H1 2026 Chinese Animation Industry Summary: Differentiated Layout Across Platforms, Premium Annual Series Lead Streaming Rankings

In the first half of 2026, the Chinese animation (Guoman) sector on mainstream domestic video platforms achieved sustained quality improvement and content expansion. Tencent Video, Youku, Bilibili and iQiyi have built a differentiated, featured and high-quality content ecosystem based on their respective positioning. Focusing on classic cultivation, fantasy, urban superpower, folk adventure and other diverse themes, all platforms rely on stable updates of top-tier IP annual series, iterative high-quality sequels and original new works to deliver outstanding streaming performance and favorable audience reputation, driving the high-quality and diversified development of the domestic animation industry.

1. Core Content Features of Major Platforms in H1 2026

Breaking away from homogeneous content competition, the four major platforms have launched exclusive animation content matrices tailored to their user groups, covering the needs of audiences of all ages with distinctive theme layouts and work types.

Tencent Video: In-depth Cultivation of Top-tier IP, Leading Steady Annual Series Matrix

Adhering to the core strategy of “top-tier IP + year-round annual series”, Tencent Video focuses on mainstream cultivation and fantasy tracks with mature industrialized production. Its key H1 2026 works include Xian Ni, Sword and Fairy Season 2, Cangyuan Tu Season 3, Battle Through the Heavens Annual Series, Perfect World and The Outcast Season 6. Xian Ni won widespread praise for its high restoration of the original novel and exquisite production; Sword and Fairy Season 2 retained a loyal fanbase with its elegant Chinese style and grand worldview; Cangyuan Tu Season 3 stood out with exciting action scenes and stunning national-style visuals. Classic annual series continued to update with climactic plots, while The Outcast Season 6 filled the gap of modern urban superpower themes, becoming a benchmark for 2D domestic animations in 2026. Tencent Video has built the most comprehensive fantasy and cultivation animation ecosystem in the industry through long-term IP operation and stable annual updates.

Youku: Original Works Breakthrough + Theme Innovation, Precise Layout of Segmented Tracks

Youku focused on original high-quality works and segmented theme innovation in H1 2026. Launching a brand-new content list via the 2026 Youku Spring Collection, it made breakthroughs in doomsday cultivation, immortal comedy, female-oriented aesthetic and urban superpower tracks. Its flagship work Beyond Time Season 2 was upgraded to a 52-episode year-round series, forming differentiated advantages with its unique doomsday cultivation theme. The classic high-burning IP Cangyuan Tu maintained steady high-heat updates. Meanwhile, Youku catered to diverse audience demands with aesthetic female-oriented original work Dream in the Clouds Special Episode, the final season of popular immortal comedy Senior Brother Please Calm Down, blockbuster new work Sky Slasher and urban cultivation cool animation Dongda High Martial Arts Academy. With a rising proportion of original content, it successfully broke the limitations of traditional domestic animation themes.

Bilibili: High-quality Reputation Works + Long-term IP Reserve, Outstanding Community Attributes

Bilibili’s animation layout focuses on high-quality boutique content and vertical community cultivation. In H1 2026, its core highlights included new seasons of the blockbuster annual series Legend of Xianwu and the phenomenal classic Chinese Folktales 2. It also launched hit animations such as Cangyuan Tu Season 3, Sword and Fairy Season 2 and Xian Ni, with classic IPs continuing to dominate platform heat. Different from other platforms, Bilibili prioritizes content quality and audience reputation. It also exposed the latest trailers of highly anticipated new IPs includingThe Legend of Sword and Fairy 4, Hard to Calm andGarbage Picker in the Wasteland from late 2025 to H1 2026, building a dual content system of popular ongoing works and reserved new titles for long-term heat accumulation.

iQiyi: In-depth Adaptation of Web Novels + Cross-theme Innovation, Complemented by Lightweight Content

iQiyi adhered to the layout of “top web novel adaptation + diverse innovation”, covering Eastern fantasy, doomsday wasteland, urban superpower, folk adventure and other niche themes with mature 3D industrial production. It sustained high-heat long-term annual series such as Master of the Great Realm Annual Series, Against the Gods Annual Series and Way of Choices. At the 2026 iQiyi World Conference, the platform released new works including Lord of All Phases and I Am Not a God of Opera, and exclusively launched the first animation series by Tianxia Bachang, creating an innovative folk adventure track integrating Chinese horror and treasure hunting. In addition, a large number of dynamic comics and short dramas were launched to meet female-oriented and lightweight viewing needs, enriching the platform’s content hierarchy.

2. Overall Streaming Performance of Domestic Animations in H1 2026

In the first half of 2026, the overall popularity of domestic animations continued to rise, with top boutique works dominating traffic and annual series forming the stable traffic backbone of each platform. The industry showed a healthy pattern of “top works leading the market, mid-tier works maintaining stability, and new titles breaking through”.

Tencent Video’s Xian Ni topped the H1 2026 streaming chart with 1.294 billion views, becoming a phenomenal cultivation animation. Sword and Fairy Season 2 achieved 680 million views and a Douban score of 9.0, winning both massive traffic and high reputation. The classic top-tier IP Battle Through the Heavens Annual Series accumulated over 2.1 billion total views, serving as a long-term core traffic pillar. The Outcast Season 6 gained over 20,000 platform heat within 2 hours of launch and a Douban score of 8.2, setting a new benchmark for 2D domestic animations.

Bilibili’s exclusive boutique work Legend of Xianwu new season reached 773 million views in H1 2026 with a 9.5 high reputation score, ranking second across the network. Chinese Folktales 2 inherited the excellent reputation of the previous season and became a representative work of Chinese-style cultural communication.

Youku’s differentiated works achieved steady breakthroughs. Cangyuan Tu gained 503 million views in H1 2026, leading the national-style fantasy track with top-tier action production. The upgraded year-round series Beyond Time Season 2 maintained rising popularity with its exclusive doomsday cultivation theme, helping Youku build unique traffic advantages in segmented tracks. The final season of Senior Brother Please Calm Down concluded with exciting plots and high audience discussion.

iQiyi achieved stable traffic output relying on long-term adapted IPs. Classic annual series continued to attract steady views, while innovative new themes quickly accumulated niche popularity. Lightweight content such as dynamic comics effectively covered the fragmented viewing market, driving steady growth in overall platform views and user stickiness.

3. Industry Overview

Overall, the domestic animation industry has entered a new stage of high-quality development featuring refinement, differentiation and professionalism in H1 2026. Each platform has formed its unique competitive advantages: Tencent Video leads the market with scaled top-tier IP matrices; Youku excels in original segmented tracks; Bilibili focuses on high-quality works and community precipitation; iQiyi innovates cross-border themes and improves content diversity. The continuous growth of top works and the breakthrough of niche innovative themes have not only sustained the vitality of classic animation tracks but also expanded new development directions for the industry, further upgrading the overall quality and market influence of Chinese animations.

Edited by:CGGE