The bulk of those who watch Chinese online video services are young people, most of them aficionados of hit television dramas made in the centers of the world film industry, such as the United States, the UK and South Korea, Xu says.

Demand by Chinese audiences for better quality productions has prompted domestic content-makers to act, including providing better storytelling and visual effects, while at the same time making some of the productions more attractive to overseas audiences, he says.

This shift in the market is taking place not only on broadcasting platforms, but also in genres of particular interest to foreign audiences.

Wei Lili, vice-president of Ciwen Media Group, says she has sensed the change over the past few decades. The Beijing-based Ciwen has produced a number of dramas sold overseas.

Sales of Chinese dramas abroad go back to the 1980s, when household TV series such as Journey to the West, a mythological tale about the Monkey King, were exported to Southeast Asia and Africa, she says.