If you enjoy Chinese dramas centred around the theme of a ‘young couple separated when they were younger and falling in love again a decade later,’ then you are in for a treat!
iQIYI’s latest and hottest Chinese drama, Fireworks of My Heart (我的人间烟火), features popular star Yang Yang (杨洋) playing the role of a firefighter, Song Yan, along with Wang Churan (王楚然) as a doctor in the emergency department, Xu Qin.
In the drama, Yang Yang’s character Song Yan is a tough, passionate firefighter that offers disaster relief to people in need. On the other hand, Wang Churan plays the role of emergency doctor Xu Qin, who is burdened by the weight of familial expectations.
Forced apart by opposition from their families, the star-crossed lovers are reunited through their work 10 years later. Song Yan and Xu Qin work together to save the lives of others. It’s during this time they gradually clear the years of misunderstandings between them reigniting what was once lost.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9v5FP8JJycg
The drama also features other famous stars like Ian Wang (王彦霖), Wei Daxun (魏大勋), and Yang Chaoyue (杨超越).
You can watch Fireworks of My Heart on iQIYI now for free. A Premium VIP plan for iQIYI gets you ad-free streaming, early access to episodes and more for as low as MYR6.90 with an enticing 40% off the original MYR16.90 price. You can get even more discounts when you pay using Touch N’ Go EWallet.
In addition to Fireworks of My Heart, you’ll also be able to watch iQIYI’s growing library of local, Malaysian content which includes shows like “Sorry Naik Lorry”, “Rampas Cintaku” and its first brand-integrated show with GrabFood – “5-Star Hunter Bersama GrabFood”.
iQIYI continues to push its new approach to entertainment – “advertainment” – with new shows. The latest show comes in partnership with GrabFood Malaysia and covers one of Malaysia’s most passionate subjects – food. “5-Star Hunter Bersama GrabFood” is the first branded reality show that debuted on iQIYI on 2 June 2023.
The new reality show follows Malaysian celebrity Chef Fikree and several local food bloggers as they search for Malaysia’s most authentic cuisine with one catch – the food must come from one of GrabFood Malaysia’s 5-star Restaurants. The show brings the popular format of sharing the story and inspiration behind the food and marries it with a unique approach of highlighting the services and impact of GrabFood on these humble establishments. However, Chef Fikri turns the tables on his celebrity guests as they are challenged to recreate the dish they just tasted. These recreations are then tasted by random guests at the eatery. So, will Chef Fikri come out on top? You’ll just have to tune in to find out.
The variety show is one of a growing number of “advertainment” shows that iQIYI first introduced with its show “Sorry Naik Lorry” not too long ago. The new format integrates advertising and brand awareness seamlessly into shows allowing brands to bring more awareness to services and goods offered. It also allows brands to sidestep the usual ad break and seamlessly integrate themselves front and centre in the show.
Source: iQIYI
“We are thrilled to collaborate once again with GrabFood Malaysia as our esteemed partners for the production of our first-ever local branded variety show. In the realm of entertainment, over-the-top (OTT) platforms like iQIYI have emerged as pivotal catalysts propelling the growth of the local entertainment industry while offering brands a fresh avenue to establish a relatable connection with their audience. This innovative approach allows brands to transcend traditional advertising and instead present their offerings in a captivating and profoundly influential manner that resonates more effectively with the audience.”
“5-Star Hunter Bersama GrabFood” debuted on iQIYI on 2 June 2023 and will feature six fifteen-minute episodes. To celebrate the launch, iQIYI will be giving away GrabFood vouchers worth RM50 to all their viewers. All you have to do to get your share is follow iQIYI on their social media pages and keep an eye out for the giveaway posts and answer a few simple questions about the new show.
As consumers, we’re being inundated with more content than ever in this day and age. We’ve also become even more discerning, particularly in advertising and branding. What’s more, with the rise of over-the-top (OTT) services like iQIYI, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ Hotstar, we’ve become even more selective of where we place our time when it comes to consuming media. Realising these trends, iQIYI has partnered with food delivery provider and app, foodpanda, to marry entertainment and branding with their latest series “Sorry Naik Lori”.
The new series is a first-of-its-kind collaboration between iQIYI and food panda in which the two companies worked from the bottom up to integrate foodpanda’s branding and app in the series. This process started with a collaboration between iQIYI, foodpanda and Universal McCann in developing the scripting and concept for the series. In the end, they produced a quintessentially Malaysian tale that tells the story of a husband and wife as they pursue two different versions of success.
“Sorry Naik Lori” follows the misadventures of Khairul, a young lorry driver living in Penang who is averse to Social Media and his wife, Nadia, who dreams of becoming a successful social media influencer. Nadia stumbles upon success when she becomes “ComelPasembur” when a NikNok video of her at her mother’s Pasembur restaurant goes viral. As her following grows, she is approached by a talent agency and decides to pursue her dreams against her husband’s wishes. This forces Khairul to learn to navigate the world of social media as he tries to keep his marriage alive while Nadia is forced to hide her marriage in pursuit of social media stardom.
The series also integrates a foodpanda rider, Talib, played by Tajul. The character not only plays a role in foodpanda’s brand integration into the series but also helps further the plot and misadventures in the slice-of-life rom-com.
The series is steeped in the Malay culture of Malaysia’s most popular island – Penang. Everything from the mannerisms and dialect used in “Sorry Naik Lori” is infused with typical Penangite flavours. The series stars Nizam Othman as Khairul and Ruhainies as Nadia. They are supported by a notable cast which includes local singer, Tajul, TikToker Ahmad Saffuan, Nafiz Muaz, Sheila Mambo and Asha Zainul.
“Sorry Naik Lori” premieres on 4th November 2022 on iQIYI. iQIYI’s freemium model allows you to enjoy the series for free with ads. However, if you want an uninterrupted viewing experience, you can just sign up for iQIYI’s VIP subscription for as low as MYR11.90.
iQIYI, for those unfamiliar, is one of the bigger streaming platforms in Malaysia beside Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, and Amazon Prime Video. The contents you can find on iQIYI, compared to the other streaming platforms, are quite unique as well. They offer mostly Asian based contents mainly from places like China, they are a China based streaming platform, after all.
iQIYI is unique not just because it offers their own Asian based contents. Now they are going into making their own localised contents for their platform. When we say localised, we mean that they are funding Malaysian production houses to create exclusive content. The shows available on iQIYI will also be available in other regions where the platform operates giving even more exposure to local production,
The first of many to come is ‘Rampas Cintaku’. It is a Bahasa Melayu title that translates to ‘Snatch My Love’ in English. It is also the first locally produced show that is produced and distributed exclusively by iQIYI in over 191 countries.
In comparison, there is one locally produced show exclusively funded by and for Netflix, but there are no plans for more yet at this conjuction. The show is also only available in select regions. Then again, there are plenty of Netflix shows and movies available in other regions that are not available locally and vice versa,
We said that ‘Rampas Cintaku’ is the first of many locally produced shows on iQIYI. That is also because iQIYI has a proper roadmap that outlines more locally produced shows to be published on their platform and to be available in over 191 countries they operate in. They have not mentioned any titles yet, but they have teased that their next locally produced show will be in partnership with FoodPanda.
The premise of more Malaysian films to be aired on an international streaming platform is quite significant. It is a sort of validation or indication that there is demand for locally produced films. It also signifies that the demand for locally produced films is not limited to the local market, but also foreign markets like China.
Source: iQIYI
Source: iQIYI
Source: iQIYI
Source: iQIYI
IQIYI is not really playing guessing games when it comes to deciding where their money goes to as well. Before their exclusively produced ‘Rampas Cintaku’, iQIYI has been licensing plenty of locally produced shows with Bahasa Melayu as the spoken language. Following the increasing number and consumption pattern of the locally produced shows on iQIYI, it only makes sense for the platform to take things to the next level and start funding the local production houses to produce iQIYI exclusive shows and develop local talents even further.
Of course, there is also the aspect that iQIYI offers more creative freedom to scriptwriters in their storytelling. Taking ‘Rampas Cintaku’ as a sort of benchmark, the romance melodrama touches sensitive topics that cannot usually be shown on local television. The show touches on certain taboo topics like extramarital relationships. Obviously, the show is really made for the more mature audience group.
‘Rampas Cintaky’ is now available for viewing exclusively on iQIYI. You can either download the app from Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store or access their website directly to view the series. You must also have a subscription plan to access iQIYI’s full library and ‘Rampas Cintaku’. More on ‘Rampas Cintaku’ can be found on their website.
iQiyi chose a very opportune time to launch in Malaysia back in 2019. With the pandemic only just setting in, the streaming service saw a surge in subscribers. While that’s great news for the streaming company, they’ve adopted a business model that isn’t your typical streaming service. They provide a free, ad-supported tier that gives users access to their content.
Source: Longhouse Films
That said, the iQiyi isn’t just resting on its laurels. The company is focusing on bringing new, original content to its platform. Naturally, this includes new, locally-produced series and tv shows. The first to debut is My Ofis which is produced by Longhouse Films. My Ofis brings together an ensemble of both emerging and seasoned actors. Malaysian legend, Alvin Wong stars together with Aeril Zafrel, Nasz Sally, Kahoe Hon, Phraveen Arikiah, Sherwyn Pang, and Pearlly Chua in My Ofis to bring to life the shenanigans that take place behind the scenes in a quintessential Malaysian office.
Source: iQiyi
My Ofis follows Jasper (Kahoe Hon) as he leaves behind his rockstar dreams to care for his grandmother. He finds himself stumbling into a job at My Ofis run by KS (Aeril Zafrel) and his colleagues, Paul (Alvin Wong), Jessica (Nasz Sally), and Milo (Phraveen Arikiah). The series chronicles the antics of the people behind My Ofis as they navigate the business landscape.
The series will be premiering on 26th May 2022 on iQiyi. The debut season will consist of 12 episodes airing over six weeks. Each episode is 24 minutes long.
Of course, the show is just the beginning when it comes to My Ofis. iQiyi and Longhouse Productions are looking to revolutionize advertising on streaming platforms. Both companies are partnering with a local eCommerce app, JOCOM, to bring a new “watch, scan & buy” concept with the launch of My Ofis.
Source: LinkedIN
“Together with our partners Longhouse Films and JOCOM, we aim to work towards shaping a new content ecosystem fitting for today’s digital age, that empowers traditional brands and sellers to further digitalise through entertainment. My Ofis will open doors to more opportunities in bridging entertainment and eCommerce to support local brands, advertisers and marketers,”
Dinesh Ratnam, Country Manager of iQiyi Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei
The new concept will see QR codes pop up when there is any product placement in the drama. Users can then scan these codes and immediately purchase the items from the JOCOM app as they are watching the series. The new concept literally allows production houses to better monetize product placements in their series. Of course, My Ofis is just the beginning when it comes to exploring this new concept.
Screenshot of product placement QR Code in My Ofis. Source: iQIYI
My Ofis will premiere on May 26, 2022, across all countries where iQiyi is available. It’s already been greenlit for a second season which will be launched soon.
