Every reporter: Bi Yuanyuan Every editor: Chen Junjie
On April 15, the opening ceremony and main forum of the 13th China Network Audio-Visual Conference were held in Chengdu. As a deeply cooperative media partner of the conference, &#34;Daily Economic News&#34; participated in the reporting throughout the event.
At the main forum, Tony Zameczkowski, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Streaming Business for the Asia-Pacific region at The Walt Disney Company, stood in the spotlight and delivered a keynote speech titled &#34;Opening an Era of Telling Wonderful Stories to Global Audiences.&#34; He did not talk about Mickey Mouse or Iron Man, but instead mentioned &#34;Black Myth: Wukong,&#34; &#34;The Three-Body Problem,&#34; Chinese short dramas, and the domestic drama &#34;Tibetan Sea Chronicle&#34; that landed on Disney+.
<img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://inews.gtimg.com/om_bt/OAmx0yAzBXHcazm4Ox0hhPCk3qDPSxNHvFynSCsmm0PfwAA/641?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" alt="" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://inews.gtimg.com/om_bt/OAmx0yAzBXHcazm4Ox0hhPCk3qDPSxNHvFynSCsmm0PfwAA/641"/>
Tony Zameczkowski Image source: Provided by the organizing committee
The status of Chinese content is changing. From online literature and games to short dramas and animation, different types of content are gradually accumulating an audience overseas and entering the content system of international platforms. For Disney, this is an expansion of content sources and an important support for its localization strategy in the Asia-Pacific market.
&#34;China has always been one of the most important and vibrant markets for The Walt Disney Company,&#34; Tony Zameczkowski stated.
<h2>Long Video Platforms Say Goodbye to &#34;Dependence on Imports,&#34; Domestic Dramas Accelerate Reverse Going Abroad</h2>
In the past decade, one of the core strategies of domestic long video platforms such as iQIYI, Tencent Video, and Youku has been to introduce Hollywood movies and high-quality American dramas to attract users. When international streaming services entered the Asia-Pacific market, they primarily relied on their vast IP libraries: Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and other content were the main cards for Disney+ in the early stages in the Asia-Pacific.
However, this one-way flow is now reversing. With the improvement of domestic content production standards and the deepening of platform overseas strategies, domestic dramas such as &#34;Hot and Spicy,&#34; &#34;Tibetan Sea Chronicle,&#34; &#34;Celebrating More Than a Year 2,&#34; and &#34;Blossoms&#34; have not only sparked discussions domestically but have also successively landed on international mainstream platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+. According to public information, &#34;Tibetan Sea Chronicle,&#34; &#34;Longing for Love 2,&#34; and &#34;With the Phoenix&#34; have launched on Disney+, becoming one of the key promoted Chinese original dramas on the platform. Chinese content is gradually becoming an important part of international platforms' strategies to attract and retain local users.
This shift is occurring against the backdrop of overall pressure on long video. Disney's latest financial report shows that as of the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2025, Disney+ has approximately 163 million global subscribers, and the streaming business has achieved profitability. In terms of profit structure, price increases and cost optimization are seen as the main driving factors, while the marginal contribution of user scale expansion to performance has weakened.
At the same time, domestic long video platforms are also facing challenges such as slowing membership growth and pressure on advertising revenue. QuestMobile data shows that by 2025, the average daily usage time for short drama users will reach 118 minutes, surpassing long video for the first time at 109 minutes; the proportion of long video in the total user time across the internet has dropped from 17.8% in 2023 to 11.3% in 2025
User attention is being reallocated. Tony Zameczkowski admitted, &#34;The boundaries between social media, streaming platforms, and gaming platforms are continuously dissolving, and the competition for consumer time and attention has become a common core issue for all platforms.&#34;
In this environment, relying solely on introducing overseas content is no longer sustainable. Disney + has clearly committed to investing in original local content in the Asia-Pacific region since 2021, and has launched over 155 works to date. Tony Zameczkowski emphasized, &#34;We deeply realize that the success of Disney + globally requires not only a collection of global character story series but also local resonance.&#34;
<h2>&#34;China has always been one of Disney's most important and vibrant markets&#34;</h2>
Against the backdrop of a profound reshaping of the global media landscape, Tony Zameczkowski pointed out that the world is currently experiencing three major content trends: &#34;The boundaries between social media, streaming platforms, and gaming platforms are continuously dissolving, and the competition for consumer time and attention has become a common core issue for all platforms; content consumption experiences are increasingly moving towards immersive and personalized development; the rise of regional and local content is also reshaping the global media and entertainment industry landscape.&#34;
He particularly emphasized, &#34;In many ways, China is leading the way.&#34;
In the field of online literature, China Literature Group has pushed tens of thousands of Chinese novels to the European, American, and Southeast Asian markets through platforms like Webnovel, incubating IPs with cross-cultural potential such as &#34;Lord of the Mysteries.&#34; High-quality IPs have not only accumulated a large overseas readership but have also become important sources for film, television, animation, and game adaptations. Tony Zameczkowski observed, &#34;The influence of Chinese content continues to rise, with gaming and online literature at the forefront.&#34;
Gaming further amplifies the global voice of Chinese narratives, with the domestically developed game &#34;Black Myth: Wukong&#34; being hailed by overseas media as a &#34;milestone of Eastern aesthetics.&#34; Tony Zameczkowski used this as an example to state, &#34;Chinese stories possess exquisite production capabilities and strong cultural influence, and can resonate widely with global audiences.&#34; He also mentioned that &#34;The Three-Body Problem&#34; has been adapted by global film and television companies for international audiences, confirming the universal value of Chinese sci-fi IP.
The internationalization of film and animation is also accelerating, with domestic animations like &#34;Time Agent&#34; and &#34;Chinese Strange Tales&#34; reaching overseas audiences through platforms like YouTube, with some content achieving millions of views, showcasing the original expressive power of Chinese content.
The most disruptive variable is the global explosion of short dramas. In recent years, short drama applications with a Chinese background, such as ReelShort and DramaBox, have rapidly grown in markets like the United States, the Middle East, and Latin America, with downloads and user scale continuously increasing. In this regard, Tony Zameczkowski admitted, &#34;Recently, China's innovative content model of short dramas is rapidly gaining popularity worldwide. Major international platforms are also actively researching and assessing its impact on existing business models.&#34; This indicates that, although Disney + has not yet officially launched a short drama section, related content forms have already entered the observation range of international platforms, and traditional streaming media are evaluating the potential impacts it may bring
It is worth noting that Tony Zameczkowski does not view China merely as a consumer market. He emphasized multiple times during his speech: &#34;China has always been one of the most important and vibrant markets for The Walt Disney Company.&#34; He cited &#34;Zootopia 2&#34; as an example, which grossed nearly 4.6 billion yuan in China, surpassing &#34;Avengers: Endgame&#34; to become the highest-grossing imported film in Chinese box office history. This also demonstrates that high-quality content can unleash tremendous commercial value in the Chinese market. The film subsequently landed on domestic video platforms, extending its reach to family audiences and prolonging the IP lifecycle.
Looking ahead, Tony Zameczkowski is excited about the extraordinary creativity exhibited by Chinese storytellers. &#34;Whether it's the exquisite artistic standards in animation or live-action works, or the innovative formats presented in vertical short dramas, we believe that Chinese creators will continue to push boundaries and lead the future of storytelling. We look forward to deepening our collaboration with Chinese partners, supporting the development of creative talent, and bringing more Chinese stories to global audiences.&#34;
Daily Economic News

At the 13th China Network Audio-Visual Conference, Tony Zameczkowski, Senior Vice President of Streaming Business for the Asia-Pacific region at The Walt Disney Company, stated that China is one of Disney's most important and vibrant markets. He emphasized the innovation of Chinese content, mentioning works such as Black Myth: Wukong and The Three-Body Problem, and pointed out that domestic dramas like The Tibetan Sea Flows have successfully landed on international platforms, marking the rise of Chinese content in the global market

- The 13th China Network Audio-Visual Conference took place on April 15 in Chengdu, featuring a keynote speech by Tony Zameczkowski of Disney, who highlighted China's evolving content landscape and the success of local productions on international platforms like Disney+.  
- As domestic content quality rises, Chinese dramas are capturing global audiences, with hits like "The Long Tao" reaching platforms such as Netflix.  
- Zameczkowski emphasized the importance of local content in Disney's strategy, noting China's significant role in the global media landscape and the impact of innovative formats like short dramas.

腾讯新闻 - 财经

Disney

iQIYI

Netflix

CHINA LIT

"In many aspects, China is at the forefront," said Tony Zameczkowski, Senior Vice President of Streaming for Disney's Asia-Pacific region, praising the content innovation: China is one of the most important and dynamic markets