LayarHijau – The historical drama Pursuit of Jade (逐玉) has recently come under public scrutiny after allegations surfaced about possible manipulation of view counts on the Tencent Video platform. The controversy emerged in early March 2026, shortly after the drama starring Zhang Linghe and Tian Xiwei recorded an unusually rapid surge in popularity following its premiere.
According to data from Yunhe, Pursuit of Jade’s market share jumped sharply from 16.1 percent on its first day of release to 31.4 percent on the second day. This near doubling in just two days immediately placed the drama at the top of the popularity rankings across multiple platforms. On Tencent Video, its popularity score has reportedly surpassed 29,000, marking the highest record of 2026 so far. Meanwhile, the drama’s popularity index on iQIYI has also exceeded 9,500.
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The issue began when several netizens claimed to have discovered a loophole in Tencent Video’s viewing data system. They alleged that the platform counted a play as a completed view even if the video was played for only about one second. The claim quickly spread across social media and triggered strong reactions from many users.
Many netizens argued that such a calculation method would be unreasonable and could harm viewers while undermining fair competition in the entertainment industry. According to them, if even a one-second play is counted as a full view, the popularity numbers of a drama could rise dramatically without truly reflecting real audience interest.
They also warned that practices like this could worsen a long-standing issue in China’s entertainment industry: data inflation. From television ratings to online view counts, inflated statistics have long been a controversial topic that many believe distorts the market and disrupts the industry’s normal development.
The issue quickly expanded into a broader discussion about transparency in drama data metrics. Many online users argued that video platforms, as the entities responsible for collecting and publishing viewership data, should ensure that their systems are fair and transparent for all productions. Otherwise, public trust in both the platforms and the broader entertainment industry could be eroded.
Amid the growing criticism, Tencent Video released an official statement on March 9, 2026. The platform denied any manipulation of viewership data and explained that the issue was actually a display error in the user watch history page.
“Dear users, there was previously an abnormal display in the Personal Center – Watch History feature on Tencent Video. After investigation, we found that this issue was only a page display error and does not affect any data shown inside or outside the platform,” the company said in its statement.
Tencent Video added that the issue had been urgently fixed and that updates were being rolled out gradually. The platform also apologized for any inconvenience and misunderstandings caused by the problem.
“We have implemented an emergency fix and updates are being rolled out gradually. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused and for the misunderstandings that some users may have experienced,” the statement continued.
Despite the official explanation, reactions from Weibo users have remained mixed. Some expressed skepticism, questioning whether the issue could truly be explained as a simple technical error. Others, however, said they trusted Tencent Video’s explanation, noting that they had previously encountered similar watch history display errors while watching other programs on the platform.
