Chinese Consumers Shift Viewing Habits for World Cup
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 4 days ago
0mins
Source: CNBC
- Changing Viewing Habits: As the World Cup approaches, Chinese consumers are increasingly opting to watch matches on their smartphones rather than traditional TVs, reflecting an accelerated digital trend, especially as China accounted for nearly 50% of global viewing hours on digital platforms during the 2022 World Cup.
- Intensifying Platform Competition: Xiaohongshu secured free streaming rights for the World Cup in partnership with state-owned China Central Television, yet its user base of 245 million is significantly smaller than Douyin's 1 billion monthly active users, which also held streaming rights in 2022, highlighting fierce market competition.
- Social Media Influence: Due to matches coinciding with working hours, residents in Beijing prefer to watch games at home via social media platforms, indicating a shift in social habits and viewing preferences, particularly after pandemic-related restrictions made gatherings less feasible.
- Expanded Technical Support: Tencent Cloud reported that two-thirds of official World Cup broadcasting platforms in the Asia Pacific utilize its services, covering 16 regions including Singapore and Argentina, showcasing the growing influence and technical capabilities of Chinese tech companies in the international market.
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Analyst Views on TME
Wall Street analysts forecast TME stock price to rise
8 Analyst Rating
6 Buy
2 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 8.690
Low
21.00
Averages
26.13
High
29.00
Current: 8.690
Low
21.00
Averages
26.13
High
29.00
About TME
Tencent Music Entertainment Group is a holding company mainly engaged in the provision and operation of online music entertainment platform. The Company is mainly engaged in the provision of online music services, social entertainment services and other services. The Company operates four major product brands, QQ Music, Kugou Music, Kuwo Music and WeSing, through which the Company provides online music and social entertainment services to address the music entertainment needs of audience in China. The Company also offers Lazy Audio, the dedicated long-form audio app as a complement to the flagship music-centric product portfolio.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Intensifying Platform Competition: Xiaohongshu secured free streaming rights for the World Cup in partnership with state-owned China Central Television, yet its user base of 245 million is significantly smaller than Douyin's 1 billion monthly active users, which also held streaming rights in 2022, highlighting fierce market competition.
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- Expanded Technical Support: Tencent Cloud reported that two-thirds of official World Cup broadcasting platforms in the Asia Pacific utilize its services, covering 16 regions including Singapore and Argentina, showcasing the growing influence and technical capabilities of Chinese tech companies in the international market.
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- Talent Loss Issues: Following the departure of several key researchers to competitors, DeepSeek has intensified its focus on talent retention, particularly regarding core contributors to its V3 model, to maintain its competitive edge.
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- Significant Market Reaction: Following the Anthropic incident, stocks of Chinese open-source AI labs like MiniMax and Zhipu surged, indicating a growing market interest in downloadable models, as companies seek to avoid being locked into a single vendor by running models on their own infrastructure.
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- Changing Viewing Habits: As the World Cup approaches, Chinese consumers are increasingly opting to watch matches on their smartphones rather than traditional TVs, reflecting an accelerated digital trend, especially as China accounted for nearly 50% of global viewing hours on digital platforms during the 2022 World Cup.
- Intensifying Platform Competition: Xiaohongshu secured free streaming rights for the World Cup in partnership with state-owned China Central Television, yet its user base of 245 million is significantly smaller than Douyin's 1 billion monthly active users, which also held streaming rights in 2022, highlighting fierce market competition.
- Social Media Influence: Due to matches coinciding with working hours, residents in Beijing prefer to watch games at home via social media platforms, indicating a shift in social habits and viewing preferences, particularly after pandemic-related restrictions made gatherings less feasible.
- Expanded Technical Support: Tencent Cloud reported that two-thirds of official World Cup broadcasting platforms in the Asia Pacific utilize its services, covering 16 regions including Singapore and Argentina, showcasing the growing influence and technical capabilities of Chinese tech companies in the international market.
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- Post-Listing Underperformance: Of the 179 companies listed since January 2025, about half have seen their stock prices decline over the past three months, reflecting a broader trend of weak performance in Hong Kong IPOs compared to the mild drop in the Hang Seng Index.
- Capital Flow Trends: Following the inclusion of certain Hong Kong-listed stocks in the Stock Connect program, capital tends to flow to cheaper A shares, resulting in significant price volatility for these stocks, with some like Deepexi dropping over 51% post-IPO.
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- Application Transformation: In light of U.S. chip controls, Chinese companies are accelerating the application of AI technology in sectors like factories and consumer electronics, reflecting a focus on practical technology that could drive rapid industry growth.
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- Investment in Basic Research: China plans to increase investment in basic research over the next five years to pursue scientific breakthroughs, demonstrating the country's commitment to technological advancement and proactive response to global tech competition.
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- Vehicle Scale Expansion: Currently operating over 25,000 vehicles across more than 20 countries primarily for logistics, Zelostech aims for rapid expansion, which will greatly enhance its data collection capabilities in the autonomous driving sector and strengthen its industry influence.
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