A look at Ximalaya, the online audio platform at the summit of China’s ‘ear economy’.
People visit the stand of online audio service platform Ximalaya FM during the Shanghai Book Fair, August 17, 2016. Credit: Imaginechina via AP Images
Listening to podcasts has become a favorite way for commuters the world over to while away their journeys, and China is no exception. One company scaling the peaks of the local industry is Ximalaya, whose output accounted for nearly two-thirds of the online audio market in China last year, according to data mining company iiMedia Research.
Founded in 2012, Ximalaya originally had a target of 10 million subscribers — just two years later, it had reached 100 million. Podcasts are a big part of the company’s offering, with more growth to come: one in ten Chinese people will be listening to a podcast at least once a month by 2024, consultancy Brands Without Borders reckons.
Source: Insider Intelligence. Note: 2023 is expected.
This week, we take a look at Ximalaya’s place in the world of online audio and podcasting, and reflect on where the industry could go from here.
TUNING IN
Ximalaya’s two founders, Yu Jianyun and Chen Yuxin (sometimes referred to
Exclusive longform investigative journalism, Q&As, news and analysis, and data on Chinese business elites and corporations. We publish China scoops you won't find anywhere else.
A weekly curated reading list on China from David Barboza, Pulitzer Prize-winning former Shanghai correspondent for The New York Times.
A daily roundup of China finance, business and economics headlines.
We offer discounts for groups, institutions and students. Go to our Subscriptions page for details.
A decade ago, China arrived on the global art scene with deep pockets and an abundance of swagger. Recently, however, China's economic downturn has caused a spate of museums to close and once prominent collectors to sell their collections. Can China ever achieve its dreams of "cultural self-confidence"?
The Harvard professor discusses the effects on Chinese society of the country's high-tech development, and how the pandemic may have shifted public attitudes.
The Global Intelligence Platform used by The Wire China
