China digital reading market flourishes in 2023

During the Third National Conference on Reading, the China Audio-video and Digital Publishing Association unveiled the 2023 China Digital Reading Report, revealing a robust expansion in the nation's digital reading landscape. The report highlighted that the overall revenue of China's digital reading market in 2023 surged to 56.7 billion yuan ($7.82 billion), marking a substantial 22.33 percent increase year-on-year.

The report delineated the remarkable growth across the three primary sectors of the digital publishing industry in 2023. Mass reading, audio reading, and academic reading generated revenues exceeding 40.7 billion yuan, 11.6 billion yuan, and 4.3 billion yuan, respectively.

Furthermore, the number of digital reading users in China soared to 570 million, reflecting a notable 7.53 percent rise compared to the previous year.

Notably, the report underscored that the primary demographic for digital reading comprises individuals aged between 19 and 45, constituting 62.7 percent of the total user base. Moreover, there was a notable increase in the proportion of users aged 60 and above, signifying a broadening appeal across diverse age groups.

The report also highlighted the burgeoning content available on China's digital reading platforms, surpassing 59 million works in 2023, encompassing a diverse array of online literature, e-books, and other genres. Notably, mystery and detective stories emerged as the favored genre among domestic digital reading users, signaling evolving reading preferences.

Furthermore, the report shed light on the burgeoning international presence of Chinese digital works, with 762,400 works published overseas in 2023, marking a substantial 23.35 percent increase year-on-year. Southeast Asia, North America, and Europe emerged as key regions with a high volume of Chinese digital works, underscoring the global appeal of Chinese literary content.

As a leading figure in the digital reading landscape, Migu Digital Media has played a pivotal role, boasting 180,000 registered authors, over 600,000 digital books, and more than 1 million physical books, while maintaining over 100 million monthly active users. Migu's influence extended globally, with over 1,000 exceptional works introduced to overseas markets in Europe, America, East Asia, and Southeast Asia, underscoring the company's significant international footprint and its role in promoting Chinese literary content on the global stage.