LayarHijau – A technical mishap during the iQiyi Scream Night 2025 awards announcement has sparked outrage among the streaming platform’s users and drawn scrutiny from industry analysts. Experts have labeled the incident a PR misstep.
The error occurred in the announcement of the Most Popular Female Character category. The intended winners were Li Qin for Fated Hearts, Yang Mi for This Thriving Land, and Liu Shishi for Love Pavilion. However, during the live announcement, Liu Shishi’s name was mistakenly replaced with Bai Lu for Feud.
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Fans Paid to Vote
Liu Shishi’s fans expressed outrage, feeling deceived. Votes for their favorite stars required payment, including purchasing character subscription cards costing 12 yuan (roughly Rp 26,400 at 1 yuan = Rp 2,200), which granted 10 votes and virtual gifting privileges.
Fans invested both time and money with the expectation that the top three winners would receive special privileges, such as on-screen promotion or live announcements. Liu Shishi losing her spot effectively nullified those promised perks.
Midnight Apology Viewed as Insincere
In response, iQiyi issued an apology via its official social media accounts in the early hours, citing “work negligence” and confirming that the correct winners were those announced on November 21, which included Liu Shishi.
The timing, however, drew further criticism. Fans accused iQiyi of attempting to “downplay” the issue, describing the apology as overly formal and insincere.
No Clear Compensation Offered
User frustration was compounded by the absence of new compensation or solutions to make up for Liu Shishi’s lost promotion. Fans demanded either refunds or fulfillment of the promised promotional perks.
Chinese media outlets seeking comment from iQiyi received no official response. Customer service replied only with a standard message that the issue had been “carefully recorded and forwarded to the relevant team,” which many deemed unsatisfactory.
Mounting Complaints and Alleged Unfair Practices
This incident adds to an already long list of complaints against iQiyi. On China’s consumer complaint platform Heimao, the company has amassed over 55,000 reports, many related to alleged consumer-unfriendly practices, including:
- Unauthorized Charges: Users have reported auto-renewal fees charged without activation, some paying up to 1,140 yuan (about Rp 2.5 million) since 2019.
- Difficulty Contacting Human Customer Support: China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has highlighted iQiyi as one of the platforms with particularly hard-to-reach customer service.
Analyst Opinion: PR Lacked Warmth and Emotional Connection
Internet analyst Zhang Shule described iQiyi’s handling as a PR failure. He said the apology was overly simple, formal, and lacked sincerity. Issuing it late at night appeared to be an attempt to suppress the issue, but such strategies often fail when entertainment topics are trending and rapidly spreading.
Zhang emphasized that as a platform dependent on fan enthusiasm to drive traffic and revenue, iQiyi should project warmth rather than cold bureaucracy. In a PR crisis, a purely procedural approach should give way to strategies that engage emotions, delivering apologies in a soft, convincing manner to fans.
As an example, Zhang suggested iQiyi could feature Liu Shishi’s trailers or clips in prominent recommendation slots. This approach is relatively low-cost yet effective, serving as compensation for the mishap.
“By highlighting Liu Shishi in recommended slots, the platform provides inexpensive yet meaningful compensation and demonstrates genuine care for fans,” Zhang explained.
iQiyi’s failure to offer proper compensation or heartfelt communication has transformed a technical mistake into a broader public trust crisis.
