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| Tencent Video Responds to View Count Manipulation Allegations Surrounding Pursuit of Jade. (Credits: Upmedia) |
Tencent Video has pushed back against allegations that viewership numbers for the historical drama Pursuit of Jade (逐玉) were artificially inflated, after a sudden surge in popularity triggered intense scrutiny online. The drama, starring Zhang Linghe and Tian Xiwei, quickly climbed to the top of streaming charts following its early March 2026 premiere, but its rapid growth in viewership data soon sparked debate among viewers about how the platform counts its viewing figures.
Industry tracking data from Yunhe showed the scale of the drama’s rise. Pursuit of Jade recorded a market share of 16.1 percent on its first day of release before jumping sharply to 31.4 percent on day two. The near doubling of its share within 48 hours placed the series firmly at the top of several drama popularity rankings.
On Tencent Video, the drama’s internal popularity score reportedly surpassed 30,000 — the highest figure recorded on the platform in 2026 so far.
The momentum was not limited to one service.
On iQIYI’s monitoring charts, the drama’s popularity index also crossed the 10,000 mark, further reinforcing the show’s early dominance in the historical drama category.
However, the unusually fast growth soon drew attention from online users who began questioning how the view counts were calculated.
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| Pursuit of Jade Streaming Numbers Questioned as Tencent Video Denies Data Manipulation |
Several netizens claimed they had discovered what they described as a loophole in Tencent Video’s viewing data system. According to their claims, the platform would register a completed view even if a user only played a video for roughly one second.
The allegation spread rapidly across social media platforms, where discussions around streaming data transparency quickly gained traction.
Critics argued that counting such brief plays as full views could distort the perceived popularity of a drama and make the viewing statistics appear far higher than actual audience engagement.
For many observers, the controversy revived a long-running debate within China’s entertainment industry over the reliability of audience data.
Inflated statistics — whether television ratings or online view counts — have repeatedly been criticised for shaping public perception of a show’s success and influencing marketing strategies, endorsements and investment decisions.
The debate soon expanded beyond Pursuit of Jade itself. Online discussions began focusing on whether streaming platforms should publish clearer explanations of how their popularity metrics work.
Some users argued that transparent measurement standards are essential for maintaining trust between audiences, production companies and digital platforms.
Facing growing criticism, Tencent Video released an official statement on 9 March 2026 addressing the issue. The company rejected accusations of manipulating viewing data and said the problem stemmed from a technical display error within its watch history feature.
In the statement, Tencent Video said that users had previously encountered “abnormal display” behaviour within the Personal Center’s Watch History page. According to the platform’s investigation, the issue was purely visual and did not affect the underlying data used to calculate viewing statistics.
The company said the glitch had already been fixed and that system updates were being rolled out progressively.
Tencent Video also apologised to users for the confusion caused by the error and acknowledged that the display issue had led to misunderstandings about how view counts were recorded.
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| Tencent Video Denies View Count Manipulation Claims Over Pursuit of Jade Popularity Surge |
Even after the explanation, reactions among online communities have remained divided.
Some Weibo users questioned whether a simple display error could fully explain the one-second viewing claim, arguing that streaming platforms should disclose clearer technical details about their counting methods.
Others took a more relaxed view, saying they had previously encountered similar watch history glitches on the platform while watching other shows.
Supporters of the drama also pointed out that Pursuit of Jade had generated strong buzz from the start thanks to the pairing of Zhang Linghe and Tian Xiwei, both of whom have built sizeable fanbases through recent hit dramas. For them, the drama’s strong opening numbers were not surprising given the scale of anticipation before its release.
What do you think about Tencent Video’s explanation? Do you believe the surge in Pursuit of Jade popularity reflects genuine viewer interest, or should streaming platforms reveal more about how their viewing data is calculated?