acumen and creative communication skills. With experience as a content in crafting statistical and research-backed content across multiple domains, including education, technology, product reviews, and company website analytics, I specialize in producing engaging, informative, and SEO-optimized content tailored to diverse audiences. My work bridges technical accuracy with compelling storytelling, helping brands educate, inform, and connect with their target markets.
