搜狐视频

What 搜狐视频 does

Sohu Video (搜狐视频) is a China-focused comprehensive video streaming platform founded in 2006 and operated as a business unit of publicly listed Sohu.com Inc. (NASDAQ: SOHU) through its Tianjin-registered operating entity 飞狐信息技术(天津)有限公司. It operates as a direct-to-consumer service across web (tv.sohu.com), iOS/Android mobile apps, a PC client (搜狐影音), and a smart TV application (悦厅TV/云视听悦厅TV), with a stated headcount of 513 employees. The platform serves four customer groups: general Chinese consumers seeking online video entertainment, paying VIP members, independent content creators and micro-drama producers publishing through self-service tools, and audiences consuming short-form (micro) dramas across urban, fantasy, romance, and AI-themed categories.

The platform's technology stack emphasizes multi-screen delivery, a proprietary video player (搜狐影音) with 2D-to-3D conversion and acceleration features, and a recommendation engine that personalizes content across drama, movie, variety, documentary, and short-drama verticals. Notable proprietary components include the 多屏联动 multi-screen integration layer, the 关注流 (Following Stream) social-feed feature that supports creator-follower mechanics and monetization, and dedicated AI-generated sub-categories (AI动画/AI仿真) inside the 搜狐短剧 short-drama channel. Original content is produced under the 搜狐自制 sub-brand, and live streaming is delivered via the integrated 千帆 surface.

Sohu Video generates revenue through four streams: VIP subscription (promoted at 9.9 yuan for the first month), advertising across its web and mobile inventory, content licensing of original and third-party programming to other platforms and broadcasters, and transaction/creator-revenue-share fees from short-form drama consumption. The company does not publicly disclose standalone revenue, subscriber counts, or ARR; it operates as an unsegmented subsidiary of Sohu.com Inc. and has not raised external funding, executed disclosed M&A, or reported material leadership changes in the input data.

Name

搜狐视频

Legal name

飞狐信息技术(天津)有限公司

Website

https://tv.sohu.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Sohu Video is a China-focused, multi-screen video streaming platform owned by Sohu.com Inc., offering licensed HD video-on-demand, self-produced dramas, AI-themed short dramas, and live streaming to Chinese consumer viewers under a freemium plus VIP subscription model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Video Streaming

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)

SIC

Cable & Other Pay Television Services (4841)

akta.pro primary industry

Video Streaming Platforms (SVOD/AVOD/TVOD) (BPAMAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

User-Generated Content (UGC) & Short-Form Video Platforms (BPAMAJAH), Live TV Streaming (vMVPD/IPTV OTT) (MPACAAAD)

Keywords

• Online video streaming
• Video on demand
• Original content production
• VIP subscription streaming
• Short drama platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Beijing

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. VIP Subscription: VIP membership subscription providing access to premium content, HD quality, ad-free viewing, and exclusive releases. New user promotional pricing at 9.9 yuan for first month.
2. Advertising: Advertising revenue from video ads, display ads, and sponsored content placements across the platform's web and mobile properties.
3. Content Licensing: Revenue from licensing original and licensed content to other platforms and broadcasters.
4. Short Drama/Micro Drama: Short-form drama content with AI animation and AI simulation categories, monetized through premium access and creator revenue sharing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sohu Video operates a comprehensive Chinese online video streaming platform offering licensed HD video-on-demand, self-produced original dramas and variety shows, short-form (micro) dramas including AI-generated categories, live streaming, and user-generated content across web, mobile, PC, and smart TV screens. The platform monetizes through VIP subscription membership (with a promotional first-month price of 9.9 yuan), advertising, content licensing, and short drama premium access, while supporting a creator ecosystem through its 关注流 (Following Stream) social feature.

Product overview

搜狐视频 is a comprehensive video streaming platform operated by Sohu.com, established in 2006 and headquartered in China. The platform operates on a unified core infrastructure supplemented by specialized sub-products and content verticals. The core platform (搜狐视频主站平台) provides licensed HD video-on-demand, original content (搜狐自制), and social features (关注流). Paid access is enabled through VIP会员, while the platform extends to TV screens via 悦厅TV, to mobile via 搜狐千里眼, and to desktop via 搜狐影音. A dedicated short drama channel (搜狐短剧) has recently added AI-generated drama categories (AI动画 and AI仿真), and the technology-focused variety series 美好智造社 showcases AI interactions and digital human features. Live streaming is supported through 千帆直播.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 搜狐自制: Self-produced content from Sohu Video including dramas and variety shows
• 悦厅TV
• 搜狐影音
• 搜狐千里眼

Products and services

• 搜狐视频主站平台 (Sohu Video Main Platform) A comprehensive video streaming platform offering licensed HD video-on-demand, original content production, user-generated video uploads, and cross-platform search across drama, movies, US series, Korean dramas, variety shows, animation, children's content, news, entertainment, sports, and documentaries for Chinese consumers.
• VIP会员服务 (VIP Membership) A paid subscription tier offering ad-free viewing, HDR video quality, exclusive member-only content, and early access to new releases for individual Chinese video viewers. New users are offered a first-month trial for 9.9 yuan.
• 搜狐自制 (Sohu Originals) An in-house original drama and content production unit producing self-produced series and exclusive original titles for the Sohu Video platform.
• 搜狐短剧 (Sohu Short Drama Channel) A dedicated short drama channel featuring AI-generated short dramas in 'AI animation' and 'AI simulation' styles, alongside conventional short dramas in genres including urban, reverse-harem, romance, fantasy, male-oriented, and female-oriented categories for Chinese viewers.
• 美好智造社 (Beautiful Innovation Society) A technology-themed variety show featuring celebrity hosts exploring AI-powered consumer tech products, digital humans, and AI interactions, produced as a cross-brand collaboration for Sohu Video viewers.
• 悦厅TV (Yueting TV / Sohu Video TV App) A dedicated TV-side application for smart TVs and set-top boxes offering large-screen optimized video streaming of Sohu Video content for Chinese consumers.
• 搜狐千里眼 (Sohu Qianliyan Mobile App) A mobile client for short-form video shooting and management enabling users to shoot, upload, and manage video content, with top creators earning rewards through the platform.
• 搜狐影音 (Sohu Yingyin PC Client) A PC-based video player supporting local and online video playback with 2D-to-3D conversion, high-speed playback acceleration, video download, and cloud playback records across devices.
• 搜狐视频关注流 (Sohu Video Following Stream) A social following and personalized content feed system enabling users to follow creators, receive personalized recommendations, and interact with trending content across entertainment, national style, K-pop, science, health, and culture.
• 千帆直播 (Qianfan Live Streaming) A live streaming platform integrated into Sohu Video hosting live streams from celebrity hosts, news, health professionals, and general entertainment creators.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tencent Video: Tencent Video is one of the top-three Chinese SVOD services with the same core product offering — licensed dramas, originals, and VIP membership — competing for the same viewer time and the same content rights as Sohu Video.
• Youku: Youku (Alibaba's video platform) competes head-to-head with Sohu Video in licensed drama, movie, and variety show streaming under a parallel VIP subscription and advertising model, sharing many of the same upstream content licensors.
• iQiyi: iQiyi is China's largest long-form SVOD platform, directly competing with Sohu Video on premium dramas, movies, variety shows, and VIP subscription. Both run freemium models with very similar content libraries and VIP pricing dynamics.
• PPTV (PP视频): PPTV/PP视频 operates a similar multi-screen Chinese video streaming model (web, mobile, smart TV) with drama, movie, and sports content, directly competing with Sohu Video's smart-TV app 悦厅TV.
• Mango TV: Mango TV (Hunan TV-backed) is a major Chinese streaming competitor with overlapping drama, variety, and original content focus, and operates similar multi-screen distribution including smart TV apps.
• Le.com (LeTV): Le.com (formerly LeTV Smart TV) is a long-established Chinese streaming and connected-TV competitor, overlapping Sohu's web/mobile/TV distribution and licensed-drama model.

Emerging players

• Bilibili: Bilibili overlaps with Sohu Video on anime, UGC, and creator-monetization channels, and increasingly on short-form drama and lifestyle content. Different in core demographic (Gen Z) but directly competing for the same Chinese video time.
• Xigua Video / Douyin: ByteDance's short-form video and emerging short-drama platforms compete with Sohu's 关注流 and 短剧 offerings for the same short-video viewing time, particularly among mobile-first users.

Regional players

• iQIYI International (iQ.com): iQiyi's overseas arm serves Asian and international markets with the same drama/movie library that competes against Sohu's content offering; comparable on content but not directly overlapping geographically.
• Tencent WeTV (WeTV): WeTV is Tencent's overseas-facing Chinese streaming service, with overlapping content library with Sohu Video but focused on Southeast Asian and other overseas markets where Sohu does not operate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/%E6%90%9C%E7%8B%90%E8%A7%86%E9%A2%91

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 搜狐视频