Form F-1
Table of Contents

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 27, 2018

Registration No. 333-

 

 

 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM F-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

iQIYI, Inc.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

Not Applicable

(Translation of Registrant’s name into English)

 

 

 

Cayman Islands   7389   Not Applicable

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(Primary Standard Industrial

Classification Code Number)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification Number)

9/F, iQIYI Innovation Building

No. 2 Haidian North First Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100080

People’s Republic of China

Tel: +86 10 6267-7171

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of Registrant’s principal executive offices)

 

 

Law Debenture Corporate Services Inc.

801 2nd Avenue, Suite 403

New York, New York 10017

+1 212-750-6474

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

 

Copies to:

 

Z. Julie Gao, Esq.

Will H. Cai, Esq.

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

c/o 42/F, Edinburgh Tower

The Landmark

15 Queen’s Road Central

Hong Kong

+852 3740-4700

 

Li He, Esq.

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

c/o 2201 China World Office 2

1 Jian Guo Men Wai Avenue

Chao Yang District, Beijing 100004

People’s Republic of China

+86 10 8567-5000

 

James C. Lin, Esq.

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

c/o 18th Floor

The Hong Kong Club Building

3A Chater Road

Central, Hong Kong

+852 2533-3300

 

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: as soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box.  ☐

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933.

Emerging growth company  ☐

If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards† provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.  ☐

† The term “new or revised financial accounting standard” refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012.

 

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

 

Title of each class of

securities to be registered

 

Proposed

maximum

aggregate

offering price(1)

  Amount of
registration fee

Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.00001 per share(2)(3)

  $1,500,000,000   $186,750

 

 

(1) Estimated solely for the purpose of determining the amount of registration fee in accordance with Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act of 1933.
(2) Includes Class A ordinary shares initially offered and sold outside the United States that may be resold from time to time in the United States either as part of their distribution or within 40 days after the later of the effective date of this registration statement and the date the shares are first bona fide offered to the public, and also includes Class A ordinary shares that may be purchased by the underwriters pursuant to an over-allotment option. These Class A ordinary shares are not being registered for the purpose of sales outside the United States.
(3) American depositary shares issuable upon deposit of the Class A ordinary shares registered hereby will be registered under a separate registration statement on Form F-6 (Registration No.333-                ). Each American depositary share represents             Class A ordinary shares.

 

 

The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to such Section 8(a), may determine.

 

 

 


Table of Contents

The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and we are not soliciting offers to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

Subject to Completion. Dated             , 2018.

American Depositary Shares

 

LOGO

iQIYI, Inc.

Representing              Class A Ordinary Shares

 

 

This is an initial public offering of American depositary shares, or ADSs, of iQIYI, Inc.

We are offering              ADSs. Each ADS represents              of our Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.00001 per share.

Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our ADSs or shares. We have applied to have our ADSs listed on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “IQ.”

Following the completion of this offering, our outstanding share capital will consist of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. Baidu, Inc., our controlling shareholder, will beneficially own all of our issued Class B ordinary shares and will be able to exercise         % of the total voting power of our issued and outstanding share capital immediately following the completing of this offering. Holders of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares have the same rights except for voting and conversion rights. Each class A ordinary share is entitled to one vote, and each Class B ordinary share is entitled to ten votes and is convertible into one Class A ordinary share. Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class  B ordinary shares under any circumstances.

See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 15 for factors you should consider before buying the ADSs.

 

 

PRICE US$             PER ADS

 

 

Neither the United States Securities and Exchange Commission nor any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

     Price to Public      Underwriting
Discounts and
Commission(1)
     Proceeds to us  

Per ADS

   US$                   US$                   US$               

Total

   US$      US$      US$  

 

(1) See “Underwriting” for additional disclosure regarding compensation payable by us to the underwriters.

We have granted the underwriters the right to purchase up to an additional              ADSs to cover over-allotments.

 

 

The underwriters expect to deliver the ADSs against payment in U.S. dollars in New York, New York on             , 2018.

 

Goldman Sachs (Asia) L.L.C.    Credit Suisse    BofA Merrill Lynch

 

 

 

China Renaissance    Citigroup    UBS Investment Bank

Prospectus dated             , 2018


Table of Contents

 

LOGO

 

50.8 million subscribing Members Data as of December 31, 2017 Subscribing members refers to the individuals who purchased our monthly, quarterly or annual membership packages, including individuals with trial membership, and excluding individuals who pay for video on-demand services. 421.3 million Mobile MAUs Average data in 4Q2017. Mobile MAUs refers to the number of unique mobile devices that have accessed iQIYI platform through our iQIYI mobile app at least once during a calendar month. 126.0 million mobile DAUs Average data in 4Q2017. Mobile DAUs refers to the number of unique mobile devices that have accessed iQIYI platform through our iQIYI mobile app at least once during a day. 1.7 hours Average Time Spent per Day per User Data in December 2017. Refers to the average time spent per day per user watching video content on iQIYI mobile app. 424.1 million PC MAUs Average data in 4Q2017. PC MAUs refers to the sum of (i) the number of unique PC devices that have accessed our platform through our PC client terminal, and (ii) the number of PC devices that have accessed our platform through our website, in each case at least once during a calendar month. 53.7 million PC DAUs Average data in 4Q2017. PC DAUs refers to the sum of (i) the number of unique PC devices that have accessed iQIYI platform through our PC client terminal, and (ii) the number of PC devices that have accessed our platform through our website, in each at least once during a day.


Table of Contents

LOGO

 

To become a technology-based entertainment giant that brings fun and joy to people and their families


Table of Contents

LOGO

 


Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

     Page  

Prospectus Summary

     1  

The Offering

     10  

Summary Consolidated Financial and Operating Data

     12  

Risk Factors

     15  

Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Industry Data

     55  

Use of Proceeds

     56  

Dividend Policy

     58  

Capitalization

     59  

Dilution

     61  

Exchange Rate Information

     63  

Enforceability of Civil Liabilities

     64  

Corporate History and Structure

     66  

Our Relationship with Baidu

     72  

Selected Consolidated Financial Data

     74  

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

     76  
     Page  

Industry

     102  

Business

     107  

Regulation

     126  

Management

     141  

Principal Shareholders

     149  

Related Party Transactions

     152  

Description of Share Capital

     154  

Description of American Depositary Shares

     166  

Shares Eligible for Future Sale

     179  

Taxation

     181  

Underwriting

     187  

Expenses Related to this Offering

     199  

Legal Matters

     200  

Experts

     201  

Where You Can Find Additional Information

     202  

Index to Consolidated Financial Statements

     F-1  
 

 

 

You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus or in any related free-writing prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information different from that contained in this prospectus or in any related free-writing prospectus. We are offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, the ADSs only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The information contained in this prospectus is current only as of the date of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or of any sale of the ADSs.

We have not taken any action to permit a public offering of the ADSs outside the United States or to permit the possession or distribution of this prospectus outside the United States. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus must inform themselves about and observe any restrictions relating to the offering of the ADSs and the distribution of the prospectus outside the United States.

Until                     , 2018 (the 25th day after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade ADSs, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the obligation of dealers to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.

 

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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

The following summary is qualified in its entirety by, and should be read in conjunction with, the more detailed information and financial statements appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. In addition to this summary, we urge you to read the entire prospectus carefully, especially the risks of investing in our ADSs discussed under “Risk Factors,” before deciding whether to buy our ADSs. This prospectus contains information from an industry report commissioned by us and prepared by iResearch, a third-party research firm, in December 2017 (and updated by iResearch in February 2018) to provide information regarding our industry and our market position in China. We refer to this report as the “iResearch Report.” This prospectus also contains information available from iResearch that was not commissioned by us, which we cite and identify in this prospectus with the language “according to iResearch.”

Our Mission

We aspire to become a technology-based entertainment giant that brings fun and joy to people and their families.

Business Overview

iQIYI is an innovative market-leading online entertainment service in China.

We are at the forefront of the entertainment industry in China. Our corporate DNA combines creative talent with technology, fostering an environment for the continuous innovation and production of blockbuster content. Our platform features highly popular original content, as well as a comprehensive selection of professionally-produced and partner-generated content. Through our curated premium content, we attract a massive user base with tremendous user engagement, and generate significant monetization opportunities.

We are one of the largest internet companies in China in terms of user base. We have successfully built iQIYI into a widely-recognized brand among users, content partners and advertisers, and have redefined online entertainment in China. We are the largest internet video streaming service in China in terms of user time spent and average total MAUs in 2017, according to iResearch. Through our license partner, we also operate the largest smart TV video streaming service in China as measured by monthly active devices in December 2017, according to the iResearch Report. For the three months ended December 31, 2017, we had approximately 421.3 million average mobile MAUs and approximately 126.0 million average mobile DAUs, while our average PC MAUs and average PC DAUs reached 424.1 million and 53.7 million, respectively. In December 2017, our users watched a total of 9.2 billion hours of videos on our platform, and spent an average of 1.7 hours per day per user watching video content on our mobile apps. We have also built a leading entertainment-based social media platform, iQIYI Paopao, for fans to follow and interact with celebrities and the entertainment community. iQIYI Paopao had approximately 45.8 million average mobile DAUs for the three months ended December 31, 2017. For definitions of (i) total user time spent and MAUs, (ii) mobile MAUs, mobile DAUs, PC MAUs and PC DAUs for our iQIYI platform, as well as (iii) mobile DAUs for iQIYI Paopao, see “—Conventions Which Apply to this Prospectus.”

We pride ourselves in establishing a track record of producing blockbuster original content. In 2017, our original content accounted for 5 of the top 10 original internet variety shows and 6 of the top 10 original internet drama series in China based on each title’s peak monthly active users according to the iResearch Report. The Lost Tomb ( LOGO ), one of the first high-budget original internet drama series in China that we released in 2015, generated more than 100 million video views within the first 24 hours of debut and over 4 billion video views in total. For the definition of video views for our iQIYI platform, see “—Conventions Which Apply to this Prospectus.” Since 2015, we have released several award-winning multi-genre original titles, such as The Mystic



 

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Nine ( LOGO ) and Burning Ice ( LOGO ), which two titles in aggregate have generated approximately 13 billion video views. We also pioneered and produced a number of internet variety shows that are highly popular, such as Qipa Talk ( LOGO ), released in 2014 and currently in its fourth season, and The Rap of China ( LOGO ), each of which has generated over 3.0 billion video views. Leveraging on our initial success, we have extended selected popular titles into multi-season format.

Our powerful content distribution capability makes us the go-to partner in China for premium content providers. Equipped with our deep-learning predictive algorithms and massive user data, we have developed industry-leading tools to select third-party content. During 2017, iQIYI featured 42 of the top 50 most popular drama series, variety show and film titles streamed on the internet in China based on each title’s peak monthly active users, according to the iResearch Report. We have also built a comprehensive content library catering to the diverse tastes of our users, and cultivated emerging content providers. Our growing network of iQIYI partner accounts provides us with high-quality partner-generated content. This network also enables thousands of content providers to distribute content effectively and monetize their followings through revenue sharing arrangements with us.

We distinguish ourselves in the online entertainment industry by our leading technology platform powered by advanced AI, big data analytics and other core proprietary technologies. Our core proprietary technologies are critical to producing content that caters to user tastes, delivering superior entertainment experience to our users, improving operational efficiency, and increasing return on investment for our advertisers and monetization opportunities for content providers. For example, for our highly popular original title The Rap of China ( LOGO ), we used advanced AI technology in our casting process to select the most suitable celebrities for the show as well as for real-time frame analysis to study user preferences.

We have developed a diversified monetization model to capture multiple opportunities arising from the rapid growth of the online entertainment industry in China. We generate revenues through membership services, online advertising services, and a suite of IP-related monetization methods, including content distribution. We pioneered a large scale paid content subscription business in China. Our membership services revenue increased by 277.5% from RMB996.7 million in 2015 to RMB3,762.2 million in 2016, and further by 73.7% from RMB3,762.2 million in 2016 to RMB6,536.0 million (US$1,004.6 million) in 2017. Membership services revenue as a percentage of total revenues increased from 18.7% in 2015 to 33.5% in 2016, and further to 37.6% in 2017. For the foreseeable future, we expect membership services as a percentage of total revenues to remain at a similar level as that in 2017. We appeal to advertisers through broad and efficient user reach, as well as innovative and effective advertising products. Our online advertising revenue grew by 66.2% from RMB3,399.9 million in 2015 to RMB5,650.4 million in 2016, and further by 44.4% from RMB5,650.4 million in 2016 to RMB8,158.9 million (US$1,254.0 million) in 2017. We have proven capabilities of adapting a single popular work into a variety of entertainment products, creating multiple channels to amplify the popularity and monetary value of the original work. Our sophisticated monetization model fosters an environment for high-quality content production and distribution on our platform, which in turn expands our user base and increases user engagement, creating a virtuous cycle.

We enjoy significant synergies with our parent company Baidu, Inc., or Baidu. Baidu has provided us with technology, infrastructure and financial support. Our close cooperation in AI technology, user traffic and infrastructure sharing allows us to strengthen our respective leading market positions. We have no experience operating as a stand-alone public company. After this offering, we will face enhanced administrative and compliance requirements, which may result in substantial costs. Furthermore, upon the completion of this offering, Baidu will beneficially own all of our outstanding high voting Class B ordinary shares and continue to be our controlling shareholder. Baidu’s voting control may cause transactions to occur that might not be beneficial to you as a holder of ADSs and may prevent transactions that could have been beneficial to you. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Carve-out from Baidu and Our Relationship with Baidu—Baidu will



 

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control the outcome of shareholder actions in our company.” As our business continues to grow and after we become a public company, we expect to rely less on financing support from Baidu and increasingly rely on net cash provided by operating activities, financing through capital markets and commercial banks for our liquidity needs.

We have grown rapidly with total revenues increasing by 111.3% from RMB5,318.6 million 2015 to RMB11,237.4 million in 2016, and further by 54.6% from RMB11,237.4 million in 2016 to RMB17,378.4 million (US$2,671.0 million) in 2017. We had net losses of RMB2,575.1 million, RMB3,074.0 million, and RMB3,736.9 million (US$574.4 million) in 2015, 2016, and 2017, respectively.

We face significant competition in China, primarily from Tencent Video and Youku Tudou. We compete for users, usage time and advertising customers. Some of our competitors have a longer operating history and significantly greater financial resources than we do. If any of our competitors achieves greater market acceptance than we do or is able to offer more attractive video content, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business and Industry—We operate in a highly competitive market and we may not be able to compete effectively.”

Our Industry

The online entertainment industry in China has grown rapidly and the growth is expected to continue. According to the iResearch Report, the online entertainment industry in China has grown from approximately RMB50.8 billion in 2012 to RMB156.9 billion in 2016, and is expected to reach approximately RMB688.4 billion in 2022. Video is the leading online entertainment format in China. According to the iResearch Report, out of total time spent by users on online entertainment in China in 2016, over 80% was spent on internet videos. Online entertainment, especially internet video, is attractive to Chinese users due to many favorable factors, including easy accessibility, wide content selection, and innovative platforms with social features. Given the rapidly developing AI and big data technologies and increasing user demand for diversified, rich video content, we believe the internet video industry in China is poised for sustainable strong growth in China.

Internet users in China are increasingly focused on the quality and originality of video content and are willing to pay for premium content. As a result, China’s internet video platforms focus on professionally-produced content, or PPC, to cater to viewers’ demand. Developing various formats of entertainment content based on a popular IP has become an important business model to address users’ diverse entertainment needs and capture the full monetization potential of the IP. Additionally, leading internet video platforms in China benefit from a highly fragmented content production ecosystem, which provides such platforms with greater bargaining power in procuring quality content and expanding content libraries.

Internet video platforms in China currently generate revenues mainly from membership services and online advertising. The membership services market size has grown from RMB0.4 billion in 2012 to RMB12.1 billion (US$1.9 billion) in 2016, and is expected to reach RMB73.0 billion by 2022, representing a compound annual growth rate, or CAGR of 34.9% from 2016, according to the iResearch Report. Online advertising in China has also experienced rapid growth and is expected to continue its growth momentum. According to the iResearch Report, online advertising market size of China’s internet video platforms has increased from RMB6.7 billion in 2012 to RMB32.6 billion (US$5.0 billion) in 2016, and is expected to reach RMB125.8 billion by 2022, representing a CAGR of 25.2% from 2016. In addition, internet video platforms in China generate an increasing amount of revenues from adapting popular entertainment content into a variety of derivative works, such as animation, video games, and offline merchandizing. As China’s entertainment industry matures, emerging monetization models will provide internet video platforms in China with tremendous growth potential.



 

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Our Competitive Strengths

We believe our success to date is primarily attributable to the following key competitive strengths:

 

    we have a massive and highly engaged user base;

 

    we produce highly popular, trend-setting original content;

 

    we offer premium third-party content and a vast and diversified content library;

 

    we cultivate a vibrant partner-generated-content system;

 

    we capture extensive monetization opportunities;

 

    we have developed a robust technology platform;

 

    we enjoy significant synergies with Baidu; and

 

    we have a visionary management team.

Our Strategies

We intend to pursue the following strategies to further grow our business:

 

    enrich and expand our blockbuster content;

 

    broaden our content offerings to stay abreast of evolving user preferences;

 

    expand our user base and strengthen our content distribution capability;

 

    bolster our monetization channels; and

 

    continue our technological innovations.

Our Challenges

We face risks and uncertainties in realizing our business objectives and executing our strategies, including those relating to:

 

    net losses incurred since our inception and possible continued losses in the future;

 

    anticipating user preferences and providing high-quality content, especially popular original content in a cost-effective manner;

 

    procuring content from content providers upon terms acceptable to us;

 

    retaining members and attracting new members;

 

    retaining existing and attracting new advertising customers;

 

    obtaining sufficient capital to fund our operations, content acquisitions and technology investments;

 

    increase in market price of professionally-produced content;

 

    maintaining and enhancing our brand;

 

    the continued and collaborative efforts of our senior management and key employees; and

 

    our limited operating history.


 

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Corporate History and Structure

We launched qiyi.com under the QIYI brand in April 2010 as an internet video streaming service in China. Our holding company, Ding Xin, Inc., was incorporated in November 2009 in the Cayman Islands. Ding Xin, Inc. was subsequently renamed Qiyi.com, Inc. in August 2010 and later iQIYI, Inc. in November 2017. QIYI was rebranded as iQIYI in November 2011.

In March 2010, we established a wholly-owned PRC subsidiary, Beijing QIYI Century Science & Technology Co., Ltd., or Beijing QIYI Century. In November 2011, we obtained control over Beijing Xinlian Xinde Advertisement Media Co., Ltd. and in May 2012 we renamed it Beijing iQIYI Science & Technology Co., Ltd., or Beijing iQIYI, to operate our internet video streaming services. In December 2012, Shanghai iQIYI Culture Media Co., Ltd., or Shanghai iQIYI, was established as our exclusive advertising agent. In May 2013, we acquired the online video business of PPS. We primarily provide live broadcasting service through Shanghai Zhong Yuan Network Co., Ltd., or Shanghai Zhong Yuan, the operating entity of PPS. We have control over and are the primary beneficiary of Beijing iQIYI, Shanghai iQIYI and Shanghai Zhong Yuan through a series of contractual arrangements. Beijing iQIYI and Shanghai Zhong Yuan hold our ICP licenses and other licenses and permits necessary for our business operation.

In May 2017, we established a wholly-owned Cayman Islands subsidiary, IQIYI Film Group Limited. Subsequently, we established IQIYI Film Group HK Limited in June 2017, and Beijing iQIYI New Media Science and Technology Co., Ltd., or iQIYI New Media, in July 2017. IQIYI Film Group Limited holds 100% of the equity of IQIYI Film Group HK Limited, which in turn holds 100% of equity in iQIYI New Media. iQIYI Pictures (Beijing) Co., Ltd., or iQIYI Pictures, was established in December 2014, and Beijing iQIYI Cinema Management Co., Ltd., or Beijing iQIYI Cinema, was established in June 2017. We have control over and are the primary beneficiary of iQIYI Pictures and Beijing iQIYI Cinema through a series of contractual arrangements.

Between March 2010 and September 2014, Baidu made substantial investments in our company, and we issued ordinary shares and several series of preferred shares to Baidu Holdings Limited, or Baidu Holdings, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Baidu. In our Series F preferred shares financing, which took place in November 2014, we issued 136,749,954 Series F preferred shares to Baidu Holdings, 341,874,885 Series F preferred shares to Xiaomi Ventures Limited, or Xiaomi Ventures, and 68,374,978 Series F preferred shares to Prominent TMT Limited, an affiliate of Xiaomi Ventures. In January 2017, we raised $1.53 billion from the issuance of convertible notes to a group of investors. These notes were converted into Series G preferred shares in October 2017, including 215,484,776 Series G-1 preferred shares issued to Baidu Holdings and another investor, as well as 798,951,243 Series G-2 preferred shares issued to other investors.



 

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The following diagram illustrates our corporate structure, including our significant subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities, as of the date of this prospectus:

 

LOGO

 

Notes:

(1) The shareholders of Beijing iQIYI Cinema are Dr. Yu Gong, our founder, director and chief executive officer, and Mr. Xianghua Yang, our senior vice president, each holding 50% of equity interest.
(2) The shareholders of iQIYI Pictures are Dr. Yu Gong and Mr. Ning Ya, senior vice president of the company and president of iQIYI Pictures, each holding 50% of equity interest.
(3) The shareholders of Shanghai iQIYI are Dr. Yu Gong and Mr. Xiaohua Geng, our senior vice president, each holding 50% of equity interest.
(4) The shareholder of Beijing iQIYI is Mr. Xiaohua Geng, holding 100% of equity interest.
(5) The shareholder of Shanghai Zhong Yuan is Dr. Yu Gong, holding 100% of equity interest.

Corporate Information

Our principal executive offices are located at 9/F, iQIYI Innovation Building, No. 2 Haidian North First Street, Haidian District, Beijing, 100080, People’s Republic of China. Our telephone number at this address is



 

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+86 10 6267 7171. Our registered office in the Cayman Islands is located at the offices of Intertrust Corporate Services (Cayman) Limited, 190 Elgin Avenue, George Town, Grand Cayman KY1-9005, Cayman Islands. Our agent for service of process in the United States is Law Debenture Corporate Services Inc., located at 801 2nd Avenue, Suite 403, New York, New York 10017.

Investors should contact us for any inquiries through the address and telephone number of our principal executive offices. Our website is www.iqiyi.com. The information contained on our website is not a part of this prospectus.

Conventions Which Apply to this Prospectus

Unless we indicate otherwise, all information in this prospectus reflects no exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase up to              additional ADSs representing              Class A ordinary shares from us.

Except where the context otherwise requires and for purposes of this prospectus only:

 

    “ACGN” refers to anime, comic, games and light novels;

 

    “ADSs” refers to our American depositary shares, each of which represents              Class A ordinary shares;

 

    “AI” refers to artificial intelligence;

 

    “Baidu” refers to Baidu, Inc., our parent company and controlling shareholder;

 

    “China” or “PRC” refers to the People’s Republic of China, excluding, for the purpose of this prospectus only, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau;

 

    “IP” refers to intellectual property;

 

    “IT” refers to information technology;

 

    “mobile DAUs,” for our iQIYI platform, refers to the number of unique mobile devices that have accessed our platform through our iQIYI mobile app at least once during a day. Our mobile DAUs are calculated using internal company data that has not been independently verified, and we treat each distinguishable device as a separate user for purposes of calculating mobile DAUs, although it is possible that some people may use more than one mobile device and multiple people may share one mobile device to access our platform;

 

    “mobile DAUs,” for those quoted from the iResearch Report, refers to the number of unique mobile devices that have accessed relevant internet platforms via mobile apps at least once during a day;

 

    “mobile DAUs,” with respect to iQIYI Paopao, refers to the number of unique mobile devices that have accessed iQIYI Paopao functions through our iQIYI mobile app at least once during a day. The numbers of our iQIYI Paopao DAUs are calculated using internal company data that has not been independently verified, and we treat each distinguishable device as a separate user for purposes of calculating iQIYI Paopao mobile DAUs, although it is possible that some people may use more than one mobile device and multiple people may share one mobile device to access iQIYI Paopao;

 

    “mobile MAUs,” for our iQIYI platform, refers to the number of unique mobile devices that have accessed our platform through our iQIYI mobile app at least once during a calendar month. Our mobile MAUs are calculated using internal company data that has not been independently verified, and we treat each distinguishable device as a separate user for purposes of calculating mobile MAUs, although it is possible that some people may use more than one mobile device and multiple people may share one mobile device to access our platform;


 

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    “offline entertainment industry,” for those quoted from the iResearch Report, refers to recreational services (including scenic spots tourism, recreational services such as playground, internet cafes, dance club and other indoor entertainment, and photography and printing services, etc.), film, television broadcasting, offline performance, offline music and IP operations markets;

 

    “online entertainment industry,” for those quoted from the iResearch Report, refers to internet video, live broadcasting, short-form video, online literature, digital music, and recreational internet anime and comic markets;

 

    “PC DAUs,” for our iQIYI platform, refers to the sum of (i) the number of unique PC devices that have accessed our platform through our PC client terminal, and (ii) the number of PC devices that have accessed our platform through our website, in each case at least once during a day. For (ii), we calculate the number of PC devices that have accessed our platform through our website using unique cookies (a commonly used tracking code) recorded by internet browsers. Our PC DAUs are calculated using internal company data that has not been independently verified. For PC client terminal access, we treat each distinguishable PC device as a separate user for purposes of calculating PC DAUs, although it is possible that some people may use more than one PC and multiple people may share one PC to access our platform. For website access, we treat each distinguishable cookie as a separate user for purposes of calculating PC DAUs, although it is possible that some people may use more than one cookie and multiple people may share one cookie to access our platform. Each access to our iQIYI platform through either of our PC client terminal or our website (with one unique cookie) during the course of a day is counted as one PC DAU under this methodology;

 

    “PC DAUs,” for those quoted from the iResearch Report, refers to the number of unique PC devices that have accessed relevant internet platforms via websites or PC client terminals at least once during a day. If a given PC device accesses the same platform through both its PC website and PC client terminal in a day, such device will be counted as one DAU;

 

    “PC MAUs,” for our iQIYI platform, refers to the sum of (i) the number of unique PC devices that have accessed our platform through our PC client terminal, and (ii) the number of PC devices that have accessed our platform through our website, in each case at least once during a calendar month. For (ii), we calculate the number of PC devices that have accessed our platform through our website using unique cookies (a commonly used tracking code) recorded by internet browsers. Our PC MAUs are calculated using internal company data that has not been independently verified. For PC client terminal access, we treat each distinguishable PC device as a separate user for purposes of calculating PC MAUs, although it is possible that some people may use more than one PC and multiple people may share one PC to access our platform. For website access, we treat each distinguishable cookie as a separate user for purposes of calculating PC MAUs, although it is possible that some people may use more than one cookie and multiple people may share one cookie to access our platform. Each access to our iQIYI platform through either of our PC client terminal or our website (with one unique cookie) during the course of a calendar month is counted as one PC MAU under this methodology;

 

    “RMB” and “Renminbi” refer to the legal currency of China;

 

    “shares” or “ordinary shares” prior to this offering refers to our Class A and Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.00001 per share;

 

    “subscribing members,” refers to the individuals who purchased our monthly, quarterly or annual membership packages, including individuals with trial membership, and excluding individuals who pay for video on-demand services;

 

   

“total MAUs,” for those quoted from iResearch or the iResearch Report, refers to the sum of the number of mobile devices that have accessed relevant internet platforms via mobile apps and the number of PC devices that have accessed relevant internet platforms via websites or PC client



 

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terminals, in each case at least once during a calendar month. If a given PC device accesses the same platform through both its PC website and PC client terminal in a calendar month, such device will be counted as one MAU;

 

    “total user time spent,” for our iQIYI platform, refers to the cumulative amount of time our video content is played through PC, mobile and smart TV devices during a given period of time;

 

    “total user time spent,” for those quoted from iResearch or the iResearch Report, refers to the cumulative amount of time users spent on relevant internet platform’s websites, PC client terminals, and mobile apps during a given period of time;

 

    “US$,” “U.S. dollars,” “$,” and “dollars” refer to the legal currency of the United States;

 

    “video views” refers to the number of times a video is launched on our platform, regardless of time spent viewing the video;

 

    “WAP” refers to wireless application protocol; and

 

    “we,” “us,” “our company” and “our” refer to iQIYI, Inc., a Cayman Islands company, and its subsidiaries, and, in the context of describing our operations and combined and consolidated financial information, also include its consolidated affiliated entities in the PRC.

This prospectus contains information and statistics relating to China’s economy and the industries in which we operate derived from various publications issued by market research companies and PRC governmental entities, which have not been independently verified by us, the underwriters or any of their respective affiliates or advisers. The information in such sources may not be consistent with our internal operating data and other information compiled in or outside of China.



 

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THE OFFERING

 

Offering price

We currently estimate that the initial public offering price will be between $             and $             per ADS.

 

ADSs offered by us

             ADSs (or              ADSs if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full).

 

ADSs to Class A ordinary share ratio

Each ADS represents the right to receive              Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.00001 per share.

 

ADSs outstanding immediately after this offering

             ADSs (or              ADSs if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs representing Class A ordinary shares in full)

 

Ordinary shares outstanding immediately after this offering

             Class A ordinary shares (or              Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs representing Class A ordinary shares in full) and              Class B ordinary shares

 

The ADSs

Each ADS represents              Class A ordinary shares. The depositary will hold the Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs and you will have rights as provided in the deposit agreement.

 

  You may turn in your ADSs to the depositary in exchange for Class A ordinary shares. The depositary will charge you fees for any exchange.

 

  We may amend or terminate the deposit agreement without your consent. If you continue to hold your ADSs, you agree to be bound by the deposit agreement as amended.

 

  To better understand the terms of the ADSs, you should carefully read the “Description of American Depositary Shares” section of this prospectus. You should also read the deposit agreement, which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement that includes this prospectus.

 

Option to purchase additional ADSs

We have granted to the underwriters an option, exercisable within 30 days from the date of this prospectus, to purchase up to an additional              ADSs.

 

Reserved ADSs

At our request, the underwriters have reserved up to             % of the ADSs being offered by this prospectus for sale at the initial public offering price to our directors, officers, employees and other individuals associated with us and members of their families. The sales will be made by UBS Financial Services Inc., a selected dealer affiliated with UBS Securities LLC, an underwriter of this offering, through a directed share program. Any ADSs sold in the directed share program to our directors, executive officers, shareholders or certain holders of equity awards shall be subject to the lock-up agreements described elsewhere in this prospectus.


 

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Use of proceeds

We expect that we will receive net proceeds of approximately $             million from this offering, or approximately $             million if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs from us in full, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

 

  We plan to use 50% of the net proceeds we receive from this offering to expand and enhance our content offerings, 10% to strengthen our technologies, and the balance for working capital and other general corporate purposes. See “Use of Proceeds” for more information.

 

Nasdaq symbol

IQ

 

Depositary

JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.

 

Lock-up

[We, our directors and executive officers, our existing shareholders and certain holders of our share-based awards] have agreed with the underwriters not to sell, transfer or dispose of any ADSs, ordinary shares or similar securities for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus, subject to certain exceptions. See “Shares Eligible for Future Sale” and “Underwriting.”

 

Risk factors

See “Risk Factors” and other information included in this prospectus for a discussion of risks you should carefully consider before investing in the ADSs.

The number of ordinary shares that will be outstanding immediately after this offering:

 

    assumes (i) re-designation or conversion of all outstanding ordinary shares and preferred shares (other than ordinary and preferred shares held by Baidu or its affiliates) into              Class A ordinary shares and (ii) re-designation or conversion of all outstanding ordinary shares and preferred shares held by Baidu or its affiliates into              Class B ordinary shares, in each case immediately upon the completion of this offering;

 

    assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional ADSs representing Class A ordinary shares;

 

    excludes              Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of options outstanding as of the date of this prospectus, at a weighted average exercise price of $             per share; and

 

    excludes              Class A ordinary shares reserved for future issuances under our equity incentive plans.


 

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SUMMARY CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL AND OPERATING DATA

The following summary consolidated statements of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017 and summary consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2016 and 2017 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. Our consolidated financial statements are prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. You should read this Summary Consolidated Financial and Operating Data section together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included elsewhere in this prospectus. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of results expected for future periods.

 

    For the Year Ended December 31,  
    2015     2016     2017     2017  
    RMB     RMB     RMB     US$  
    (in thousands, except for share and per share data)  

Summary Consolidated Statements of Operations Data:

       

Total revenues

    5,318,584       11,237,407       17,378,350       2,671,003  

Operating costs and expenses:

       

Cost of revenues(1)

    (6,041,764     (11,436,595     (17,386,563     (2,672,266

Selling, general and administrative(1)

    (1,204,464     (1,765,824     (2,674,990     (411,138

Research and development(1)

    (499,957     (824,482     (1,269,806     (195,166
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total operating costs and expenses

    (7,746,185     (14,026,901     (21,331,359     (3,278,570
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating loss

    (2,427,601     (2,789,494     (3,953,009     (607,567

Total other (expenses)/income, net

    (136,345     (271,440     208,512       32,047  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss before income tax

    (2,563,946     (3,060,934     (3,744,497     (575,520

Income tax (expense)/benefit

    (11,166     (13,088     7,565       1,163  

Net loss

    (2,575,112 )      (3,074,022 )      (3,736,932 )      (574,357 ) 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Accretion of redeemable convertible preferred shares

    (2,342,385     (4,874,739     5,073,140       779,727  

Extinguishment and reissuance of Series B preferred shares

    —         —         (363,279     (55,835
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net (loss)/income attributable to ordinary shareholders

    (4,917,497 )      (7,948,761 )      972,929       149,535  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net (loss)/earnings per share:

       

Basic

    (14.36     (23.20     0.30       0.05  

Diluted

    (14.36     (23.20     (1.15     (0.18

Shares used in net (loss)/earnings per share computation:

       

Basic

    342,548,237       342,548,237       342,548,237       342,548,237  

Diluted

    342,548,237       342,548,237       3,243,147,261       3,243,147,261  

Pro forma net loss per share attributable to Class A and Class B ordinary shareholders (unaudited)(2):

       

Basic

        (0.89     (0.14

Diluted

        (0.89     (0.14

Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares used in pro forma net loss per share computation (unaudited)(2):

       

Basic

        4,071,371,737       4,071,371,737  

Diluted

        4,071,371,737       4,071,371,737  


 

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Notes:

(1) Share-based compensation expense was allocated as follows:

 

     For the Year Ended December 31,  
     2015      2016      2017  
     RMB      RMB      RMB      US$  
     (in thousands)  

Cost of revenues

     5,837        9,479        34,895        5,363  

Selling, general and administrative

     21,330        30,447        130,994        20,133  

Research and development

     17,027        22,466        67,535        10,380  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     44,194        62,392        233,424        35,876  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(2) The unaudited pro forma loss per Class A and Class B ordinary share is computed using the weighted average number of Class A and Class B ordinary shares outstanding as of December 31, 2017, and assumes the automatic conversion of all of the Company’s convertible redeemable preferred shares into ordinary shares and re-designation to Class A and Class B ordinary shares upon the closing of the Company’s IPO, as if it had occurred on January 1, 2017.

The following table presents our summary consolidated balance sheet data for the years indicated.

 

     As of December 31,  
     2016     2017     2017  
     RMB     RMB     US$  
     (in thousands)  

Summary Consolidated Balance Sheet Data:

      

Cash and cash equivalents

     964,207       733,010       112,662  

Short-term investments

     902,978       779,916       119,871  

Total current assets

     5,154,305       5,700,528       876,156  

Total assets

     13,631,636       20,200,899       3,104,822  

Total current liabilities

     11,889,853       11,625,612       1,786,824  

Total liabilities

     11,897,142       11,918,299       1,831,810  

Total mezzanine equity

     17,039,167       22,601,664       3,473,812  

Total shareholders’ deficit

     (15,304,673     (14,319,064     (2,200,800

The following table presents our summary cash flows for the years indicated.

 

     For the Year Ended December 31,  
     2015     2016     2017  
     RMB     RMB     RMB     US$  
     (in thousands)  

Summary Consolidated Cash Flow Data:

        

Net cash provided by operating activities

     1,070,770       2,612,121       4,011,784       616,594  

Net cash used for investing activities

     (3,133,375     (6,663,100     (10,660,674     (1,638,515

Net cash (used in)/provided by financing activities

     (131,708     3,411,766       6,561,110       1,008,424  

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

     71,951       14,681       (143,417)       (22,037)  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents

     (2,122,362     (624,532     (231,197)       (35,534)  

Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year

     3,711,101       1,588,739       964,207       148,196  

Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year

     1,588,739       964,207       733,010       112,662  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 


 

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The following tables present our summary key operating data as of the dates and for the periods indicated:

 

    For the Quarter Ended December 31,  
              2015                          2016                          2017            
    (in millions)  

Summary Key Operating Data:

       

Average mobile DAUs

    88.3        125.4        126.0  

Average mobile MAUs

    365.5        405.4        421.3  

 

    As of December 31,  
              2015                          2016                        2017            
   

(in millions)

 

Subscribing members

    10.7        30.2        50.8  

 

    For the Year Ended December 31,  
              2015                          2016                             2017                
    (in millions of hours)  

Daily average total user time spent

    169.9        259.1        300.1  


 

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RISK FACTORS

An investment in our ADSs involves significant risks. You should carefully consider all of the information in this prospectus, including the risks and uncertainties described below, before making an investment in our ADSs. Any of the following risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In any such case, the market price of our ADSs could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

We have incurred net losses since our inception and may continue to incur losses in the future.

We incurred net losses since our inception, including net losses in the amount of RMB2.6 billion, RMB3.1 billion, and RMB3.7 billion (US$574.4 million) in 2015, 2016, and 2017, respectively, primarily due to significant content and bandwidth costs. Our ability to achieve profitability is affected by various factors, many of which are beyond our control. For example, our revenues depend on the increased number of subscribing members and advertising customers’ allocation of more budget to internet video streaming platforms. In addition, our users’ willingness to pay and subscribe to our content depends on the quality and breadth of our content offerings and availability of alternative entertainment content offerings. The production and procurement of content, as well as bandwidth, have historically accounted for the majority of our cost of revenues. We expect our costs to increase on an absolute basis as traffic to our platform grows, users of our platform increase, the resolution of our videos increases and as we produce and acquire more content to enrich user experience. Producing high-quality, popular original content is costly and time-consuming and it will typically take a long period of time to realize returns on investment, if at all. The market prices for professionally-produced content, especially popular TV series and movies, have increased significantly in China during the past few years and may continue to increase in the foreseeable future. If we cannot successfully offset our increased costs with a significant increase in total revenues, our financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. We may continue to incur net losses in the future due to our continued investments in content and technology. We may also continue to incur net losses in the future due to changes in the macroeconomic and regulatory environment, competitive dynamics and our inability to respond to these changes in a timely and effective manner.

If we fail to anticipate user preferences and provide high-quality content, especially popular original content, in a cost-effective manner, we may not be able to attract and retain users to remain competitive.

Our success depends on our ability to maintain and grow user time spent on our platform. To attract and retain users and compete against our competitors, we must continue to offer high-quality content, especially popular original content, in a cost effective manner, which provides our users with a superior online entertainment experience. To this end, we must continue to produce new original content and source new professionally or partner-produced content in a cost effective manner. Given that we operate in a rapidly evolving industry, we need to anticipate user preferences and industry changes and respond to such changes in a timely and effective manner. If we fail to cater to the needs and preferences of our users, control our costs in doing so or fail to deliver superior user experience, we may suffer from reduced user traffic, and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. Various phases of our original content production are outsourced to our content production partners. If they fail to generate quality content satisfactory to our demands or provide services upon terms commercially acceptable to us, we may be unable to provide high-quality original content offerings to our users.

We rely on our in-house team to generate creative ideas for original content and to supervise the original content origination and production process, and we intend to continue to invest resources in content production. We face fierce competition for qualified personnel in a limited pool of high-quality creative talent. Our competitors include well-capitalized companies that are capable of offering compensation packages more

 

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attractive to talents. If we are not able to compete effectively for talents or attract and retain top talents at reasonable costs, our original content production capabilities would be negatively impacted. Any deterioration in our in-house content production capability, inability to attract creative talents at reasonable costs or losses in personnel may materially and adversely affect our business and operating results. If we are unable to offer popular original content that meets user tastes and preferences in a cost effective manner, our user experience may be adversely affected, we may suffer from reduced user traffic and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

If we fail to procure content from content providers upon terms acceptable to us, our business may be materially and adversely affected.

Our ability to provide our users with high-quality, popular content depends in part on our ability to procure content from studios and other content providers. We typically enter into license agreements with third-party content providers. The license periods and the terms and conditions of such licenses vary. If content providers and other rights holders are no longer willing or able to license content to us upon terms acceptable to us, our ability to offer content to our users will be adversely affected and/or our cost could further increase. As competition intensifies, we may see the cost of licensed content increase. As we seek to differentiate our service, we are increasingly focused on securing rights other than merely distribution and online streaming rights. We also acquire other forms of copyright such as rights to adapt the original content into online games, films, drama series, animation and other entertainment formats. We focus on offering an overall mix of content that appeals to our users in a cost efficient manner. If we do not maintain a compelling mix of content, our user acquisition and retention may be adversely affected.

If our efforts to retain members and attract new members are not successful, our business and results of operations will be materially and adversely affected.

We have experienced significant membership growth over the past several years. Our ability to continue to retain members and attract new members will depend in part on our ability to consistently provide our members with compelling content choices, as well as a quality experience for selecting and viewing video content. Furthermore, the relative service levels, content offerings, pricing and related features of competitors may adversely impact our ability to attract and retain members. If we introduce new or adjust existing features, adjust pricing or service offerings, or change the mix of content in a manner that is not favorably received by our members, we may not be able to attract and retain members. Many of our members originate from organic growth. If our efforts to satisfy our existing members are not successful, we may not be able to attract new members, and as a result, our ability to maintain and/or grow our membership revenues will be adversely affected. Members may cancel or decide not to renew our service for many reasons, including a perception that they do not use the service sufficiently, payment inconveniences, the need to cut household expenses, availability of content is unsatisfactory, competitive services provide a better value or experience and customer service issues are not satisfactorily resolved. We must retain existing members and continually attract new members to increase our membership base. If we are unable to successfully compete with current and new competitors in both retaining our existing members and attracting new members, our business will be adversely affected. Further, if excessive number of members cancel or opt not to renew our service, we may be required to incur significantly higher marketing expenditures to attract new members than we currently anticipate.

If we fail to retain existing or attract new advertising customers to advertise on our platform, maintain and increase our wallet share of advertising budget or if we are unable to collect accounts receivable in a timely manner, our financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

To date, we have generated a majority of our revenues from online advertising. Although online advertising revenue as a percentage of our total revenues has decreased recently, online advertising remains our largest source of revenue. We cannot assure you that we will be able to retain our advertising customers in the future, attract new advertising customers continuously or be able to retain our advertising customers at all. If our

 

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advertising customers find that they can generate better returns elsewhere, or if our competitors provide better online advertising services to suit our advertising customers’ goals, we may lose our advertising customers. In addition, third parties may develop and use certain technologies to block the display, and our members are able to skip the viewing, of our advertising customers’ advertisements on our platform, which may in turn cause us to lose advertising customers and adversely affect our results of operations. If our advertising customers determine that their expenditures on internet video streaming platforms do not generate expected returns, they may allocate a portion or all of their advertising budgets to other advertising channels such as television, newspapers and magazines or other internet channels such as e-commerce and social media platforms, and reduce or discontinue business with us. Since most of our advertising customers are not bound by long-term contracts, they may lessen or discontinue advertising arrangements with us easily without incurring material liabilities. Failure to retain existing advertising customers or attract new advertising customers to advertise on our platform may materially and adversely affect our financial conditions and results of operations.

Our brand advertising customers typically enter into online advertising agreements with us through various third-party advertising agencies. In China’s advertising industry, advertising agencies typically have good relationships and maintain longer periods of cooperation with the brand advertising customers they represent. In addition to entering into advertising contracts directly with advertising customers, we also enter into advertising contracts with third-party advertising agencies, which represent advertising customers, even if we have direct contact with such advertisers. As a result, we rely on third-party advertising agencies for sales to, and collection of payment from, our brand advertisers. In consideration for the third-party advertising agencies’ services, we offer them rebates based on the volume of business they bring to us. The financial soundness of our advertising customers and advertising agencies may affect our collection of accounts receivable. We make a credit assessment of our advertising customers and advertising agencies to evaluate the collectability of the advertising service fees before entering into an advertising contract. However, we cannot assure you that we are or will be able to accurately assess the creditworthiness of each advertising customer or advertising agency, and any inability of advertising customers or advertising agencies to pay us in a timely manner may adversely affect our liquidity and cash flows. In addition, there has been some consolidation among China’s advertising agencies. If this trend continues, a small number of large advertising agencies may be in a position to demand higher rebate for advertising agency services, which could reduce our online advertising revenue.

In addition, we do not have long-term cooperation agreements or exclusive arrangements with third-party advertising agencies and they may elect to direct business opportunities to other advertising service providers, including our competitors. If we fail to retain and enhance the business relationships with third-party advertising agencies, we may suffer from a loss of advertising customers and our financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

We operate in a capital intensive industry and require a significant amount of cash to fund our operations, content acquisitions and technology investments. If we cannot obtain sufficient capital, our business, financial condition and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

The operation of an internet video streaming platform requires significant and continuous investment in content and technology. Producing high-quality original content is costly and time-consuming and it will typically take a long period of time to realize returns on investment, if at all. To date, we have financed our operations primarily with net cash generated from operating activities, as well as through private placements of preferred shares and convertible notes to investors, including the issuance of US$400 million Series F preferred shares in 2014 and the issuance of US$1.53 billion convertible notes in 2017, and the substantial financial support from Baidu. As of December 31, 2017, we had an outstanding loan balance of RMB50.0 million (US$7.7 million) to Baidu. In order to implement our growth strategies, we will incur additional capital in the future to cover, among others, costs to produce and license content. We may need to obtain additional financing, including equity offerings or debt financing, to fund the operation and expansion of business. Our ability to obtain additional financing in the future, however, is subject to a number of uncertainties, including those relating to:

 

    our future business development, financial condition and results of operations;

 

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    general market conditions for financing activities by companies in our industry;

 

    macro-economic and other conditions in China and elsewhere; and

 

    our relationship with Baidu.

As our business continues to grow and after we become a public company, we expect to rely less on financing support from Baidu and increasingly rely on net cash provided by operating activities, financing through capital markets and commercial banks for our liquidity needs. However, we cannot assure you that we will be successful in our efforts to further diversify our sources of liquidity and obtain financing beyond the financing support from Baidu. If we cannot obtain sufficient capital to meet our capital needs, we may not be able to execute our growth strategies and our business, financial condition and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

The success of our business depends on our ability to maintain and enhance our brand.

We believe that maintaining and enhancing our iQIYI ( LOGO ) brand is of significant importance to the success of our business. Our well-recognized brand is critical to increasing our user base and, in turn, expanding our membership base and attractiveness to advertising customers and content providers. Since the internet video industry is highly competitive, maintaining and enhancing our brand depends largely on our ability to remain the market leader in China, which may be difficult and expensive. To the extent our content, in particular, our original content, is perceived as low quality or otherwise not appealing to users, our ability to maintain and enhance our brand may be adversely impacted.

We may be the subject of detrimental conduct by third parties, including complaints to regulatory agencies and the public dissemination of malicious assessments of our business, which could have a negative impact on our reputation and cause us to lose market share, users, advertisers and revenues, and adversely affect the price of our ADSs.

We have been, and in the future may be, the target of anti-competitive, harassing or other detrimental conduct by third parties. Such conduct may include complaints, anonymous or otherwise, to regulatory agencies regarding our operations, accounting, revenues, business relationships, business prospects and business ethics. Additionally, allegations and other negative publicity, directly or indirectly against us, may be posted online or otherwise generally disseminated by anyone, whether or not related to us. We may be subject to regulatory investigations, lawsuits or public perception backlash as a result of such third-party conduct and may be required to expend significant time and incur substantial costs to address such third-party conduct, and there is no assurance that we will be able to conclusively refute each of the allegations within a reasonable period of time, or at all. Our reputation may also be negatively affected as a result of the public dissemination of anonymous allegations or malicious statements about our business, which in turn may cause us to lose market share, users, advertisers and revenues, and adversely affect the price of our ADSs.

Increases in market price of professionally-produced content may have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Professionally-produced content constitutes a significant part of our content offerings. The market prices for professionally-produced content, especially TV series and movies, have increased significantly in China during the past few years. Due to the improving monetization prospects, internet video streaming platforms are generating more revenues and are competing aggressively to license popular content titles, which have in turn led to increases in licensing fees of professionally-produced content in general. As the market further grows, the expectations of copyright owners, distributors and industry participants may continue to rise, and as such they may demand higher licensing fees for professionally-produced content. Furthermore, with the expansion of our content library, we expect the costs for professionally-produced content to continue to increase. If we are unable

 

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to generate sufficient revenues to outpace the increase in market prices for professionally-produced content, we may incur more losses and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

We operate in a highly competitive market and we may not be able to compete effectively.

We face significant competition in China, primarily from Tencent Video and Youku Tudou. We compete for users, usage time and advertising customers. Some of our competitors have a longer operating history and significantly greater financial resources than we do, and, in turn, may be able to attract and retain more users, usage time and advertising customers. Our competitors may compete with us in a variety of ways, including by obtaining IP rights to popular content, conducting brand promotions and other marketing activities, and making investments in and acquisitions of our business partners. In addition, certain internet video platforms may continue to derive their revenues from providing content that infringes third-party copyright and may not monitor their platforms for any such infringing content. As a result, we may be placed at a disadvantage to some of these companies that do not incur similar costs as we do with respect to content production, acquisition and monitoring. If any of our competitors achieves greater market acceptance than we do or is able to offer more attractive internet video content, our user traffic and our market share may decrease, which may result in a loss of advertising customers and members, as well as have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We face competition from traditional media such as major TV stations, which are increasing their internet video offerings. Most large companies in China allocate, and will likely continue to allocate, a significant portion of their advertising budgets to traditional media, particularly major TV stations. We also face competition for users and user time from other internet media and entertainment services.

The continued and collaborative efforts of our senior management and key employees are crucial to our success, and our business may be harmed if we lose their services.

Our success depends on the continued and collaborative efforts of our senior management, especially our executive officers, including our founder, Dr. Yu Gong. If, however, one or more of our executives or other key personnel are unable or unwilling to continue to provide services to us, we may not be able to find suitable replacements easily or at all. Competition for management and key personnel is intense and the pool of qualified candidates is limited. We may not be able to retain the services of our executives or key personnel, or attract and retain experienced executives or key personnel in the future. If any of our executive officers or key employees joins a competitor or forms a competing business, we may lose crucial business secrets, technological know-how, advertisers and other valuable resources. Each of our executive officers and key employees has entered into an employment agreement with us, which contains non-compete provisions. However, we cannot assure you that they will abide by the employment agreements or our efforts to enforce these agreements will be effective enough to protect our interests.

Our limited operating history makes it difficult to evaluate our business and prospects.

We launched our platform and internet video streaming services in 2010 and have grown rapidly since then. We expect to continue to grow our user and customer bases and explore new market opportunities. However, due to our limited operating history, our historical growth rate may not be indicative of our future performance. We cannot assure you that our growth rate will be the same as in the past. Furthermore, as a technology-based entertainment company, we frequently introduce innovative products and services to our users and advertising customers in order to capture new market opportunities. However, we cannot assure you that our products and services will be well received by our users and advertising customers. In addition, it is possible that our users and advertising customers may find our products and services objectionable. For example, there was media reporting in 2017 that the beta-testing version of our Vivi virtual assistant service was deemed by some of our users as offensive. We immediately suspended such service pending further modifications. If our existing or new products and services are not well received by our users and customers, we may suffer damages to our brand image and

 

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may not be able to maintain or expand our user and customer base, which in turn may have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. You should consider our prospects in light of the risks and uncertainties fast-growing companies with limited operating histories in a fast evolving industry may encounter.

We may not be able to manage our growth effectively.

We have experienced rapid growth since we launched our services in 2010. To manage the further expansion of our business and the growth of our operations and personnel, we need to continuously expand and enhance our infrastructure and technology, and improve our operational and financial systems, procedures, compliance and controls. We also need to expand, train and manage our growing employee base. In addition, our management will be required to maintain and expand our relationships with content providers, distributors, advertising customers, advertising agencies and other third parties. We cannot assure you that our current infrastructure, systems, procedures and controls will be adequate to support our expanding operations. If we fail to manage our expansion effectively, our business, results of operations and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

We cannot guarantee our monetization strategies will be successfully implemented or generate sustainable revenues and profit.

Our monetization model is evolving. We currently generate a substantial majority of our revenues from membership services and online advertising. We plan to strengthen revenue contribution from our IP-related monetization methods, such as content distribution, live broadcasting, online games, and IP licensing. We have no proven track record or experience in generating substantial revenues from IP-related monetization methods. If our strategic initiatives do not enhance our monetization ability or enable us to develop new approaches to monetization, we may not be able to maintain or increase our revenues or recover any associated costs. In addition, we may in the future introduce new services to further diversify our revenue streams, including services with which we have little or no prior development or operating experience. If these new or enhanced services fail to engage users, customers or content partners, we may fail to attract or retain users or to generate sufficient revenues to justify our investments, and our business and operating results may suffer as a result.

We have significant working capital requirements and have historically experienced working capital deficits. If we continue to experience such working capital deficits in the future, our business, liquidity, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

As a result of changes in our funding position and operating assets and liabilities, we had a working capital deficit of RMB6,735.5 million and RMB5,925.1 million (US$910.7 million) as of December 31, 2016 and 2017, respectively. There is no assurance that we will generate the sufficient net income or operating cash flows to meet our working capital requirements and repay our liabilities as they become due in the future due to a variety of factors. For actions that we plan to take in order to address our working capital deficit, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources.” There can be no assurance, however, that we will be able to successfully take any of these actions in a timely manner, including prudently managing our working capital, or raising additional equity or debt financing on terms that are acceptable to us. Our inability to take these actions as and when necessary could materially adversely affect our liquidity, results of operations, financial condition and ability to operate.

Our business, prospects and financial results may be impacted by our relationship with third-party platforms.

In addition to our iQIYI platform, we also distribute video content through third-party platforms. We generate membership service and online advertising service revenues through revenue-sharing arrangements with such third-party platforms, which include leading Internet companies in China. However, there can be no assurance that our arrangements with those platforms will be extended or renewed after their respective

 

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expiration or that we will be able to extend or renew such arrangements on terms and conditions favorable to us. In addition, if any of such third-party platforms breaches its obligations under any of the agreements entered into with us or refuses to extend or renew it when the term expires, and we cannot find suitable replacement on a timely basis, or at all, we may suffer significant loss to our user base and revenue streams we have developed therefrom, or loose the opportunity to expand our business through such platform. We may be involved with legal or other disputes with third-party platforms that may affect our relationship with such platforms or have an adverse effect on our business.

We face risks, such as unforeseen costs and potential liability in connection with content we produce, license and/or distribute through our platform.

As a producer, licensor and distributor of content, we face potential liability for negligence, copyright and trademark infringement, or other claims based on the content that we produce, license, provide and/or distribute. We also may face potential liability for content used in promoting our service, including marketing materials and features on our platform such as user reviews. We are responsible for the production costs and other expenses of our original content. We also take on risks associated with production, such as completion and key talent risk. To the extent we do not accurately anticipate costs or mitigate risks, including for content that we obtain but ultimately does not appear on our platform, or if we become liable for content we produce, license and/or distribute, our business may suffer. Litigation to defend these claims could be costly and the expenses and damages arising from any liability or unforeseen production risks could harm our results of operations. We may not be indemnified against claims or costs of these types and we may not have insurance coverage for these types of claims.

Videos and other content displayed on our platform may be found objectionable by PRC regulatory authorities and may subject us to penalties and other administrative actions.

We are subject to PRC regulations governing internet access and the distribution of videos and other forms of information over the internet. Under these regulations, internet content providers and internet publishers are prohibited from posting or displaying over the internet any content that, among other things, violates PRC laws and regulations, impairs the national dignity of China or the public interest, or is obscene, superstitious, frightening, gruesome, offensive, fraudulent or defamatory. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in monetary penalties, revocation of licenses to provide internet content or other licenses, suspension of the concerned platforms and reputational harm. In addition, these laws and regulations are subject to interpretation by the relevant authorities, and it may not be possible to determine in all cases the types of content that could cause us to be held liable as an internet content provider. For a detailed discussion, see “Regulation—Regulations on Internet Content Providers” and “Regulation—Regulations on Information Security, Censorship and Privacy.”

Internet platform operators may also be held liable for the content displayed on or linked to its platform that is subject to certain restrictions. In addition to professionally produced content, we allow our users to upload professional or user-generated content, such as videos and other content formats. Although we have adopted internal procedures to monitor the content displayed on our platform, due to the significant amount of content uploaded by our users, we may not be able to identify all videos or other content that may be illegal or otherwise objectionable. In addition, we may not be able to always keep these internal procedures abreast of changes in the PRC government’s requirements for content display. See “Business—Content Monitoring” for more details relating to our content monitoring procedures. Failure to identify and prevent illegal or inappropriate content from being displayed on our platform may subject us to liability, government sanctions or loss of licenses and/or permits.

To the extent that PRC regulatory authorities find any content displayed on our platform objectionable, they may require us to limit or eliminate the dissemination of such content on our platform in the form of take-down orders or otherwise. In the past, we have from time to time received phone calls and written notices from the relevant PRC regulatory authorities requesting us to delete or restrict certain content that the government deemed inappropriate or sensitive. The General Administration of Press and Publication, Radio, Film and Television, or

 

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the GAPPRFT, publishes from time to time lists of content that is objectionable, and we monitor content uploaded on to our platform and remove those referenced in the list. In addition, regulatory authorities may impose penalties on us for content displayed on or linked to our platform in cases of material violations or lacking proper license, including a revocation of our operating licenses or a suspension or shutdown of our online operations. Although we have not been materially penalized for our content so far, in the event that the PRC regulatory authorities find the video and other content on our platform objectionable and impose penalties on us or take other actions against us in the future, our business, results of operations and reputation may be materially and adversely affected. Moreover, the costs of compliance with these regulations may continue to increase as a result of more content uploaded by our users.

We operate in a rapidly evolving industry. If we fail to keep up with the technological developments and users’ changing requirements, our business, results of operations and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

The internet video streaming industry is rapidly evolving and subject to continuous technological changes. Our success will depend on our ability to keep up with the changes in technology and user behavior resulting from the technological developments. As we make our services available across a variety of mobile operating systems and devices, we are dependent on the interoperability of our services with popular mobile devices and mobile operating systems that we do not control, such as Android and iOS. Any changes in such mobile operating systems or devices that degrade the functionality of our services or give preferential treatment to competitive services could adversely affect usage of our services. Further, if the number of platforms for which we develop our services increases, which is typically seen in a dynamic and fragmented mobile services market such as China, it will result in an increase in our costs and expenses. If we fail to adapt our products and services to such changes in an effective and timely manner, we may suffer from decreased user traffic, which may result in reduced member base and number of advertising customers using our online advertising services. Furthermore, changes in technologies may require substantial capital expenditures in product development as well as in modification of products, services or infrastructure. We may not execute our business strategies successfully due to a variety of reasons such as technical hurdles, misunderstanding or erroneous prediction of market demand or lack of necessary resources. Failure to keep up with technological development may result in our products and services being less attractive, which, in turn, may materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and prospects.

We have been, and may continue to be, subject to liabilities for infringement, misappropriation or other violation of third-party intellectual property rights or other allegations based on the content available on our platform or services we provide.

Our success depends, in large part, on our ability to operate our business without infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating third-party rights, including third-party intellectual property rights. Companies in the internet, technology and media industries own, and are seeking to obtain, a large number of patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets, and they are frequently involved in litigation based on allegations of infringement, misappropriation or other violations of intellectual property rights or other related legal rights. There may be patents issued or pending that are held by others that cover significant aspects of our technologies, products, or services, and such third parties may attempt to enforce such rights against us. In addition, we may not have obtained licenses for all content we offer and the scope, type and term of the licenses we obtained for certain content may not be broad enough to cover all fashions we currently employ or may employ in the future. In addition, if any purported licensor does not actually have sufficient authorization relating to the content or right to license a content to us, we may be subject to claims of intellectual property infringement from third parties.

Although we have set up certain procedures to enable copyright owners to provide us with notice of alleged infringement, given the volume of content available on our platform, it is not possible, and we do not attempt to, identify and remove or disable all potentially infringing content that may exist. Similarly, although we have set up screening processes to try to filter out or disable access to content that we have previously been informed is

 

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subject to claims of copyright or other intellectual property protection, we do not attempt to filter out or disable access to all potentially infringing content available through our services. As a result, third parties may take action and file claims against us if they believe that certain content available on our platform violates their copyrights or other intellectual property rights. We have been, and may in the future be, subject to such claims filed in China and other jurisdictions. We have been involved in litigation based on allegations of infringement of third-party copyright, including information network dissemination rights, and other rights, due to the content available on our platform. We were subject to a total of 1,718 lawsuits in China for alleged copyright infringement between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2017, in connection with our platform. Approximately 96% of the lawsuits filed from January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2017 in connection with the iQIYI platform were rejected by relevant PRC courts, withdrawn by the plaintiffs or settled by the parties. As of December 31, 2017, a total 69 lawsuits against us in connection with our platform were pending, with the aggregate amount of damages sought under these pending cases being approximately RMB145.7 million (US$22.4 million).

Our platform allows users to search the internet for content that resides on certain third parties’ servers and online platforms. While uncertainties still exist with respect to the legal standards as well as the judicial interpretation of such standards for determining liabilities for our providing links and access to content on third-party servers and websites that infringes others’ copyrights and other intellectual property rights under PRC laws and the laws of other jurisdictions, third parties may take action and file claims against us if they believe that certain content we provide links or access to through our platform violates their copyrights or other intellectual property rights.

Although we have not been subject to claims or lawsuits with respect to copyright infringement outside of China, we cannot assure you that we will not become subject to copyright laws in other jurisdictions, such as the United States, the ability of users to access our videos and other content in the United States and other jurisdictions, the ownership of our ADSs by investors in the United States and other jurisdictions, the extraterritorial application of foreign law by foreign courts or otherwise. In addition, as a publicly listed company, we may be exposed to increased risk of litigation. If a claim of infringement brought against us in the United States or other jurisdictions is successful, we may be required to, upon enforcement, (i) pay substantial statutory or other damages and fines, (ii) remove relevant content from our platform or (iii) enter into royalty or license agreements which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all.

Moreover, although U.S. copyright laws, including the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (17 U.S.C. § 512), or the DMCA, provide safeguards or “safe harbors” from claims in the U.S. for monetary relief for copyright infringement for certain entities that host user-uploaded content or provide information location tools that may link to infringing content, these safe harbors only apply to companies that comply with specified statutory requirements. While we seek to voluntarily comply with DMCA safe harbor requirements, we cannot ensure that we satisfy all of the requirements of any DMCA safe harbor. It is possible that we could be subject to claims of copyright infringement or other violation of intellectual property rights in the U.S. and be required to pay substantial damages or prevented from offering all or part of our services in the U.S.

We have been subject to lawsuits in China for alleged unfair competition in connection with our platform. We may also face litigation or administrative actions for defamation, negligence, copyright and trademark infringement, or other purported injuries resulting from the content we provide or the nature of our services. Such litigation and administrative actions, with or without merits, may be expensive and time-consuming and may result in significant diversion of resources and management attention from our business operations. Furthermore, such litigation or administrative actions may adversely affect our brand image and reputation.

In addition, we operate our platform primarily through our consolidated affiliated entities and their subsidiaries, and our ability to monitor content as described above depends in large part on the experience and skills of the management of, and our control over, those consolidated affiliated entities. Our control over the management and operations of our consolidated affiliated entities through contractual arrangements may not be as effective as that through direct ownership. See “—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure—We rely on

 

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contractual arrangements with our consolidated affiliated entities and their shareholders for our business operations, which may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing operational control.”

We may not be able to adequately protect our intellectual property rights, and any failure to protect our intellectual property rights could adversely affect our revenues and competitive position.

We believe that trademarks, trade secrets, copyright, and other intellectual property we use are critical to our business. We rely on a combination of trademark, copyright and trade secret protection laws in China and other jurisdictions, as well as confidentiality procedures and contractual provisions to protect our intellectual property and our brand. Protection of intellectual property rights in China may not be as effective as in the United States or other jurisdictions, and as a result, we may not be able to adequately protect our intellectual property rights, which could adversely affect our revenues and competitive position. In addition, any unauthorized use of our intellectual property by third parties may adversely affect our revenues and our reputation. In particular, our members may abuse their membership privilege and illegally distribute paid content exclusively available to paid members, which could have a material and adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Further, we may have difficulty addressing the threats to our business associated with piracy of our copyrighted content, particularly our original content. Our content and streaming services may be potentially subject to unauthorized consumer copying and illegal digital dissemination without an economic return to us. We adopt a variety of measures to mitigate risks associated with piracy, including by litigation and through technology measures. We cannot assure that such measures will be effective.

In addition, while we typically require our employees, consultants and contractors who may be involved in the development of intellectual property to execute agreements assigning such intellectual property to us, we may be unsuccessful in executing such an agreement with each party who in fact develops intellectual property that we regard as our own. In addition such agreements may not be self-executing such that the intellectual property subject to such agreements may not be assigned to us without additional assignments being executed, and we may fail to obtain such assignments. In addition, such agreements may be breached. Accordingly, we may be forced to bring claims against third parties, or defend claims that they may bring against us related to the ownership of such intellectual property.

Furthermore, policing unauthorized use of proprietary technology is difficult and expensive, and we may need to resort to litigation to enforce or defend intellectual property or to determine the enforceability, scope and validity of our proprietary rights or those of others. Such litigation and an adverse determination in any such litigation could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention.

If our security measures are breached, or if our products and services are subject to attacks that degrade or deny the ability of users to access our products and services, our products and services may be perceived as insecure, users and advertising customers may curtail or stop using our products and services and our business and operating results may be harmed.

Our products and services involve the storage and transmission of users’ and advertising customers’ information, particularly billing data, as well as original content, and security breaches expose us to a risk of loss of this information, loss of users, litigation and potential liability. We experience cyber-attacks of varying degrees on a regular basis, including hacking into our user accounts and redirecting our user traffic to other internet platforms, and we have been able to rectify attacks without significant impact to our operations in the past. Functions that facilitate interactivity with other internet platforms could increase the scope of access of hackers to user accounts. We take measures to protect against unauthorized intrusion into our users’ data. Despite these measures we, our payment processing services or other third party services we use could experience an unauthorized intrusion into our users’ data. In the event of such a breach, current and potential users may become unwilling to provide the information to us necessary for them to become users or members. Additionally, we could face legal claims or regulatory fines or penalties for such a breach. The costs relating to any data breach could be material, and we currently do not carry insurance against the risk of a data breach. For these reasons, should an unauthorized intrusion into our users’ data occur, our business could be adversely affected.

 

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Our security measures may also be breached due to employee error, malfeasance or otherwise. For example, we face risks of users bypassing the membership verification process on our platform with illegal technology and manipulating our system into recognizing them as paid members. As a result, such users may illegally gain access to premium content without purchasing our membership. Additionally, outside parties may attempt to fraudulently induce employees, users or customers to disclose sensitive information in order to gain access to our data or our users’ or customers’ data or accounts, or may otherwise obtain access to such data or accounts. Since our users and customers may use their accounts to establish and maintain online identities, unauthorized communications from accounts that have been compromised may damage their reputations and brands as well as ours. Furthermore, we face the risk of hackers gaining illegal access to and illegally distributing our original content that has not been released. While such incidents have not occurred in the past, we cannot assure you that they will not happen in the future. Any such breach or unauthorized access could result in significant legal and financial exposure, damage to our reputation and a loss of confidence in the security of our products and services that could have an adverse effect on our business and operating results. Because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service or sabotage systems change frequently and often are not recognized until launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures. If an actual or perceived breach of our security occurs, the market perception of the effectiveness of our security measures and our reputation and relationships with users could be harmed, we may lose users and customers and we may be exposed to significant legal and financial risks, including legal claims and regulatory fines and penalties. Any of these actions could have a material and adverse effect on our business, reputation and operating results.

We rely upon our partner to make our service available through smart TV.

In smart TV video streaming market, only a small number of qualified license holders can provide internet audio and visual program service to the TV terminal users via smart TVs, set-top boxes and other electronic products. Most of those license holders are radio or TV stations. Private companies that wish to operate such business need to cooperate with those license holders to legally provide relevant services. We entered into a joint venture with Galaxy Internet Television Co., Ltd., our license partner, and the joint venture currently offers certain of our members the ability to receive streaming content through smart TV. If we are not successful in maintaining existing or creating new relationships, or if we encounter technological, content licensing, regulatory or other impediments to delivering our streaming content to our members via these devices, our ability to grow our business may be adversely impacted.

Advertisements shown on our platform may subject us to penalties and other administrative actions.

Under PRC advertising laws and regulations, we are obligated to monitor the advertising content shown on our platform to ensure that such content is true, accurate and in full compliance with applicable laws and regulations. In addition, where a special government review is required for specific types of advertisements prior to posting, such as advertisements relating to pharmaceuticals, medical instruments, agrochemicals and veterinary pharmaceuticals, we are obligated to confirm that such review has been performed and approval has been obtained from competent governmental authority. To fulfill these monitoring functions, we include clauses in all of our advertising contracts requiring that all advertising content provided by advertising agencies and advertisers must comply with relevant laws and regulations. Under PRC law, we may have claims against advertising agencies and advertisers for all damages to us caused by their breach of such representations. Violation of these laws and regulations may subject us to penalties, including fines, confiscation of our advertising income, orders to cease dissemination of the advertisements and orders to publish an announcement correcting the misleading information. In circumstances involving serious violations, such as posting a pharmaceutical product advertisement without approval, or posting an advertisement for fake pharmaceutical product, PRC governmental authorities may force us to terminate our advertising operation or revoke our licenses.

A majority of the advertisements shown on our platform are provided to us by third parties. Although we have implemented automated and manual content monitoring systems and significant efforts have been made to

 

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ensure that the advertisements shown on our platform are in full compliance with applicable laws and regulations, we cannot assure you that all the content contained in such advertisements is true and accurate as required by the advertising laws and regulations, especially given the large volume of in-feed ads and the uncertainty in the application of these laws and regulations. In addition, advertisers, especially in-feed advertisers, may through illegal technology evade our content monitoring procedures to show advertisements on our platform that do not comply with applicable laws and regulations. The inability of our systems and procedures to adequately and timely discover such evasions may subject us to regulatory penalties or administrative sanctions. Although we have not been subject to material penalties or administrative sanctions in the past for the advertisements shown on our platform, if we are found to be in violation of applicable PRC advertising laws and regulations in the future, we may be subject to penalties and our reputation may be harmed, which may have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

If we cannot maintain our corporate culture as we grow, we could lose the innovation, collaboration and focus that contribute to our business.

We believe that a critical component of our success is our corporate culture, which fosters innovation and cultivates creativity. As we continue to expand and grow our business, we may find it difficult to maintain these valuable aspects of our corporate culture. Any failure to preserve our culture could undermine our reputation and negatively impact our ability to attract and retain employees, which would in turn jeopardize our future success.

Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate, which makes our results of operations difficult to predict and may cause our quarterly results of operations to fall short of expectations.

Our quarterly operating results have fluctuated in the past and may continue to fluctuate depending upon a number of factors, many of which are out of our control. Our operating results tend to be seasonal. For instance, we have experienced lower online advertising services revenue in the first quarter of each year in connection with the Chinese New Year holiday as advertisers limit their budget for online platforms and less blockbuster content is released during that period. Furthermore, our content distribution revenue may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter as a result of the varying availability of popular content titles for distribution and adjustments to our market strategies. For these reasons, comparing our operating results on a period-to-period basis may not be meaningful, and you should not rely on our past results as an indication of our future performance. Our quarterly and annual revenues and costs and expenses as a percentage of our revenues in a given period may be significantly different from our historical or projected rates and our operating results in future quarters may fall below expectations.

Disruption or failure of our IT systems could impair our users’ online entertainment experience and adversely affect our reputation.

Our ability to provide users with a high-quality online entertainment experience depends on the continuous and reliable operation of our IT systems. We cannot assure you that we will be able to procure sufficient bandwidth in a timely manner or on acceptable terms or at all. Failure to do so may significantly impair user experience on our platform and decrease the overall effectiveness of our platform to both users and advertisers. Disruptions, failures, unscheduled service interruptions or a decrease in connection speeds could hurt our reputation and cause our users and advertising customers to switch to our competitors’ platforms. Our IT systems and proprietary content delivery network, or CDN, are vulnerable to damage or interruption as a result of fires, floods, earthquakes, power losses, telecommunications failures, undetected errors in software, computer viruses, hacking and other attempts to harm our systems. We have experienced intermittent interruptions for up to 48 hours of viewer access to one popular drama title in the past. Our platform has also experienced general intermittent interruptions for approximately two hours in the past. These interruptions were caused by (i) overload of our servers; (ii) unexpected overflow of user traffic; (iii) service malfunction of payment gateway; and/or (iv) service malfunction of the telecommunications operators, such as power outage of internet data centers or network transmission congestion. We may continue to experience similar interruptions in the future despite our continuous efforts to improve our IT systems. Since we host our servers at third-party internet data

 

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centers, any natural disaster or unexpected closure of internet data centers operated by third-party providers may result in lengthy service interruptions.

If we experience frequent or persistent service disruptions, whether caused by failures of our own systems or those of third-party service providers, our users’ experience with us may be negatively affected, which in turn, may have a material and adverse effect on our reputation. We cannot assure you that we will be successful in minimizing the frequency or duration of service interruptions.

If the technologies we use in operating our business fails, becomes unavailable, or does not operate to meet expectations, our business and results of operation may be adversely impacted.

We utilize a combination of proprietary and third party technologies to operate our business. These include the technologies that we have developed to recommend and monetize content to our users as well as enable fast and efficient delivery of content to our users and their various internet connected devices. For example, we use our own CDN, and third-party CDN services to support our operation. To the extent internet service providers do not interconnect with the CDN services we use, or if we experience difficulties in its operation, our ability to efficiently and effectively deliver our streaming content to our users could be adversely impacted and our business and results of operation could be adversely affected. Likewise, if our recommendation and monetization technology does not enable us to predict and recommend content that our users will enjoy, our ability to attract and retain users may be adversely affected. We also utilize third party technology to help market our service, process payments, and otherwise manage the daily operations of our business. If our technology or that of third parties we utilize in our operations fails or otherwise operates improperly, our ability to operate our service, retain existing users and add new users may be impaired. Also, any harm to our users’ personal computers or other devices caused by software used in our operations could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Any lack of requisite permits for any of our internet video and other content or any of our business may expose us to regulatory sanctions.

In 2009, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, or SARFT, released a Notice on Strengthening the Administration of Online Audio/Video Content. This notice reiterated, among other things, that all films and television shows released or published online must be in compliance with relevant regulations on the administration of radio, film and television. In other words, these films and television shows, whether produced in the PRC or overseas, must be pre-approved by SARFT, which has been replaced by GAPPRFT, and distributors of these films and television shows must obtain an applicable permit before releasing them. In September 2014, GAPPRFT reiterated that all the foreign TV dramas and films published to the public via internet must obtain their respective permit. In addition, all the foreign TV dramas and films published to the public via internet by competent license holders must be registered with GAPPRFT before March 31, 2015 and all un-registered TV dramas and films will be prohibited from broadcasting via internet from April 1, 2015. In addition, online games are also subject to approval by GAPPRFT and approval by or filing with the Ministry of Culture.

In terms of licensed third-party content published or online games distributed jointly with third parties, we obtain and rely on written representations from content providers and third-party operators regarding the GAPPRFT and other approval and filing status of these content and online games, and, to a lesser extent, require content providers and third-party operators to produce evidence demonstrating that they and the licensed content or the online games have received all requisite permits and approvals. We also import some foreign TV dramas and films and apply for the permits for and register such contents with the competent authorities by ourselves. However, we cannot assure you that our monitoring procedures with respect to licensed content and online games are fully adequate, and we cannot guarantee that the remedies provided by these content providers, if any, will be sufficient to compensate us for potential regulatory sanctions imposed by the GAPPRFT due to violations of the approval and permit requirements and for the foreign TV dramas and movies imported by us, we cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain the permits for or register such contents with the competent authorities in a timely manner or at all. Nor can we ensure that any such sanctions will not adversely affect either the general

 

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availability of video, online games or other content on our platform or our reputation. In addition, such risks may persist due to ambiguities and uncertainties relating to the implementation and enforcement of this notice. Although we have internal content monitoring procedures in place to review our procured content, we face risks of termination of permits and approvals, contractual misrepresentations and failure to honor representations or indemnify us against any claims or costs by content providers.

We have obtained the ICP license, the Value-added Telecommunications Business Operation License for information services via mobile network, the Permit for Internet Audio-Video Program Service, the Network Culture Business Permit, the Permit for Internet Drug Information Service, and other relevant permits required for operating our business. However, we have not obtained and are in the process of applying for or upgrading and expanding certain approvals or permits which are required or may be required for our operation of businesses. For example, we have not obtained and are planning to apply for the Permit for Internet News Information Service to publish current political news on our platform or disseminate such news through the internet. Beijing iQIYI has not obtained and is in the process of applying for the Internet Publishing Service License in relation to our online games, comics and online literature operation. We also have not obtained and are in the process of applying for adding and amending certain service items for our Permit for Internet Audio-Video Program Service, such as forwarding the audio-video programs uploaded by the users, rebroadcasting radio and TV channels, displaying current political audio-video news programs and providing video and audio live broadcasting of cultural activities, sports events and other activities organized by the general social groups. We are also planning to apply for adding online performances for the Network Culture Business of Beijing iQIYI and adding electronic data interchange as a permitted business for our Value-added Telecommunications Business Operation License. We are also filing several HTML5 online games operated by us with the Ministry of Culture. Although we are planning to apply or in the process of applying for such licenses and we maintain regular oral communication with relevant regulatory authorities, which have not objected to the operations of our business in question, if we fail to obtain, maintain or renew such licenses, or obtain any additional licenses and permits or make any records or filings required by new laws, regulations or executive orders required for our new business in a timely manner or at all, we could be subject to liabilities or penalties, and our operations could be adversely affected.

Undetected programming errors could adversely affect our user experience and market acceptance of our video content, which may materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Video content on our platform may contain programming errors that may only become apparent after their release. We receive user feedbacks in connection with programming errors affecting the user experience from time to time, and such errors may also come to our attention during our monitoring process. We generally have been able to resolve such programming errors in a timely manner. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to detect and resolve all these programming errors effectively. Undetected audio or video programming errors or defects may adversely affect user experience, cause users to refrain from becoming our paid members or to cancel their membership subscriptions, and cause our advertising customers to reduce their use of our services, any of which could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

We may invest in or acquire complementary assets, technologies and businesses in the future, and such efforts may fail and may result in equity or earnings dilution.

We may invest in and acquire assets, technologies and businesses that are complementary to our business in the future. Acquired businesses or assets may not yield the results we expect. In addition, acquisitions could result in the use of substantial amounts of cash, potentially dilutive issuances of equity securities, significant amortization expenses related to intangible assets and exposure to potential unknown liabilities of the acquired business. Moreover, the cost of identifying and consummating acquisitions, and integrating the acquired businesses into ours, may be significant, and the integration of acquired business may be disruptive to our business operations. In addition, we may have to obtain approval from the relevant PRC governmental authorities for the acquisitions and comply with any applicable PRC rules and regulations, which may be costly. In the event our acquisitions are not successful, our financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

 

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We are subject to payment processing risk.

Our members pay for our service using a variety of different online payment methods. We rely on third parties to process such payment. Acceptance and processing of these payment methods are subject to certain rules and regulations and require payment of interchange and other fees. To the extent there are increases in payment processing fees, material changes in the payment ecosystem, such as delays in receiving payments from payment processors and/or changes to rules or regulations concerning payment processing, our revenue, operating expenses and results of operation could be adversely impacted.

A severe or prolonged downturn in the PRC or global economy could materially and adversely affect our business and our financial condition.

The global macroeconomic environment is facing challenges, including the escalation of the European sovereign debt crisis since 2011, the end of quantitative easing by the U.S. Federal Reserve and the economic slowdown in the Eurozone in 2014. The PRC economy has slowed down since 2012 and such slowdown may continue. There is considerable uncertainty over the long-term effects of the expansionary monetary and fiscal policies adopted by the central banks and financial authorities of some of the world’s leading economies, including the United States and China. There have been concerns over unrest and terrorist threats in the Middle East, Europe and Africa, which have resulted in volatility in oil and other markets, and over the conflicts involving Ukraine and Syria. There have also been concerns on the relationship among China and other Asian countries, which may result in or intensify potential conflicts in relation to territorial disputes. Economic conditions in China are sensitive to global economic conditions, as well as changes in domestic economic and political policies and the expected or perceived overall economic growth rate in China. Moreover, the United Nations population projections (2015) project a slowdown in increase in Chinese population from 2015 to 2030 and a decrease in its population thereafter with the percentage of population over 60 predicted to more than double from 2015 to 2050. In the absence of substantial increase in per capita productivity, this projected change in Chinese demographics can result in decrease in overall productivity and growth rates of the Chinese economy. Any severe or prolonged slowdown in the global or PRC economy may materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, continued turbulence in the international markets may adversely affect our ability to access capital markets to meet liquidity needs.

Our operations depend on the performance of the internet infrastructure and telecommunications networks in China.

The successful operation of our business depends on the performance of the internet infrastructure and telecommunications networks in China. Almost all access to the internet is maintained through state-owned telecommunications operators under the administrative control and regulatory supervision of the MIIT. Moreover, we have entered into contracts with various subsidiaries of a limited number of telecommunications service providers at provincial level and rely on them to provide us with data communications capacity through local telecommunications lines. We have limited access to alternative networks or services in the event of disruptions, failures or other problems with China’s internet infrastructure or the telecommunications networks provided by telecommunications service providers. Our platform regularly serve a large number of users and advertisers. With the expansion of our business, we may be required to upgrade our technology and infrastructure to keep up with the increasing traffic on our platform. However, we have no control over the costs of the services provided by telecommunications service providers. If the prices we pay for telecommunications and internet services rise significantly, our results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. If internet access fees or other charges to internet users increase, our user traffic may decline and our business may be harmed.

We have granted, and may continue to grant, share incentives, which may result in increased share-based compensation expenses.

We adopted an equity incentive plan on October 18, 2010, or the 2010 Plan, which was amended and restated on November 3, 2014 and August 6, 2016. We also adopted an equity incentive plan on November 30,

 

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2017, or the 2017 Plan. We account for compensation costs for all share-based awards using a fair-value based method and recognize expenses in our consolidated statements of comprehensive loss in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Under the 2010 Plan, we are authorized to grant options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock units and other types of awards that the administrator of the 2010 Plan decides. Under the 2017 Plan, we are authorized to grant options, restricted shares and restricted share units. Under the 2010 Plan, as amended, the maximum aggregate number of shares which may be issued pursuant to all awards is 589,729,714 shares. Under the 2017 Plan, the maximum aggregate number of shares which may be issued pursuant to all awards is 720,000 shares. As of the date of this prospectus, options to purchase a total of 298,766,115 ordinary shares are outstanding under the 2010 Plan, and we have granted 720,000 restricted share units under the 2017 Plan. For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017, we recorded RMB44.2 million, RMB62.4 million, and RMB233.4 million (US$35.9 million), respectively, in share-based compensation expenses. We believe the granting of share-based awards is of significant importance to our ability to attract and retain key personnel and employees, and we will continue to grant share-based awards in the future. As a result, our expenses associated with share-based compensation may increase, which may have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

We face risks related to natural disasters, health epidemics and other outbreaks, which could significantly disrupt our operations.

We are vulnerable to natural disasters and other calamities. Fire, floods, typhoons, earthquakes, power loss, telecommunications failures, break-ins, war, riots, terrorist attacks or similar events may give rise to server interruptions, breakdowns, system failures, technology platform failures or internet failures, which could cause the loss or corruption of data or malfunctions of software or hardware as well as adversely affect our ability to provide products and services on our platform.

Our business could also be adversely affected by the effects of Ebola virus disease, H1N1 flu, H7N9 flu, avian flu, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, or other epidemics. Our business operations could be disrupted if any of our employees is suspected of having Ebola virus disease, H1N1 flu, H7N9 flu, avian flu, SARS or other epidemic, since it could require our employees to be quarantined and/or our offices to be disinfected. In addition, our results of operations could be adversely affected to the extent that any of these epidemics harms the Chinese economy in general.

We have limited business insurance coverage.

Insurance companies in China offer limited business insurance products. We do not have any business liability or disruption insurance coverage for our operations in China. Any business disruption may result in our incurring substantial costs and the diversion of our resources, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

While we believe that we currently have adequate internal control procedures in place, we are still exposed to potential risks from legislation requiring companies to evaluate controls under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

Upon completion of this offering, we will become subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or Section 404, requires that we include a report from management on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting in our annual report on Form 20-F beginning with our annual report for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019. In addition, our independent registered public accounting firm must attest to and report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting.

While we were a subsidiary of Baidu, we were indirectly subject to requirements to maintain an effective internal control over financial reporting under Section 404 of the Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002. Although we believe that we currently have adequate internal control procedures in place, our independent registered public

 

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accounting firm, after conducting its own independent testing, may not certify the effectiveness of our internal control if it is not satisfied with our internal controls or the level at which our controls are documented, designed, operated or reviewed, or if it interprets the relevant requirements differently from us.

If we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting, as these standards are modified, supplemented or amended from time to time, we may not be able to conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal control over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404. If we fail to achieve and maintain an effective internal control environment, we could suffer material misstatements in our financial statements and fail to meet our reporting obligations, which would likely cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information. This could in turn limit our access to capital markets, harm our results of operations, and lead to a decline in the trading price of our ADSs. Additionally, ineffective internal control over financial reporting could expose us to increased risk of fraud or misuse of corporate assets and subject us to potential delisting from the stock exchange on which we list, regulatory investigations and civil or criminal sanctions.

Risks Related to Our Carve-out from Baidu and Our Relationship with Baidu

We have no experience operating as a stand-alone public company.

We have no experience conducting our operations as a stand-alone public company. After we become a stand-alone public company, we may face enhanced administrative and compliance requirements, which may result in substantial costs.

In addition, since we are becoming a public company, our management team will need to develop the expertise necessary to comply with the regulatory and other requirements applicable to public companies, including requirements relating to corporate governance, listing standards and securities and investor relations issues. While we were a private subsidiary of Baidu, we were indirectly subject to requirements to maintain an effective internal control over financial reporting under Section 404 of the Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002. However, as a stand-alone public company, our management will have to evaluate our internal control system independently with new thresholds of materiality, and to implement necessary changes to our internal control system. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so in a timely and effective manner.

We may have conflicts of interest with Baidu and, because of Baidu’s controlling ownership interest in our company, we may not be able to resolve such conflicts on terms favorable to us.

Conflicts of interest may arise between Baidu and us in a number of areas relating to our ongoing relationships. Potential conflicts of interest that we have identified include the following:

 

    Our board members may have conflicts of interest. Our directors Mr. Robin Yanhong Li, Mr. Qi Lu, and Mr. Herman Yu are also senior management of Baidu. These relationships could create, or appear to create, conflicts of interest when these persons are faced with decisions with potentially different implications for Baidu and us.

 

    Sale of shares in our company. Baidu may decide to sell all or a portion of our shares that it holds to a third party, including to one of our competitors, thereby giving that third party substantial influence over our business and our affairs. Such a sale could be in conflict with the interests of our employees or our other shareholders.

 

    Developing business relationships with Baidu’s competitors. So long as Baidu remains our controlling shareholder, we may be limited in our ability to do business with its competitors. This may limit our ability to market our services for the best interests of our company and our other shareholders.

 

    Allocation of business opportunities. Business opportunities may arise that both we and Baidu find attractive, and which would complement our businesses. We may be prevented from taking advantage of new business opportunities that Baidu has entered into.

 

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Although our company will become a stand-alone public company, we expect to operate, for as long as Baidu is our controlling shareholder, as a subsidiary of Baidu. Baidu may from time to time make strategic decisions that it believes are in the best interests of its business as a whole, including our company. These decisions may be different from the decisions that we would have made on our own. Baidu’s decisions with respect to us or our business, including any related party transactions between Baidu and us, may be resolved in ways that favor Baidu and therefore Baidu’s own shareholders, which may not coincide with the interests of our other shareholders. If Baidu were to compete with us, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected.

Our agreements with Baidu may be less favorable to us than similar agreements negotiated with unaffiliated third parties. In particular, our master business cooperation agreement with Baidu limits the scope of business that we are allowed to conduct.

We have entered into a master business cooperation agreement with Baidu and may enter into additional agreements with Baidu in the future. Under our master business cooperation agreement with Baidu, we agree during the non-competition period, which will end on the eighth anniversary of the date of execution of the agreement unless otherwise terminated earlier pursuant to the agreement, not to compete with Baidu in its core businesses. Such contractual limitations may affect our ability to expand our business and may adversely impact our growth and prospects. Furthermore, while Baidu has agreed not to compete with us in our long-form video businesses, existing business activities conducted by Baidu and its affiliates are not subject to such non-compete limitation. Potential conflicts of interest could arise in connection with the resolution of any dispute between Baidu and us, regarding the terms of the arrangements governing our agreements with Baidu including the master business cooperation agreement. For example, so long as Baidu continues to control us, we may not be able to bring a legal claim against Baidu in the event of contractual breach, notwithstanding our contractual rights under the master business cooperation agreement and other inter-company agreements to be entered into by Baidu and us from time to time.

If our collaboration with Baidu is terminated or curtailed, or if we are no longer able to benefit from the synergies of our business cooperation with Baidu, our business may be adversely affected.

Our controlling shareholder and strategic partner, Baidu, is one of the largest internet companies in China. Our business has benefited significantly from Baidu’s advanced technological capabilities and strong market position in China. In addition, we have benefited from Baidu’s financial support in the past. We cooperate with Baidu in a number of areas, including AI technology, cloud services and traffic. However, we cannot assure you that we will continue to maintain our cooperative relationships with Baidu and its affiliates in the future. To the extent we cannot maintain our cooperative relationships with Baidu at reasonable prices or at all, we will need to source other business partners to provide services, which could result in material and adverse effects to our business and results of operations. We may also need to obtain financing through other means if Baidu ceases to provide financial support to us. In addition, our current customers and content partners may react negatively to our carve-out from Baidu. Our inability to maintain a cooperative relationship with Baidu could materially and adversely affect our business, growth and prospects.

Baidu will control the outcome of shareholder actions in our company.

Upon completion of this offering, Baidu will hold         % of our outstanding ordinary shares, representing         % of our total voting power, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option. Baidu has advised us that it does not anticipate disposing of its voting control in us in the near future. Baidu’s voting power gives it the power to control certain actions that require shareholder approval under Cayman Islands law, our memorandum and articles of association and Nasdaq Global Market requirements, including approval of mergers and other business combinations, changes to our memorandum and articles of association, the number of shares available for issuance under any share incentive plans, and the issuance of significant amounts of our ordinary shares in private placements.

 

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Baidu’s voting control may cause transactions to occur that might not be beneficial to you as a holder of ADSs and may prevent transactions that could have been beneficial to you. For example, Baidu’s voting control may prevent a transaction involving a change of control of us, including transactions in which you as a holder of our ADSs might otherwise receive a premium for your securities over the then-current market price. In addition, Baidu is not prohibited from selling a controlling interest in us to a third party and may do so without your approval and without providing for a purchase of your ADSs. In addition, the significant concentration of share ownership may adversely affect the trading price of the ADSs due to investors’ perception that conflicts of interest may exist or arise. See “—We may have conflicts of interest with Baidu and, because of Baidu’s controlling ownership interest in our company, we may not be able to resolve such conflicts on terms favorable to us.”

We are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the Nasdaq Stock Market Rules and, as a result, will rely on exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements that provide protection to shareholders of other companies.

We are a “controlled company” as defined under the Nasdaq Stock Market Rules because Baidu beneficially owns more than 50% of our total voting power. For so long as we remain a controlled company under that definition, we are permitted to elect to rely, and will rely, on certain exemptions from corporate governance rules, including:

 

    an exemption from the rule that a majority of our board of directors must be independent directors;

 

    an exemption from the rule that the compensation of our chief executive officer must be determined or recommended solely by independent directors; and

 

    an exemption from the rule that our director nominees must be selected or recommended solely by independent directors.

As a result, you will not have the same protection afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to these corporate governance requirements.

Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure

If the PRC government finds that the agreements that establish the structure for operating certain of our operations in China do not comply with PRC regulations relating to the relevant industries, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations.

Foreign ownership of telecommunication businesses and certain other businesses, such as provision of internet video, online advertising and online game services, is subject to restrictions under current PRC laws and regulations. For example, foreign investors are generally not allowed to own more than 50% of the equity interests in a commercial internet content provider or other value-added telecommunication service provider (other than operating e-commerce) and the major foreign investor in a value-added telecommunication service provider in China must have experience in providing value-added telecommunications services overseas and maintain a good track record in accordance with the Guidance Catalog of Industries for Foreign Investment promulgated in 2007, as amended in 2011, 2015 and 2017, and other applicable laws and regulations.

In addition, foreign investors are prohibited from investing in companies engaged in internet video, culture and publishing business and film/drama production business. We are a Cayman Islands company and our PRC subsidiaries are considered foreign-invested enterprises. Accordingly, none of our PRC subsidiaries is eligible to operate internet video, online advertising services and other businesses which foreign-owned companies are prohibited or restricted from conducting in China. To comply with PRC laws and regulations, we conduct such business activities through our consolidated affiliated entities in China, Beijing iQIYI, Shanghai iQIYI, Shanghai Zhong Yuan, iQIYI Pictures and Beijing iQIYI Cinema, and their subsidiaries. Our wholly owned subsidiaries,

 

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Beijing QIYI Century and iQIYI New Media, have entered into contractual arrangements with our consolidated affiliated entities and their respective shareholders, and such contractual arrangements enable us to exercise effective control over, receive substantially all of the economic benefits of, and have an exclusive option to purchase all or part of the equity interest and assets in our consolidated affiliated entities when and to the extent permitted by PRC law. Because of these contractual arrangements, we are the primary beneficiary of our consolidated affiliated entities in China and hence consolidate their financial results as our variable interest entities under U.S. GAAP. If the PRC government finds that our contractual arrangements do not comply with its restrictions on foreign investment in online video, online advertising and other foreign-restricted services, or if the PRC government otherwise finds that we, our consolidated affiliated entities, or any of their subsidiaries are in violation of PRC laws or regulations or lack the necessary permits or licenses to operate our business, the relevant PRC regulatory authorities, including the MIIT, the GAPPRFT, the Ministry of Culture and the MOFCOM, would have broad discretion in dealing with such violations or failures, including, without limitation:

 

    revoking the business licenses and/or operating licenses of such entities;

 

    discontinuing or placing restrictions or onerous conditions on our operation through any transactions between our PRC subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities;

 

    imposing fines, confiscating the income from our PRC subsidiaries or our consolidated affiliated entities, or imposing other requirements with which we or our consolidated affiliated entities may not be able to comply;

 

    requiring us to restructure our ownership structure or operations, including terminating the contractual arrangements with our consolidated affiliated entities and deregistering the equity pledges of our consolidated affiliated entities, which in turn would affect our ability to consolidate, derive economic interests from, or exert effective control over our consolidated affiliated entities; or

 

    restricting or prohibiting our use of the proceeds of this offering to finance our business and operations in China.

In addition, in September 2009, the GAPP (currently known as the SAPPRFT) together with several other government agencies issued a notice, or the Circular 13, prohibiting foreign investors from participating in online game operating businesses through wholly-owned enterprises, equity joint ventures or cooperative joint ventures in China. Circular 13 expressly prohibits foreign investors from gaining control over or participating in PRC operating companies’ online game operations through indirect means, such as establishing joint venture companies, entering into contractual arrangements with or providing technical support to the operating companies, or through a disguised form, such as incorporating user registration, user account management or payment through game cards into online game platforms that are ultimately controlled or owned by foreign investors. Other government agencies that also have the authority to regulate online game operations in China, such as the Ministry of Culture and the MIIT, did not join the GAPP in issuing the Circular 13. To date, neither the GAPP nor the SAPPRFT has issued any interpretation of the Circular 13. Due to the ambiguity among various regulations on online games and a lack of interpretations from the relevant PRC authorities governing online game operations, there are uncertainties regarding whether PRC authorities would consider our relevant contractual arrangements to be foreign investment in online game operation businesses. While we are not aware of any online game companies which use the same or similar contractual arrangements as ours having been penalized or ordered to terminate operation by PRC authorities claiming that the contractual arrangements constitute control over, or participation in, the operation of online game operations through indirect means, it is unclear whether and how the various regulations of the PRC authorities might be interpreted or implemented in the future. If our relevant contractual arrangements were deemed to be “indirect means” or “disguised form” under the Circular 13, the relevant contractual arrangements may be challenged by the SAPPRFT or other governmental authorities. If we were found to be in violation of the Circular 13 to operate our mobile game business, the SAPPRFT, in conjunction with relevant regulatory authorities, would have the power to investigate and deal with such violations, including in the most serious cases, suspending or revoking the relevant licenses and registrations. If we were found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations, including

 

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the MIIT notice and the Circular 13, the relevant regulatory authorities would have broad discretion in dealing with such violations.

Furthermore, it is uncertain whether any new PRC laws, rules or regulations relating to contractual arrangements will be adopted or if adopted, what they would provide. In particular, in January 2015, the MOFCOM published a discussion draft of the proposed Foreign Investment Law for public review and comments. Among other things, the draft Foreign Investment Law expands the definition of foreign investment and introduces the principle of “actual control” in determining whether a company is considered a foreign-invested enterprise, or an FIE. Under the draft Foreign Investment Law, variable interest entities would also be deemed as FIEs, if they are ultimately “controlled” by foreign investors, and be subject to restrictions on foreign investments. However, the draft law has not taken a position on what actions will be taken with respect to the existing companies with the “variable interest entity” structure, whether or not these companies are controlled by Chinese parties. It is uncertain when the draft would be signed into law and whether the final version would have any substantial changes from the draft.

Any of these events could cause significant disruption to our business operations and severely damage our reputation, which would in turn materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. If occurrences of any of these events results in our inability to direct the activities of our consolidated affiliated entities in China that most significantly impact their economic performance, and/or our failure to receive the economic benefits from our consolidated affiliated entities, we may not be able to consolidate the entity in our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

We rely on contractual arrangements with our consolidated affiliated entities and their shareholders for our business operations, which may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing operational control.

We have relied and expect to continue to rely on contractual arrangements with consolidated affiliated entities and their shareholders to operate our business in China. For a description of these contractual arrangements, see “Corporate History and Structure.” These contractual arrangements may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing us with control over our consolidated affiliated entities. For example, our consolidated affiliated and their shareholders could breach their contractual arrangements with us by, among other things, failing to conduct its operations in an acceptable manner or taking other actions that are detrimental to our interests.

If we had direct ownership of our consolidated affiliated entities in China, we would be able to exercise our rights as a shareholder to effect changes in the board of directors of our consolidated affiliated entities, which in turn could implement changes, subject to any applicable fiduciary obligations, at the management and operational level. However, under the current contractual arrangements, we rely on the performance by our consolidated affiliated entities and their shareholders of their obligations under the contracts to exercise control over our consolidated affiliated entities. The shareholders of our consolidated affiliated entities may not act in the best interests of our company or may not perform their obligations under these contracts. Such risks exist throughout the period in which we intend to operate certain portion of our business through the contractual arrangements with our consolidated affiliated entities. If any dispute relating to these contracts remains unresolved, we will have to enforce our rights under these contracts through the operations of PRC law and arbitration, litigation and other legal proceedings and therefore will be subject to uncertainties in the PRC legal system. See “—Any failure by our consolidated affiliated entities or their shareholders to perform their obligations under our contractual arrangements with them would have a material and adverse effect on our business.” Therefore, our contractual arrangements with our consolidated affiliated entities may not be as effective in ensuring our control over the relevant portion of our business operations as direct ownership would be.

 

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Any failure by our consolidated affiliated entities or their shareholders to perform their obligations under our contractual arrangements with them would have a material and adverse effect on our business.

If our consolidated affiliated entities or their shareholders fail to perform their respective obligations under the contractual arrangements, we may have to incur substantial costs and expend additional resources to enforce such arrangements. We may also have to rely on legal remedies under PRC law, including seeking specific performance or injunctive relief, and claiming damages, which we cannot assure you will be effective under PRC law. For example, if the shareholders of our consolidated affiliated entities were to refuse to transfer their equity interests in our consolidated affiliated entities to us or our designee if we exercise the purchase option pursuant to these contractual arrangements, or if they were otherwise to act in bad faith toward us, then we may have to take legal actions to compel them to perform their contractual obligations.

All the agreements under our contractual arrangements are governed by PRC law and provide for the resolution of disputes through arbitration in China. Accordingly, these contracts would be interpreted in accordance with PRC law and any disputes would be resolved in accordance with PRC legal procedures. The legal system in the PRC is not as developed as in some other jurisdictions, such as the United States. As a result, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit our ability to enforce these contractual arrangements. Meanwhile, there are very few precedents and little formal guidance as to how contractual arrangements in the context of a consolidated affiliated entity should be interpreted or enforced under PRC law. There remain significant uncertainties regarding the ultimate outcome of such arbitration should legal action become necessary. In addition, under PRC law, rulings by arbitrators are final, parties cannot appeal the arbitration results in courts, and if the losing parties fail to carry out the arbitration awards within a prescribed time limit, the prevailing parties may only enforce the arbitration awards in PRC courts through arbitration award recognition proceedings, which would require additional expenses and delay. In the event we are unable to enforce these contractual arrangements, or if we suffer significant delay or other obstacles in the process of enforcing these contractual arrangements, we may not be able to exert effective control over our consolidated affiliated entities, and our ability to conduct our business may be negatively affected. See “—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could adversely affect us.”

The shareholders of our consolidated affiliated entities may have potential conflicts of interest with us, which may materially and adversely affect our business and financial condition.

The shareholders of our consolidated affiliated entities may have potential conflicts of interest with us. In particular, none of Mr. Ning Ya, who currently holds 50% of equity interest in iQIYI Pictures, and Mr. Xiaohua Geng, who currently holds 50% of the equity interests in Shanghai iQIYI and 100% of the equity interests in Beijing iQIYI, is our shareholder, director and executive officer, and we cannot assure you that their interests will be aligned with ours. These shareholders may breach, or cause our consolidated affiliated entities to breach, or refuse to renew, the existing contractual arrangements we have with them and our consolidated affiliated entities, which would have a material and adverse effect on our ability to effectively control our consolidated affiliated entities and receive economic benefits from it. For example, the shareholders may be able to cause our agreements with our consolidated affiliated entities to be performed in a manner adverse to us by, among other things, failing to remit payments due under the contractual arrangements to us on a timely basis. We cannot assure you that when conflicts of interest arise, any or all of these shareholders will act in the best interests of our company or such conflicts will be resolved in our favor. Currently, we do not have any arrangements to address potential conflicts of interest between these shareholders and our company. If we cannot resolve any conflict of interest or dispute between us and these shareholders, we would have to rely on legal proceedings, which could result in disruption of our business and subject us to substantial uncertainty as to the outcome of any such legal proceedings.

 

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Contractual arrangements in relation to our consolidated affiliated entities may be subject to scrutiny by the PRC tax authorities and they may determine that we or our PRC consolidated affiliated entities owe additional taxes, which could negatively affect our financial condition and the value of your investment.

Under applicable PRC laws and regulations, arrangements and transactions among related parties may be subject to audit or challenge by the PRC tax authorities within ten years after the taxable year when the transactions are conducted. We could face material and adverse tax consequences if the PRC tax authorities determine that the VIE contractual arrangements were not entered into on an arm’s length basis in such a way as to result in an impermissible reduction in taxes under applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations, and adjust income of our consolidated affiliated entities in the form of a transfer pricing adjustment. A transfer pricing adjustment could, among other things, result in a reduction of expense deductions recorded by our consolidated affiliated entities for PRC tax purposes, which could in turn increase its tax liabilities without reducing our PRC subsidiary’s tax expenses. In addition, the PRC tax authorities may impose late payment fees and other penalties on our consolidated affiliated entities for the adjusted but unpaid taxes according to the applicable regulations. Our financial position could be materially and adversely affected if our variable interest entities’ tax liabilities increase or if it is required to pay late payment fees and other penalties.

We may lose the ability to use and enjoy assets held by our consolidated affiliated entities that are material to the operation of certain portion of our business if the entity goes bankrupt or becomes subject to a dissolution or liquidation proceeding.

As part of our contractual arrangements with our consolidated affiliated entities, the entities hold certain assets that are material to the operation of certain portion of our business, including permits, domain names and most of our IP rights. If our consolidated affiliated entities go bankrupt and all or part of its assets become subject to liens or rights of third-party creditors, we may be unable to continue some or all of our business activities, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Under the contractual arrangements, our consolidated affiliated entities may not, in any manner, sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose of their assets or legal or beneficial interests in the business without our prior consent. If our consolidated affiliated entities undergo a voluntary or involuntary liquidation proceeding, the independent third-party creditors may claim rights to some or all of these assets, thereby hindering our ability to operate our business, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Substantial uncertainties exist with respect to the enactment timetable, interpretation and implementation of draft PRC Foreign Investment Law and how it may impact the viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations.

The MOFCOM published a discussion draft of the proposed Foreign Investment Law in January 2015 aiming to, upon its enactment, replace the trio of existing laws regulating foreign investment in China, namely, the Sino-foreign Equity Joint Venture Enterprise Law, the Sino-foreign Cooperative Joint Venture Enterprise Law and the Wholly Foreign-invested Enterprise Law, together with their implementation rules and ancillary regulations. The draft Foreign Investment Law embodies an expected PRC regulatory trend to rationalize its foreign investment regulatory regime in line with prevailing international practice and the legislative efforts to unify the corporate legal requirements for both foreign and domestic investments. The MOFCOM is currently soliciting comments on this draft and substantial uncertainties exist with respect to its enactment timetable, interpretation and implementation. The draft Foreign Investment Law, if enacted as proposed, may materially impact the viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations in many aspects.

Among other things, the draft Foreign Investment Law expands the definition of foreign investment and introduces the principle of “actual control” in determining whether a company is considered an FIE. The draft Foreign Investment Law specifically provides that entities established in China but “controlled” by foreign investors will be treated as FIEs, whereas an entity set up in a foreign jurisdiction would nonetheless be, upon

 

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market entry approval by the MOFCOM, treated as a PRC domestic investor provided that the entity is “controlled” by PRC entities and/or citizens. According to the draft Foreign Investment Law, once an entity is determined to be an FIE, it will be subject to the foreign investment restrictions or prohibitions set forth in a “catalog of special administrative measures”, which is classified into the “catalog of prohibitions” and the “catalog of restrictions”, to be separately issued by the State Council later. Foreign investors are not allowed to invest in any sector set forth in the catalog of prohibitions.

The draft Foreign Investment Law does not indicate what actions shall be taken with respect to companies with an existing contractual arrangement structure, whether or not these companies are controlled by Chinese parties. Moreover, it is uncertain whether the “catalog of special administrative measures” to be issued will differ from the Catalog for the Guidance of Foreign Investment Industries (Revised in 2017), or the 2017 Catalog, and re-impose foreign investment restrictions or prohibitions on internet video, online advertising services and other certain businesses. If the enacted version of the Foreign Investment Law and the final “catalog of special administrative measures” mandate further actions, such as the MOFCOM market entry approval, to be completed by companies with an existing contractual arrangement structure like us, and if internet video, online advertising services and other businesses conducted by us become once again subject to the foreign investment restrictions or prohibitions, we will face uncertainties as to whether such approval can be timely obtained, or at all. If we are not able to obtain such approval when required, our contractual arrangement structure may be regarded as invalid and illegal. As a result, we would not be able to (i) continue our business in China through our contractual arrangements with our consolidated affiliated entities, (ii) exert control over consolidated affiliated entities, (iii) receive the economic benefits of our consolidated affiliated entities under such contractual arrangements, or (iv) consolidate the financial results of our consolidated affiliated entities. Were this to occur, our results of operations and financial condition would be materially and adversely affected.

The draft Foreign Investment Law, if enacted as proposed, may also materially impact our corporate governance practice and increase our compliance costs. For instance, the draft Foreign Investment Law imposes stringent ad hoc and periodic information reporting requirements on foreign investors and the applicable FIEs.

Aside from an investment information report required at each investment, and investment amendment reports, which shall be submitted upon alteration of investment specifics, it is mandatory for entities established by foreign investors to submit an annual report, and large foreign investors meeting certain criteria are required to report on a quarterly basis. Any company found to be non-compliant with these reporting obligations may potentially be subject to fines and/or administrative or criminal liabilities, and the persons directly responsible may be subject to criminal liabilities.

Risks Related to Doing Business in China

Changes in China’s economic, political or social conditions or government policies could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations.

Substantially all of our operations are located in China. Accordingly, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be influenced to a significant degree by political, economic and social conditions in China generally. The Chinese economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including the level of government involvement, level of development, growth rate, control of foreign exchange and allocation of resources. Although the Chinese government has implemented measures emphasizing the utilization of market forces for economic reform, the reduction of state ownership of productive assets, and the establishment of improved corporate governance in business enterprises, a substantial portion of productive assets in China is still owned by the government. In addition, the Chinese government continues to play a significant role in regulating industry development by imposing industrial policies. The Chinese government also exercises significant control over China’s economic growth through allocating resources, controlling payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy, and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies.

 

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While the Chinese economy has experienced significant growth over the past decades, growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy, and the rate of growth has been slowing since 2012. Any adverse changes in economic conditions in China, in the policies of the Chinese government or in the laws and regulations in China could have a material adverse effect on the overall economic growth of China. Such developments could adversely affect our business and operating results, lead to reduction in demand for our services and adversely affect our competitive position. The Chinese government has implemented various measures to encourage economic growth and guide the allocation of resources. Some of these measures may benefit the overall Chinese economy, but may have a negative effect on us. For example, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by government control over capital investments or changes in tax regulations. In addition, in the past the Chinese government has implemented certain measures, including interest rate adjustment, to control the pace of economic growth. These measures may cause decreased economic activity in China, which may adversely affect our business and operating results.

Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could adversely affect us.

The PRC legal system is a civil law system based on written statutes. Unlike the common law system, prior court decisions under the civil law system may be cited for reference but have limited precedential value. Since these laws and regulations are relatively new and the PRC legal system continues to rapidly evolve, the interpretations of many laws, regulations and rules are not always uniform and the enforcement of these laws, regulations and rules involves uncertainties.

In 1979, the PRC government began to promulgate a comprehensive system of laws and regulations governing economic matters in general. The overall effect of legislation over the past three decades has significantly enhanced the protections afforded to various forms of foreign investments in China. However, China has not developed a fully integrated legal system, and recently enacted laws and regulations may not sufficiently cover all aspects of economic activities in China. In particular, the interpretation and enforcement of these laws and regulations involve uncertainties. Since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory provisions and contractual terms, it may be difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy. These uncertainties may affect our judgment on the relevance of legal requirements and our ability to enforce our contractual rights or tort claims. In addition, the regulatory uncertainties may be exploited through unmerited or frivolous legal actions or threats in attempts to extract payments or benefits from us.

Furthermore, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules, some of which are not published on a timely basis or at all and may have retroactive effect. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of any of these policies and rules until sometime after the violation. In addition, any administrative and court proceedings in China may be protracted, resulting in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention.

We may rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our PRC subsidiaries to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have, and any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to make payments to us and any tax we are required to pay could have a material and adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business.

We are a Cayman Islands holding company and we may rely on dividends and other distributions on equity from our PRC subsidiaries for our cash requirements, including the funds necessary to pay dividends and other cash distributions to our shareholders and for services of any debt we may incur. Our subsidiaries’ ability to distribute dividends is based upon their distributable earnings. Current PRC regulations permit our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to their respective shareholders only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, each of our PRC subsidiaries and our consolidated affiliated entities is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund a statutory reserve until such reserve reaches 50% of its registered capital. Each of such

 

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entities in China is also required to further set aside a portion of its after-tax profits to fund the employee welfare fund, although the amount to be set aside, if any, is determined at the discretion of its board of directors. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends. If our PRC subsidiaries incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make other payments to us. Any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to distribute dividends or other payments to their respective shareholders could materially and adversely limit our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our businesses, pay dividends or otherwise fund and conduct our business.

In response to the persistent capital outflow and RMB’s depreciation against U.S. dollar in the fourth quarter of 2016, the People’s Bank of China and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE, have implemented a series of capital control measures over recent months, including stricter vetting procedures for China-based companies to remit foreign currency for overseas acquisitions, dividend payments and shareholder loan repayments. For instance, the People’s Bank of China issued the Circular on Further Clarification of Relevant Matters Relating to Offshore RMB Loans Provided by Domestic Enterprises, or the PBOC Circular 306, on November 22, 2016, which provides that offshore RMB loans provided by a domestic enterprise to offshore enterprises that it holds equity interests in shall not exceed 30% of the domestic enterprise’s ownership interest in the offshore enterprise. The PBOC Circular 306 may constrain our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to provide offshore loans to us. The PRC government may continue to strengthen its capital controls and our PRC subsidiaries’ dividends and other distributions may be subjected to tighter scrutiny in the future. Any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends or make other distributions to us could materially and adversely limit our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our business, pay dividends, or otherwise fund and conduct our business. See also “—If we are classified as a PRC resident enterprise for PRC income tax purposes, such classification could result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders or ADS holders.”

Under the EIT Law and related regulations, dividends, interests, rent or royalties payable by a foreign-invested enterprise, such as our PRC subsidiaries, to any of its foreign non-resident enterprise investors, and proceeds from any such foreign enterprise investor’s disposition of assets (after deducting the net value of such assets) are subject to a 10% withholding tax, unless the foreign enterprise investor’s jurisdiction of incorporation has a tax treaty with China that provides for a reduced rate of withholding tax. Undistributed profits earned by foreign-invested enterprises prior to January 1, 2008 are exempted from any withholding tax. The Cayman Islands, where iQIYI, Inc., the direct parent company of our PRC subsidiaries Beijing QIYI Century Science & Technology Co., Ltd., and Chongqing QIYI Tianxia Science & Technology Co., Ltd., is incorporated, does not have such a tax treaty with China. Hong Kong has a tax arrangement with China that provides for a 5% withholding tax on dividends subject to certain conditions and requirements, such as the requirement that the Hong Kong resident enterprise own at least 25% of the PRC enterprise distributing the dividend at all times within the 12-month period immediately preceding the distribution of dividends and be a “beneficial owner” of the dividends. For example, IQIYI Film Group HK Limited, which directly owns our PRC subsidiaries Beijing iQIYI New Media Science and Technology Co., Ltd., is incorporated in Hong Kong. However, if IQIYI Film Group HK Limited is not considered to be the beneficial owner of dividends paid to it by Beijing iQIYI New Media Science and Technology Co., Ltd. under the tax circulars promulgated in February and October 2009, such dividends would be subject to withholding tax at a rate of 10%. If our PRC subsidiaries declare and distribute profits to us, such payments will be subject to withholding tax, which will increase our tax liability and reduce the amount of cash available to our company.

PRC regulation of loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies and governmental control of currency conversion may delay or prevent us from using the proceeds of this offering to make loans to or make additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.

Any funds we transfer to our PRC subsidiaries, either as a shareholder loan or as an increase in registered capital, are subject to approval by or registration or filing with relevant governmental authorities in China.

 

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According to the relevant PRC regulations on foreign-invested enterprises, or FIEs, in China, capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries are subject to filing with the MOFCOM in its foreign investment comprehensive management information system and registration with other governmental authorities in China. In addition, (a) any foreign loan procured by our PRC subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities is required to be registered with the SAFE or its local branches or filed with SAFE in its information system, and (b) each of our PRC subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities may not procure loans which exceed the difference between its registered capital and its total investment amount as recorded in the foreign investment comprehensive management information system or, as an alternative, only procure loans subject to the Risk-Weighted Approach and the Net Asset Limits. See “Regulation—Regulations on Foreign Exchange”. Any medium or long term loan to be provided by us to our consolidated affiliated entities must also be approved by the NDRC. We may not obtain these government approvals or complete such registrations on a timely basis, if at all, with respect to future capital contributions or foreign loans by us to our PRC subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities. If we fail to receive such approvals or complete such registration or filing, our ability to use the proceeds of this offering and to capitalize our PRC operations may be negatively affected, which could adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business. There is, in effect, no statutory limit on the amount of capital contribution that we can make to our PRC subsidiaries. This is because there is no statutory limit on the amount of registered capital for our PRC subsidiaries, and we are allowed to make capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries by subscribing for their initial registered capital and increased registered capital, provided that the PRC subsidiaries completes the relevant filing and registration procedures. With respect to loans to the PRC subsidiaries by us, (i) if the relevant PRC subsidiaries adopt the traditional foreign exchange administration mechanism, or the Current Foreign Debt mechanism, the outstanding amount of the loans shall not exceed the difference between the total investment and the registered capital of the PRC subsidiaries and there is, in effect, no statutory limit on the amount of loans that we can make to our PRC subsidiaries under this circumstance because we can increase the registered capital of our PRC subsidiaries by making capital contributions to them, subject to the completion of the required registrations, and the difference between the total investment and the registered capital will increase accordingly; and (ii) if the relevant PRC subsidiaries adopt the foreign exchange administration mechanism as provided in the PBOC Notice No. 9, or the Notice No. 9 Foreign Debt mechanism, the risk-weighted outstanding amount of the loans, which shall be calculated based on the formula provided in the PBOC Notice No. 9, shall not exceed 200% of the net asset of the relevant PRC subsidiary. According to the PBOC Notice No. 9, after a transition period of one year since the promulgation of the PBOC Notice No. 9, the PBOC and SAFE will determine the cross-border financing administration mechanism for the foreign-invested enterprises after evaluating the overall implementation of the PBOC Notice No. 9. As of the date hereof, neither PBOC nor SAFE has promulgated and made public any further rules, regulations, notices or circulars in this regard. It is uncertain which mechanism will be adopted by PBOC and SAFE in the future and what statutory limits will be imposed on us when providing loans to our PRC subsidiaries. Currently, our PRC subsidiaries have the flexibility to choose between the Current Foreign Debt mechanism and the Notice No. 9 Foreign Debt mechanism. However, if the Notice No. 9 Foreign Debt Mechanism, or a more stringent foreign debt mechanism becomes mandatory and our PRC subsidiaries are no longer able to choose the Current Foreign Debt mechanism, our ability to provide loans to our PRC subsidiaries or our consolidated affiliated entities may be significantly limited, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In 2008, the SAFE promulgated the Circular on the Relevant Operating Issues Concerning the Improvement of the Administration of the Payment and Settlement of Foreign Currency Capital of Foreign-Invested Enterprises, or SAFE Circular 142. SAFE Circular 142 regulates the conversion by FIEs of foreign currency into Renminbi by restricting the usage of converted Renminbi. SAFE Circular 142 provides that any Renminbi capital converted from registered capitals in foreign currency of FIEs may only be used for purposes within the business scopes approved by PRC governmental authority and such Renminbi capital may not be used for equity investments within China unless otherwise permitted by the PRC law. In addition, the SAFE strengthened its oversight of the flow and use of the Renminbi capital converted from registered capital in foreign currency of FIEs. The use of such Renminbi capital may not be changed without SAFE approval, and such Renminbi capital may not in any case be used to repay Renminbi loans if the proceeds of such loans have not been utilized. On

 

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April 8, 2015, the SAFE promulgated the Circular on Reforming the Management Approach Regarding the Foreign Exchange Capital Settlement of Foreign-Invested Enterprises, or SAFE Circular 19. SAFE Circular 19 took effect as of June 1, 2015 and superseded SAFE Circular 142 on the same date. SAFE further promulgated Circular 16, effective on June 9, 2016, which, among other things, amend certain provisions of Circular 19. SAFE Circulars 19 and 16 launched a nationwide reform of the administration of the settlement of the foreign exchange capitals of FIEs and allows FIEs to settle their foreign exchange capital at their discretion, but continues to prohibit FIEs from using the Renminbi fund converted from their foreign exchange capitals for expenditure beyond their business scopes, and also prohibit FIEs from using such Renminbi fund to provide loans to persons other than affiliates unless otherwise permitted under its business scope. As a result, we are required to apply Renminbi funds converted from the net proceeds we received from this offering within the business scopes of our PRC subsidiaries. SAFE Circular 19 and 16 may significantly limit our ability to transfer to and use in China the net proceeds from this offering, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Fluctuations in exchange rates could have a material and adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment.

The value of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar and other currencies may fluctuate and is affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic conditions in China and by China’s foreign exchange policies. On July 21, 2005, the PRC government changed its decade-old policy of pegging the value of the Renminbi to the U.S. dollar, and the Renminbi appreciated more than 20% against the U.S. dollar over the following three years. Between July 2008 and June 2010, this appreciation halted and the exchange rate between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar remained within a narrow band. Since June 2010, the Renminbi has fluctuated against the U.S. dollar, at times significantly and unpredictably. On November 30, 2015, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund, or IMF, completed the regular five-year review of the basket of currencies that make up the Special Drawing Right, or the SDR, and decided that with effect from October 1, 2016, Renminbi is determined to be a freely usable currency and will be included in the SDR basket as a fifth currency, along with the U.S. dollar, the Euro, the Japanese yen and the British pound. In the fourth quarter of 2016, the RMB has depreciated significantly in the backdrop of a surging U.S. dollar and persistent capital outflows of China. With the development of the foreign exchange market and progress towards interest rate liberalization and Renminbi internationalization, the PRC government may in the future announce further changes to the exchange rate system and we cannot assure you that the Renminbi will not appreciate or depreciate significantly in value against the U.S. dollar in the future. It is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar in the future.

Significant revaluation of the Renminbi may have a material and adverse effect on your investment. For example, to the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars we receive from this offering into Renminbi for our operations, appreciation of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the Renminbi amount we would receive from the conversion. Conversely, if we decide to convert our Renminbi into U.S. dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our ordinary shares or ADSs or for other business purposes, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the Renminbi would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amount available to us.

Very limited hedging options are available in China to reduce our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. To date, we have not entered into any material hedging transactions in an effort to reduce our exposure to foreign currency exchange risk. While we may decide to enter into hedging transactions in the future, the availability and effectiveness of these hedges may be limited and we may not be able to adequately hedge our exposure or at all. In addition, our currency exchange losses may be magnified by PRC exchange control regulations that restrict our ability to convert Renminbi into foreign currency.

 

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Our use of some leased properties could be challenged by third parties or governmental authorities, which may cause interruptions to our business operations.

As of the date of this prospectus, some of the lessors of our properties leased by us in China have not provided us with their property ownership certificates or any other documentation proving their right to lease those properties to us. If our lessors are not the owners of the properties and they have not obtained consents from the owners or their lessors or permits from the relevant governmental authorities, our leases could be invalidated. If this occurs, we may have to renegotiate the leases with the owners or other parties who have the right to lease the properties, and the terms of the new leases may be less favorable to us. Although we may seek damages from such lessors, such leases may be void and we may be forced to relocate. We can provide no assurance that we will be able to find suitable replacement sites on terms acceptable to us on a timely basis, or at all, or that we will not be subject to material liability resulting from third parties’ challenges on our use of such properties. As a result, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

In addition, a substantial portion of our leasehold interests in leased properties have not been registered with the relevant PRC governmental authorities as required by relevant PRC laws. The failure to register leasehold interests may expose us to potential warnings and penalties up to RMB 10,000 per unregistered leased property.

The enforcement of the PRC Labor Contract Law and other labor-related regulations in the PRC may adversely affect our business and results of operations.

The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress enacted the Labor Contract Law in 2008, and amended it on December 28, 2012. The Labor Contract Law introduced specific provisions related to fixed-term employment contracts, part-time employment, probationary periods, consultation with labor unions and employee assemblies, employment without a written contract, dismissal of employees, severance, and collective bargaining to enhance previous PRC labor laws. Under the Labor Contract Law, an employer is obligated to sign an unlimited-term labor contract with any employee who has worked for the employer for ten consecutive years. Further, if an employee requests or agrees to renew a fixed-term labor contract that has already been entered into twice consecutively, the resulting contract, with certain exceptions, must have an unlimited term, subject to certain exceptions. With certain exceptions, an employer must pay severance to an employee where a labor contract is terminated or expires. In addition, the PRC governmental authorities have continued to introduce various new labor-related regulations since the effectiveness of the Labor Contract Law.

Under the PRC Social Insurance Law and the Administrative Measures on Housing Fund, employees are required to participate in pension insurance, work-related injury insurance, medical insurance, unemployment insurance, maternity insurance, and housing funds and employers are required, together with their employees or separately, to pay the social insurance premiums and housing funds for their employees. If we fail to make adequate social insurance and housing fund contributions, we may be subject to fines and legal sanctions, and our business, financial conditions and results of operations may be adversely affected.

These laws designed to enhance labor protection tend to increase our labor costs. In addition, as the interpretation and implementation of these regulations are still evolving, our employment practices may not be at all times be deemed in compliance with the regulations. As a result, we could be subject to penalties or incur significant liabilities in connection with labor disputes or investigations.

The M&A Rules and certain other PRC regulations establish complex procedures for some acquisitions of Chinese companies by foreign investors, which could make it more difficult for us to pursue growth through acquisitions in China.

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rules concerning mergers and acquisitions established additional procedures and requirements that could make merger and acquisition activities by foreign investors more time consuming and complex, including requirements in some instances that the MOC be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise. Moreover, the Anti-Monopoly Law requires that the MOC shall be notified in advance of any concentration of undertaking if certain thresholds are triggered. In addition, the security review rules issued by the MOC that became effective in September 2011 specify that mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors that raise “national defense and security” concerns and mergers and acquisitions through which foreign investors may acquire de facto control over domestic enterprises that raise “national security” concerns are subject to strict review by the MOC, and the rules prohibit any activities attempting to bypass a security review, including by structuring the transaction through a proxy or contractual control arrangement. In the future, we may grow our business by acquiring complementary businesses. Complying with the requirements of the above-mentioned regulations and other relevant rules to complete such transactions could be time consuming, and any required approval processes, including obtaining approval from the MOC or its local counterparts may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions, which could affect our ability to expand our business or maintain our market share.

PRC regulations relating to the establishment of offshore special purpose companies by PRC residents may subject our PRC resident beneficial owners or our PRC subsidiaries to liability or penalties, limit our ability to inject capital into our PRC subsidiaries, limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to increase their registered capital or distribute profits to us, or may otherwise adversely affect us.

The SAFE promulgated the Circular on Relevant Issues Relating to Domestic Resident’s Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment through Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 37, in July 2014 that requires PRC residents or entities to register with SAFE or its local branch in connection with their establishment or control of an offshore entity established for the purpose of overseas investment or financing with such PRC residents or entities’ legally owned assets or equity interests in domestic enterprises or offshore assets or interests. In addition, such PRC residents or entities must update their SAFE registrations when the offshore special purpose vehicle undergoes material events relating to any change of basic information (including change of such PRC citizens or residents, name and operation term), increases or decreases in investment amount, transfers or exchanges of shares, or mergers or divisions.

SAFE Circular 37 is issued to replace the Notice on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Administration for PRC Residents Engaging in Financing and Roundtrip Investments via Overseas Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 75.

If our shareholders who are PRC residents or entities do not complete their registration with the local SAFE branches, our PRC subsidiaries may be prohibited from distributing their profits and proceeds from any reduction in capital, share transfer or liquidation to us, and we may be restricted in our ability to contribute additional capital to our PRC subsidiaries. Moreover, failure to comply with the SAFE registration described above could result in liability under PRC laws for evasion of applicable foreign exchange restrictions.

We have notified all PRC residents or entities who directly or indirectly hold shares in our Cayman Islands holding company and who are known to us as being PRC residents to complete the foreign exchange registrations. We are aware that Mr. Robin Yanhong Li, our chairman, and Dr. Yu Gong, our chief executive officer and director, both PRC residents, have registered with the relevant local SAFE branch.

However, we may not be informed of the identities of all the PRC residents or entities holding direct or indirect interest in our company, nor can we compel our beneficial owners to comply with SAFE registration requirements. As a result, we cannot assure you that all of our shareholders or beneficial owners who are PRC residents or entities have complied with, and will in the future make, obtain or update any applicable registrations or approvals required by, SAFE regulations. Failure by such shareholders or beneficial owners to comply with SAFE regulations, or failure by us to amend the foreign exchange registrations of our PRC subsidiaries, could

 

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subject us to fines or legal sanctions, restrict our overseas or cross-border investment activities, limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to make distributions or pay dividends to us or affect our ownership structure, which could adversely affect our business and prospects.

Any failure to comply with PRC regulations regarding the registration requirements for employee stock incentive plans may subject the PRC plan participants or us to fines and other legal or administrative sanctions.

Pursuant to SAFE Circular 37, PRC residents who participate in share incentive plans in overseas non-publicly-listed companies may submit applications to SAFE or its local branches for the foreign exchange registration with respect to offshore special purpose companies. In the meantime, our directors, executive officers and other employees who are PRC citizens or who are non-PRC residents residing in the PRC for a continuous period of not less than one year, subject to limited exceptions, and who have been granted share-based awards by us, may follow the Notices on Issues Concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Stock Incentive Plan of Overseas Publicly-Listed Company, promulgated by the SAFE in 2012. Pursuant to the 2012 SAFE notices, PRC citizens and non-PRC citizens who reside in China for a continuous period of not less than one year who participate in any stock incentive plan of an overseas publicly listed company, subject to a few exceptions, are required to register with SAFE through a domestic qualified agent, which could be the PRC subsidiaries of such overseas listed company, and complete certain other procedures. In addition, an overseas entrusted institution must be retained to handle matters in connection with the exercise or sale of stock options and the purchase or sale of shares and interests. We, our directors, our executive officers and other employees who are PRC citizens or who reside in the PRC for a continuous period of not less than one year and who have been granted share-based awards will be subject to these regulations when our company becomes an overseas listed company upon the completion of this offering. Failure to complete the SAFE registrations may subject them to fines, and legal sanctions and may also limit our ability to contribute additional capital into our PRC subsidiaries and limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to distribute dividends to us. We also face regulatory uncertainties that could restrict our ability to adopt additional incentive plans for our directors, executive officers and employees under PRC law. See “Regulation—Regulations on Employment and Social Welfare—Employee Stock Incentive Plan.”

The State Administration of Taxation, or SAT, has issued certain circulars concerning employee share options and restricted shares. Under these circulars, our employees working in China who exercise share options or are granted restricted shares will be subject to PRC individual income tax. Our PRC subsidiaries have obligations to file documents related to employee share options or restricted shares with relevant tax authorities and to withhold individual income taxes of those employees who exercise their share options. If our employees fail to pay or we fail to withhold their income taxes according to relevant laws and regulations, we may face sanctions imposed by the tax authorities or other PRC governmental authorities. See “Regulation—Regulations on Employment and Social Welfare—Employee Stock Incentive Plan.”

If we are classified as a PRC resident enterprise for PRC income tax purposes, such classification could result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders or ADS holders.

Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules, an enterprise established outside of the PRC with its “de facto management body” within the PRC is considered a “resident enterprise” and will be subject to PRC enterprise income tax on its global income at the rate of 25%. The implementation rules define the term “de facto management body” as the body that exercises full and substantial control and overall management over the business, productions, personnel, accounts and properties of an enterprise. In 2009, the State Administration of Taxation issued a circular, known as SAT Circular 82, which provides certain specific criteria for determining whether the “de facto management body” of a PRC-controlled enterprise that is incorporated offshore is located in China. Although this circular only applies to offshore enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups, not those controlled by PRC individuals or foreigners, the criteria set forth in the circular may reflect the State Administration of Taxation’s general position on how the “de facto

 

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management body” text should be applied in determining the tax resident status of all offshore enterprises. According to SAT Circular 82, an offshore incorporated enterprise controlled by a PRC enterprise or a PRC enterprise group will be regarded as a PRC tax resident by virtue of having its “de facto management body” in China and will be subject to PRC enterprise income tax on its global income only if all of the following conditions are met: (i) the primary location of the day-to-day operational management is in the PRC; (ii) decisions relating to the enterprise’s financial and human resource matters are made or are subject to approval by organizations or personnel in the PRC; (iii) the enterprise’s primary assets, accounting books and records, company seals, and board and shareholder resolutions, are located or maintained in the PRC; and (iv) at least 50% of voting board members or senior executives habitually reside in the PRC.

We believe none of our entities outside of China is a PRC resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes. However, the tax resident status of an enterprise is subject to determination by the PRC tax authorities and uncertainties remain with respect to the interpretation of the term “de facto management body.” If the PRC tax authorities determine that iQIYI, Inc. is a PRC resident enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes, we may be required to withhold a 10% withholding tax from dividends we pay to our shareholders that are non-resident enterprises, including the holders of our ADSs. In addition, non-resident enterprise shareholders (including our ADS holders) may be subject to PRC tax at a rate of 10% on gains realized on the sale or other disposition of ADSs or ordinary shares at a rate of 10%, if such income is treated as sourced from within the PRC. Furthermore, if PRC tax authorities determine that we are a PRC resident enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes, dividends paid to our non-PRC individual shareholders (including our ADS holders) and any gain realized on the transfer of ADSs or ordinary shares by such shareholders may be subject to PRC tax at a rate of 20% (which, in the case of dividends, may be withheld at source by us), if such gains are deemed to be from PRC sources. These rates may be reduced by an applicable tax treaty, but it is unclear whether non-PRC shareholders of iQIYI, Inc. would be able to claim the benefits of any tax treaties between their country of tax residence and the PRC in the event that iQIYI, Inc. is treated as a PRC resident enterprise. Any such tax may reduce the returns on your investment in the ADSs.

The audit report included in this prospectus is prepared by an auditor who is not inspected by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and, as such, you are deprived of the benefits of such inspection

Our independent registered public accounting firm that issues the audit reports included in our prospectus filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, as auditors of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm registered with the U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or the PCAOB, is required by the laws of the United States to undergo regular inspections by the PCAOB to assess its compliance with the laws of the United States and professional standards. Because our auditors are located in the Peoples’ Republic of China, a jurisdiction where the PCAOB is currently unable to conduct inspections without the approval of the Chinese authorities, our auditors are not currently inspected by the PCAOB.

Inspections of other firms that the PCAOB has conducted outside China have identified deficiencies in those firms’ audit procedures and quality control procedures, which may be addressed as part of the inspection process to improve future audit quality. This lack of PCAOB inspections in China prevents the PCAOB from regularly evaluating our auditor’s audits and its quality control procedures. As a result, investors may be deprived of the benefits of PCAOB inspections.

The inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of auditors in China makes it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our auditor’s audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside of China that are subject to PCAOB inspections. Investors may lose confidence in our reported financial information and procedures and the quality of our financial statements.

 

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Proceedings instituted by the SEC against five PRC-based accounting firms, including our independent registered public accounting firm, could result in financial statements being determined to not be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act.

Starting in 2011 the Chinese affiliates of the “big four” accounting firms, including our independent registered public accounting firm, were affected by a conflict between U.S. and Chinese law. Specifically, for certain U.S.-listed companies operating and audited in mainland China, the SEC and the PCAOB sought to obtain from the Chinese firms access to their audit work papers and related documents. The firms were, however, advised and directed that under Chinese law, they could not respond directly to the U.S. regulators on those requests, and that requests by foreign regulators for access to such papers in China had to be channeled through the CSRC.

In December 2012, the SEC instituted proceedings under Rule 102(e)(1)(iii) of its Rules of Practice and also under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 against five Chinese-based accounting firms, including our independent registered public accounting firm, alleging that these firms had violated U.S. securities laws and the SEC’s rules and regulations thereunder by failing to provide to the SEC the firms’ work papers related to their audits of certain China-based companies that are publicly traded in the U.S. Rule 102(e)(1)(iii) grants the SEC the authority to deny to any person, temporarily or permanently, the ability to practice before the SEC who is found by the SEC, after notice and opportunity for a hearing, to have willfully violated any such laws or rules and regulations. On January 22, 2014, an initial administrative law decision was issued, censuring these accounting firms and suspending four of the five firms from practicing before the SEC for a period of six months. Four of these China-based accounting firms appealed to the SEC against this decision and, on February 6, 2015, each of the four China-based accounting firms agreed to a censure and to pay a fine to the SEC to settle the dispute and avoid suspension of their ability to practice before the SEC. The firms’ ability to continue to serve all their respective customers is not affected by the settlement. The settlement requires the firms to follow detailed procedures to seek to provide the SEC with access to Chinese firms’ audit documents via the China Securities Regulatory Commission. If the firms do not follow these procedures, the SEC could impose penalties such as suspensions, or it could restart the administrative proceedings. The settlement did not require the firms to admit to any violation of law and preserves the firms’ legal defenses in the event the administrative proceeding is restarted.

In the event that the SEC restarts the administrative proceedings, depending upon the final outcome, listed companies in the United States with major PRC operations may find it difficult or impossible to retain auditors in respect of their operations in the PRC, which could result in financial statements being determined to not be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, including possible delisting. Moreover, any negative news about any such future proceedings against these audit firms may cause investor uncertainty regarding China-based, U.S.-listed companies and the market price of our ordinary shares may be adversely affected.

If our independent registered public accounting firm was denied, even temporarily, the ability to practice before the SEC and we were unable to timely find another registered public accounting firm to audit and issue an opinion on our financial statements, our financial statements could be determined not to be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act. Such a determination could ultimately lead to the delisting of our ADSs from the Nasdaq or deregistration from the SEC, or both, which would substantially reduce or effectively terminate the trading of our ADSs in the United States.

Risks Related to Our ADSs and this Offering

An active trading market for our ordinary shares or our ADSs may not develop and the trading price for our ADSs may fluctuate significantly.

We have applied to list our ADSs on the Nasdaq Global Market. We have no current intention to seek a listing for our ordinary shares on any stock exchange. Prior to the completion of this offering, there has been no public market for our ADSs or our ordinary shares, and we cannot assure you that a liquid public market

 

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for our ADSs will develop. If an active public market for our ADSs does not develop following the completion of this offering, the market price and liquidity of our ADSs may be materially and adversely affected. The initial public offering price for our ADSs will be determined by negotiation between us and the underwriters based upon several factors, and we can provide no assurance that the trading price of our ADSs after this offering will not decline below the initial public offering price. As a result, investors in our securities may experience a significant decrease in the value of their ADSs.

The trading price of our ADSs is likely to be volatile, which could result in substantial losses to investors.

The trading price of our ADSs is likely to be volatile and could fluctuate widely due to multiple factors, some of which are beyond our control. This may happen because of broad market and industry factors, including the performance and fluctuation of the market prices of other companies with business operations located mainly in China that have listed their securities in the United States. In addition to market and industry factors, the price and trading volume for our ADSs may be highly volatile for factors specific to our own operations, including the following:

 

    variations in our revenues, operating costs and expenses, earnings and cash flow;

 

    announcements of new investments, acquisitions, strategic partnerships or joint ventures by us or our competitors;

 

    announcements of new offerings, solutions and expansions by us or our competitors;

 

    changes in financial estimates by securities analysts;

 

    detrimental adverse publicity about us, our services, our employees, our content offerings, our business model or our industry;

 

    additions or departures of key personnel;

 

    release of lock-up or other transfer restrictions on our outstanding equity securities or sales of additional equity securities; and

 

    potential litigation or regulatory investigations.

Any of these factors may result in large and sudden changes in the volume and price at which our ADSs will trade.

In the past, shareholders of public companies have often brought securities class action suits against those companies following periods of instability in the market price of their securities. If we were involved in a class action suit, it could divert a significant amount of our management’s attention and other resources from our business and operations and require us to incur significant expenses to defend the suit, which could harm our results of operations. Any such class action suit, whether or not successful, could harm our reputation and restrict our ability to raise capital in the future. In addition, if a claim is successfully made against us, we may be required to pay significant damages, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they adversely change their recommendations regarding our ADSs, the market price for our ADSs and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our ADSs will be influenced by research or reports that industry or securities analysts publish about our business. If one or more analysts who cover us downgrade our ADSs, the market price for our ADSs would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease to cover us or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause the market price or trading volume for our ADSs to decline.

 

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The sale or availability for sale of substantial amounts of our ADSs could adversely affect their market price.

Sales of substantial amounts of our ADSs in the public market after the completion of this offering, or the perception that these sales could occur, could adversely affect the market price of our ADSs and could materially impair our ability to raise capital through equity offerings in the future. The ADSs sold in this offering will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, and shares held by our existing shareholders may also be sold in the public market in the future subject to the restrictions in Rule 144 and Rule 701 under the Securities Act and the applicable lock-up agreements. There will be              ADSs (equivalent to              Class A ordinary shares) outstanding immediately after this offering, or              ADSs (equivalent to              Class A to ordinary shares) if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs in full. In connection with this offering, we, our directors and executive officers, our existing shareholders and certain holders of our share-based awards have agreed not to sell any ordinary shares, ADSs or similar securities for 180 days after the date of this prospectus without the prior written consent of the underwriters, subject to certain exceptions. However, the underwriters may release these securities from these restrictions at any time, subject to applicable regulations of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. We cannot predict what effect, if any, market sales of securities held by our significant shareholders or any other shareholder or the availability of these securities for future sale will have on the market price of our ADSs. See “Underwriting” and “Shares Eligible for Future Sale” for a more detailed description of the restrictions on selling our securities after this offering.

Our proposed dual-class voting structure will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any change of control transactions that holders of our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may view as beneficial.

Our authorized and issued ordinary shares will be divided into Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the completion of this offering (with a third class of undesignated shares authorized but not issued). Holders of Class A ordinary shares will be entitled to one vote per share, while holders of Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to ten votes per share. We will issue Class A ordinary shares represented by our ADSs in this offering. All of the outstanding ordinary and preferred shares held by Baidu or its affiliates as of the date of this prospectus will be automatically re-designated or converted into Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the completion of this offering. All other ordinary shares or preferred shares that are outstanding as of the date of this prospectus will be automatically redesignated or converted into Class A ordinary shares immediately prior to the completion of this offering. We intend to maintain the dual-class voting structure after the completion of this offering.

Due to the disparate voting powers attached to these two classes of ordinary shares, Baidu will own approximately         % of our total issued and outstanding ordinary shares on an as-converted basis and         % of the voting power of our outstanding shares immediately after this offering, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option. Therefore, Baidu will have decisive influence over matters requiring shareholders’ approval, including election of directors and significant corporate transactions, such as a merger or sale of our company or our assets. This concentrated control will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any potential merger, takeover or other change of control transactions that holders of Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may view as beneficial.

Because we do not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future after this offering, you must rely on price appreciation of our ADSs for return on your investment.

We currently intend to retain most, if not all, of our available funds and any future earnings after this offering to fund the development and growth of our business. As a result, we do not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Therefore, you should not rely on an investment in our ADSs as a source for any future dividend income.

Our board of directors has complete discretion as to whether to distribute dividends. Even if our board of directors decides to declare and pay dividends, the timing, amount and form of future dividends, if any, will

 

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depend on our future results of operations and cash flow, our capital requirements and surplus, the amount of distributions, if any, received by us from our subsidiaries, our financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors. Accordingly, the return on your investment in our ADSs will likely depend entirely upon any future price appreciation of our ADSs. There is no guarantee that our ADSs will appreciate in value after this offering or even maintain the price at which you purchased the ADSs. You may not realize a return on your investment in our ADSs and you may even lose your entire investment in our ADSs.

We have not determined a specific use for a portion of the net proceeds from this offering and we may use these proceeds in ways with which you may not agree.

We have not determined a specific use for a portion of the net proceeds of this offering, and our management will have considerable discretion in deciding how to apply these proceeds. You will not have the opportunity to assess whether the proceeds are being used appropriately before you make your investment decision. You must rely on the judgment of our management regarding the application of the net proceeds of this offering. We cannot assure you that the net proceeds will be used in a manner that would improve our results of operations or increase our ADS price, nor that these net proceeds will be placed only in investments that generate income or appreciate in value.

The approval of the China Securities Regulatory Commission may be required in connection with this offering under PRC law.

The M&A Rules, which were adopted in 2006 by six PRC regulatory agencies, including the CSRC, purport to require offshore special purpose vehicles that are controlled by PRC companies or individuals and that have been formed for the purpose of seeking a public listing on an overseas stock exchange through acquisitions of PRC domestic companies or assets to obtain CSRC approval prior to publicly listing their securities on an overseas stock exchange. The interpretation and application of the regulations remain unclear, and this offering may ultimately require approval from the CSRC. If CSRC approval is required, it is uncertain whether it would be possible for us to obtain the approval and any failure to obtain or delay in obtaining CSRC approval for this offering would subject us to sanctions imposed by the CSRC and other PRC regulatory agencies.

Our PRC counsel, Jingtian & Gongcheng Law Firm, has advised us that, based on its understanding of the current PRC laws and regulations, we will not be required to submit an application to the CSRC for the approval of the listing and trading of our ADSs on Nasdaq Global Market because (i) the CSRC currently has not issued any definitive rule or interpretation concerning whether offerings like ours under this prospectus are subject to this regulation, (ii) our wholly owned PRC subsidiaries were established by foreign direct investment, rather than through a merger or acquisition of a domestic company as defined under the M&A Rules and (iii) no explicit provision in the M&A Rules classifies the respective contractual arrangements among our PRC subsidiaries, the consolidated affiliated entities and their shareholders as a type of acquisition transaction falling under the M&A Rules.

However, we cannot assure you that relevant PRC government agencies, including the CSRC, would reach the same conclusion as our PRC counsel, and hence we may face regulatory actions or other sanctions from the CSRC or other PRC regulatory agencies. These regulatory agencies may impose fines and penalties on our operations in China, limit our ability to pay dividends outside of China, limit our operating privileges in China, delay or restrict the repatriation of the proceeds from this offering into China or take other actions that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, as well as the trading price of the ADSs. The CSRC or other PRC regulatory agencies also may take actions requiring us, or making it advisable for us, to halt this offering before settlement and delivery of the ADSs offered hereby. Consequently, if you engage in market trading or other activities in anticipation of and prior to settlement and delivery, you do so at the risk that settlement and delivery may not occur. In addition, if the CSRC or other regulatory agencies later promulgate new rules or explanations requiring that we obtain their approvals for this offering, we may be unable to obtain a waiver of such approval requirements, if and when procedures are

 

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established to obtain such a waiver. Any uncertainties and/or negative publicity regarding such approval requirement could have a material adverse effect on the trading price of the ADSs.

Our memorandum and articles of association contain anti-takeover provisions that could have a material adverse effect on the rights of holders of our ordinary shares and ADSs.

We will adopt the ninth amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that will become effective immediately prior to the completion of this offering. Our new memorandum and articles of association contain provisions to limit the ability of others to acquire control of our company or cause us to engage in change-of-control transactions. These provisions could have the effect of depriving our shareholders of an opportunity to sell their shares at a premium over prevailing market prices by discouraging third parties from seeking to obtain control of our company in a tender offer or similar transaction. Our board of directors has the authority, without further action by our shareholders, to issue preferred shares in one or more series and to fix their designations, powers, preferences, privileges, and relative participating, optional or special rights and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption and liquidation preferences, any or all of which may be greater than the rights associated with our ordinary shares, in the form of ADS or otherwise. Preferred shares could be issued quickly with terms calculated to delay or prevent a change in control of our company or make removal of management more difficult. If our board of directors decides to issue preferred shares, the price of our ADSs may fall and the voting and other rights of the holders of our ordinary shares and ADSs may be materially and adversely affected.

You may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through U.S. courts may be limited, because we are incorporated under Cayman Islands law.

We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. Our corporate affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Law (2016 Revision) of the Cayman Islands and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from the common law of England, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding, on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors under Cayman Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws than the United States. Some U.S. states, such as Delaware, have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law than the Cayman Islands. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a federal court of the United States.

Shareholders of Cayman Islands exempted companies like us have no general rights under Cayman Islands law to inspect corporate records or to obtain copies of lists of shareholders of these companies. Our directors have discretion under our articles of association to determine whether or not, and under what conditions, our corporate records may be inspected by our shareholders, but are not obliged to make them available to our shareholders. This may make it more difficult for you to obtain the information needed to establish any facts necessary for a shareholder motion or to solicit proxies from other shareholders in connection with a proxy contest.

Certain corporate governance practices in the Cayman Islands, which is our home country, differ significantly from requirements for companies incorporated in other jurisdictions such as the United States. Currently, we do not plan to rely on home country practice with respect to any corporate governance matter. To the extent we choose to follow home country practice with respect to corporate governance matters, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they otherwise would under rules and regulations applicable to U.S. domestic issuers.

 

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As a result of all of the above, our public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a company incorporated in the United States. For a discussion of significant differences between the provisions of the Companies Law of the Cayman Islands and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders, see “Description of Share Capital—Differences in Corporate Law.”

Certain judgments obtained against us by our shareholders may not be enforceable.

We are a Cayman Islands company and substantially all of our assets are located outside of the United States. Substantially all of our current operations are conducted in China. In addition, most of our current directors and officers are nationals and residents of countries other than the United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for you to bring an action against us or against these individuals in the United States in the event that you believe that your rights have been infringed under the U.S. federal securities laws or otherwise. Even if you are successful in bringing an action of this kind, the laws of the Cayman Islands and of China may render you unable to enforce a judgment against our assets or the assets of our directors and officers. For more information regarding the relevant laws of the Cayman Islands and China, see “Enforceability of Civil Liabilities.”

The voting rights of holders of ADSs are limited by the terms of the deposit agreement, and you may not be able to exercise your right to vote your Class A ordinary shares.

As a holder of our ADSs, you will only be able to exercise the voting rights with respect to the underlying Class A ordinary shares in accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement. Under the deposit agreement, you must vote by giving voting instructions to the depositary. If we ask for your instructions, then upon receipt of your voting instructions, the depositary will try to vote the underlying Class A ordinary shares in accordance with these instructions. If we do not instruct the depositary to ask for your instructions, the depositary may still vote in accordance with instructions you give, but it is not required to do so. You will not be able to directly exercise your right to vote with respect to the underlying shares unless you withdraw the shares. When a general meeting is convened, you may not receive sufficient advance notice to withdraw the shares underlying your ADSs to allow you to vote with respect to any specific matter. If we ask for your instructions, the depositary will notify you of the upcoming vote and will arrange to deliver our voting materials to you. We have agreed to give the depositary at least 30 days’ prior notice of shareholder meetings. Nevertheless, we cannot assure you that you will receive the voting materials in time to ensure that you can instruct the depositary to vote your shares. In addition, the depositary and its agents are not responsible for failing to carry out voting instructions or for their manner of carrying out your voting instructions. This means that you may not be able to exercise your right to vote and you may have no legal remedy if the shares underlying your ADSs are not voted as you requested.

You may experience dilution of your holdings due to inability to participate in rights offerings.

We may, from time to time, distribute rights to our shareholders, including rights to acquire securities. Under the deposit agreement, the depositary will not distribute rights to holders of ADSs unless the distribution and sale of rights and the securities to which these rights relate are either exempt from registration under the Securities Act with respect to all holders of ADSs, or are registered under the provisions of the Securities Act. The depositary may, but is not required to, attempt to sell these undistributed rights to third parties, and may allow the rights to lapse. We may be unable to establish an exemption from registration under the Securities Act, and we are under no obligation to file a registration statement with respect to these rights or underlying securities or to endeavor to have a registration statement declared effective. Accordingly, holders of ADSs may be unable to participate in our rights offerings and may experience dilution of their holdings as a result.

You may be subject to limitations on transfer of your ADSs.

Your ADSs are transferable on the books of the depositary. However, the depositary may close its books at any time or from time to time when it deems expedient in connection with the performance of its duties. The

 

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depositary may close its books from time to time for a number of reasons, including in connection with corporate events such as a rights offering, during which time the depositary needs to maintain an exact number of ADS holders on its books for a specified period. The depositary may also close its books in emergencies, and on weekends and public holidays. The depositary may refuse to deliver, transfer or register transfers of our ADSs generally when our share register or the books of the depositary are closed, or at any time if we or the depositary thinks it is advisable to do so because of any requirement of law or of any government or governmental body, or under any provision of the deposit agreement, or for any other reason.

We are a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act, and as such we are exempt from certain provisions applicable to United States domestic public companies.

Because we are a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we are exempt from certain provisions of the securities rules and regulations in the United States that are applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, including: (i) the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or current reports on Form 8-K with the SEC; (ii) the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents, or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act; (iii) the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their stock ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; and (iv) the selective disclosure rules by issuers of material nonpublic information under Regulation FD.

We will be required to file an annual report on Form 20-F within four months of the end of each fiscal year. In addition, we intend to publish our results on a quarterly basis through press releases, distributed pursuant to the rules and regulations of Nasdaq Global Market. Press releases relating to financial results and material events will also be furnished to the SEC on Form 6-K. However, the information we are required to file with or furnish to the SEC will be less extensive and less timely compared to that required to be filed with the SEC by U.S. domestic issuers. As a result, you may not be afforded the same protections or information, which would be made available to you, were you investing in a U.S. domestic issuer.

We will incur additional costs as a result of being a public company.

Upon completion of this offering, we will become a public company and expect to incur significant accounting, legal and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, as well as rules subsequently implemented by the SEC and Nasdaq, have detailed requirements concerning corporate governance practices of public companies, including Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act relating to internal controls over financial reporting. We expect these rules and regulations applicable to public companies to increase our accounting, legal and financial compliance costs and to make certain corporate activities more time-consuming and costly. Our management will be required to devote substantial time and attention to our public company reporting obligations and other compliance matters. We are currently evaluating and monitoring developments with respect to these rules and regulations, and we cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we may incur or the timing of such costs. Our reporting and other compliance obligations as a public company may place a significant strain on our management, operational and financial resources and systems for the foreseeable future.

We may be a passive foreign investment company, which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors owning our ADSs or ordinary shares.

A non-U.S. corporation, such as our company, will be considered a passive foreign investment company, or “PFIC,” for any taxable year if either (i) at least 75% of its gross income is passive income or (ii) at least 50% of the value of its assets (based on an average of the quarterly values of the assets during a taxable year) is attributable to assets that produce or are held for the production of passive income. The value of our assets may be determined by reference to the market price of the ADSs and ordinary shares, which may fluctuate considerably. In addition, because there are uncertainties in the application of the relevant rules and because

 

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PFIC status is a fact-intensive determination made on an annual basis, no assurance can be given with respect to our PFIC status for the current or any future taxable year.

Based on our current and expected income and assets (taking into account the expected cash proceeds and our anticipated market capitalization following this offering), we do not presently expect to be a PFIC for the current taxable year or the foreseeable future. However, given the lack of authority and the highly factual nature of the analyses, no assurance can be given in this regard. Fluctuations in the market price of our ADSs may cause us to become a PFIC for the current or subsequent taxable years because the value of our assets for the purpose of the asset test may be determined by reference to the market price of our ADSs. The composition of our income and assets may also be affected by how, and how quickly, we use our liquid assets and the cash raised in this offering. In addition, because there are uncertainties in the application of the relevant rules, it is possible that the Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, may challenge our classification of certain income and assets as non-passive or our valuation of our tangible and intangible assets, each of which may result in our becoming a PFIC for the current or subsequent taxable years. Furthermore, we may also be a PFIC if we were not treated as the owner of our consolidated affiliated entities for U.S. tax purposes.

If we were treated as a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. investor held an ADS or an ordinary share, certain adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences could apply to the U.S. Holder. See “Taxation—U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations—Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations.”

 

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

AND INDUSTRY DATA

This prospectus contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical facts are forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

You can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “likely to” or other similar expressions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about:

 

    our goals and strategies;

 

    our ability to retain and increase the number of users, members and advertising customers, and expand our service offerings;

 

    our future business development, financial condition and results of operations;

 

    expected changes in our revenues, costs or expenditures;

 

    our expectation regarding the use of proceeds from this offering;

 

    competition in our industry;

 

    relevant government policies and regulations relating to our industry;

 

    general economic and business conditions globally and in China; and

 

    assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing.

You should read thoroughly this prospectus and the documents that we refer to in this prospectus with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from and worse than what we expect. Other sections of this prospectus include additional factors which could adversely impact our business and financial performance. Moreover, we operate in an evolving environment. New risk factors and uncertainties emerge from time to time and it is not possible for our management to predict all risk factors and uncertainties, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.

You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

This prospectus also contains statistical data and estimates that we obtained from industry publications and reports generated by third-party providers of market intelligence. These industry publications and reports generally indicate that the information contained therein was obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but do not guarantee the accuracy and completeness of such information. Although we believe that the publications and reports are reliable, we have not independently verified the data.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We estimate that we will receive net proceeds from this offering of approximately $             million, or approximately $              million if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs in full, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and the estimated offering expenses payable by us. These estimates are based upon an assumed initial offering price of $             per ADS, the mid-point of the range shown on the front cover page of this prospectus. A $1.00 change in the assumed initial public offering price of $             per ADS would, in the case of an increase, increase and, in the case of a decrease, decrease the net proceeds of this offering by $             million, or approximately $             million if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs in full, assuming the sale of              ADSs at $             per ADS, the mid-point of the range shown on the front cover page of this prospectus and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and the estimated offering expenses payable by us.

The primary purposes of this offering are to enhance our brand recognition, attract and retain talented employees by providing them with equity incentives, and obtain additional capital. We intend to use the proceeds we receive from this offering as follows:

 

    approximately US$             million, or 50% of the net proceeds to expand and enhance our content offerings;

 

    approximately US$             million, or 10% of the net proceeds to strengthen our technologies; and

 

    the balance, or 40% of the net proceeds, for working capital and other general corporate purposes.

Additionally, we may use a portion of the net proceeds to acquire businesses, products, services or technologies. However, we do not have agreements or commitments for any material acquisitions as of the date of this prospectus. The foregoing represents our current intentions based upon our present plans and business conditions to use and allocate the net proceeds of this offering. The amounts and timing of any expenditures will vary depending on the amount of cash generated by our operations, and the rate of growth, if any, of our business. Accordingly, our management will have significant flexibility in applying the net proceeds of the offering. If an unforeseen event occurs or business conditions change, we may use the proceeds of this offering differently than as described in this prospectus.

In utilizing the proceeds of this offering, we are permitted under PRC laws and regulations to provide funding to our PRC subsidiaries only through loans or capital contributions. Subject to satisfaction of applicable government registration and approval requirements, we may extend inter-company loans to our PRC subsidiary or make additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiary to fund its capital expenditures or working capital. There is, in effect, no statutory limit on the amount of capital contribution that we can make to our PRC subsidiaries. This is because there is no statutory limit on the amount of registered capital for our PRC subsidiaries, and we are allowed to make capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries by subscribing for their initial registered capital and increased registered capital, provided that the PRC subsidiaries completes the relevant filing and registration procedures. With respect to loans to the PRC subsidiaries by us, (i) if the relevant PRC subsidiaries determine to adopt the traditional foreign exchange administration mechanism, or the Current Foreign Debt mechanism, the outstanding amount of the loans shall not exceed the difference between the total investment and the registered capital of the PRC subsidiaries and there is, in effect, no statutory limit on the amount of loans that we can make to our PRC subsidiaries under this circumstance since we can increase the registered capital of our PRC subsidiaries by making capital contributions to them, subject to the completion of relevant registrations, and the difference between the total investment and the registered capital will increase accordingly; and (ii) if the relevant PRC subsidiaries determine to adopt the foreign exchange administration mechanism as provided in the PBOC Notice No. 9, or the Notice No. 9 Foreign Debt mechanism, the risk-weighted outstanding amount of the loans, which shall be calculated based on the formula provided in the PBOC Notice No. 9, shall not exceed 200% of the net asset of the relevant PRC subsidiary. According to the PBOC Notice No. 9, after a transition period of one year since the promulgation of the PBOC Notice No. 9, the PBOC and SAFE will determine the cross-border financing administration mechanism for the foreign-invested enterprises after evaluating the overall implementation of the PBOC Notice No. 9. As of the date hereof, neither

 

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PBOC nor SAFE has promulgated and made public any further rules, regulations, notices or circulars in this regard. It is uncertain which mechanism will be adopted by PBOC and SAFE in the future and what statutory limits will be imposed on us when providing loans to our PRC subsidiaries. In terms of capital contributions, it typically takes about eight weeks to complete the relevant filings and registrations. In terms of loans, the SAFE registration process typically takes about four weeks to complete. While we currently see no material obstacles to completing the filing and registration procedures with respect to future capital contributions and loans to our PRC subsidiaries, we cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain these government registrations or approvals on a timely basis, if at all. See “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Doing Business in China—PRC regulation of loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies and governmental control of currency conversion may delay or prevent us from using the proceeds of this offering to make loans to or make additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.” It is likely that we will need to convert some of our net proceeds in U.S. dollars into Renminbi in order to use as proceeds as contemplated in this section. For details of PRC regulations governing foreign currency conversion, see “Regulation—Regulations on Foreign Exchange.”

Pending use of the net proceeds, we intend to hold our net proceeds in demand deposits or invest them in interest-bearing government securities.

 

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DIVIDEND POLICY

Our board of directors has complete discretion on whether to distribute dividends. Even if our board of directors decides to pay dividends, the form, frequency and amount will depend upon our future operations and earnings, capital requirements and surplus, general financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors that the board of directors may deem relevant.

We do not have any present plan to pay any cash dividends on our ordinary shares in the foreseeable future after this offering. We currently intend to retain most, if not all, of our available funds and any future earnings to operate and expand our business.

We are a holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands. We may rely on dividends from our subsidiaries in China for our cash requirements, including any payment of dividends to our shareholders. PRC regulations may restrict the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to us. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—We may rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our PRC subsidiaries to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have, and any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to make payments to us and any tax we are required to pay could have a material and adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business.”

If we pay any dividends, we will pay our ADS holders to the same extent as holders of our Class A ordinary shares, subject to the terms of the deposit agreement, including the fees and expenses payable thereunder. See “Description of American Depositary Shares.” Cash dividends on our ordinary shares, if any, will be paid in U.S. dollars.

 

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CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth our capitalization, defined as our long-term loan and total shareholders’ (deficit)/equity, as of December 31, 2017:

 

    on an actual basis;

 

    on a pro forma basis to reflect (i) the automatic conversion of all our outstanding preferred shares into 3,728,823,500 ordinary shares; (ii) the re-designation of ordinary shares held by holders other than Baidu or its affiliates into 1,231,841,032 Class A ordinary shares; and (iii) the re-designation of ordinary shares held by Baidu or its affiliates into 2,839,530,705 Class B ordinary shares, in each case immediately prior to the completion of this offering; and

 

    a pro forma as adjusted basis to reflect (i) the automatic conversion of all our outstanding preferred shares into 3,728,823,500 ordinary shares; (ii) the re-designation of ordinary shares held by holders other than Baidu or its affiliates into 1,231,841,032 Class A ordinary shares; (iii) the re-designation of ordinary shares held by Baidu or its affiliates into 2,839,530,705 Class B ordinary shares, in each case immediately prior to the completion of this offering; and (iv) the issuance and sale of            Class A ordinary shares in the form of ADSs by us in this offering at an assumed initial public offering price of US$            per ADS, the midpoint of the estimated range of the initial public offering price shown on the front cover of this prospectus, after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, assuming the underwriters do not exercise the over-allotment option.

You should read this table together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus and the information under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

 

     As of December 31, 2017  
     Actual      Pro forma      Pro forma
as adjusted(1)
 
     (RMB in thousands)  

Non-Current Liabilities

  

Long-term loan

     284,000        284,000     

Mezzanine Equity

  

Series A redeemable convertible preferred shares

     606,140        —       

Series A-1 redeemable convertible preferred shares

     6,826        —       

Series B redeemable convertible preferred shares

     1,546,912        —       

Series C redeemable convertible preferred shares

     954,544        —       

Series D redeemable convertible preferred shares

     3,195,670        —       

Series E redeemable convertible preferred shares

     2,344,683        —       

Series F redeemable convertible preferred shares

     3,530,583        —       

Series G redeemable convertible preferred shares

     10,416,306        —       
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total mezzanine equity

     22,601,664        —       
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

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     As of December 31, 2017  
     Actual     Pro forma     Pro forma
as adjusted(1)
 
     (RMB in thousands)  

Shareholders’ (deficit)/equity:

      

Ordinary shares

     23       —      

Class A ordinary shares

     —         80    

Class B ordinary shares

     —         185    

Additional paid-in capital

     600,834       23,202,256    

Accumulated deficit

     (15,016,867     (15,016,867  

Accumulated other comprehensive income

     93,126       93,126    

Noncontrolling interests

     3,820       3,820    
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total shareholders’ (deficit)/equity

     (14,319,064     8,282,600    
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total capitalization

     8,566,600       8,566,600    
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

  

 

Notes:

  (1) The pro forma as adjusted information discussed above is illustrative only. Our additional paid-in capital, total shareholders’ (deficit)/equity and total capitalization following the completion of this offering are subject to adjustment based on the actual initial public offering price and other terms of this offering determined at pricing.

Assuming the number of ADSs offered by us as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus remains the same, and after deduction of underwriting discounts and commissions and the estimated offering expenses payable by us, a $1.00 change in the assumed initial public offering price of $             per ADS would, in the case of an increase, increase and, in the case of a decrease, decrease each of additional paid-in capital, total shareholders’ (deficit)/equity and total capitalization by $             million.

 

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DILUTION

If you invest in our ADSs, your interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the initial public offering price per ADS and our net tangible book value per ADS after this offering. Dilution results from the fact that the initial public offering price per ordinary share is substantially in excess of the book value per ordinary share attributable to the existing shareholders for our presently outstanding ordinary shares.

Our net tangible book value as of December 31, 2017 was approximately US$            million, or US$             per ordinary share and US$            per ADS. Net tangible book value represents the amount of our total consolidated tangible assets, less the amount of our total liabilities. Dilution is determined by subtracting net tangible book value per ordinary share, after giving effect to the additional proceeds we will receive from this offering, from the assumed initial public offering price of US$            per ordinary share, which is the midpoint of the estimated initial public offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus adjusted to reflect the ADS-to-ordinary share ratio, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. Because the ordinary shares have the same dividend and other rights, except for voting and conversion rights, the dilution is presented based on all ordinary shares.

Without taking into account any other changes in net tangible book value after December 31, 2017, other than to give effect to our issuance and sale of              ADSs, representing              Class A ordinary shares, offered in this offering at the assumed initial public offering price of US$            per ADS, the midpoint of the estimated range of the initial public offering price, after deduction of the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value as of December 31, 2017 would have been US$            million, or US$            per ordinary share and US$            per ADS. This represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of US$            per ordinary share and US$            per ADS to the existing shareholders and an immediate dilution in net tangible book value of US$            per ordinary share and US$            per ADS to investors purchasing ADSs in this offering. The following table illustrates such dilution:

 

     Per Ordinary Share      Per ADS  

Assumed initial public offering price

   US$      US$  

Net tangible book value as of December 31, 2017

   US$      US$  

Pro forma net tangible book value after giving effect to the conversion of our preferred shares

   US$      US$  

Pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value after giving effect to the conversion of our preferred shares and this offering

   US$      US$  

Amount of dilution in net tangible book value to new investors in this offering

   US$      US$  

A US$1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed public offering price of US$            per ADS would increase (decrease) our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value after giving effect to this offering by US$            , the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per ordinary share and per ADS after giving effect to this offering by US$             per ordinary share and US$             per ADS and the dilution in pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per ordinary share and per ADS to new investors in this offering by US$             per ordinary share and US$             per ADS, assuming no change to the number of ADSs offered by us as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus and assuming no exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses.

The following table summarizes, on a pro forma as adjusted basis as of December 31, 2017, the differences between existing shareholders and the new investors with respect to the number of ordinary shares (in the form of ADSs or ordinary shares) purchased from us, the total consideration paid and the average price per ordinary share and per ADS paid before deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering

 

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expenses. The total number of ordinary shares does not include Class A ordinary shares underlying the ADSs issuable upon the exercise of the over-allotment option granted to the underwriters.

 

     Ordinary Shares
Purchased
     Total Consideration      Average
Price Per
Ordinary
Share
     Average
Price Per
ADS
 
     Number      %      Amount      %        

Existing shareholders

         US$                      US$                   US$               

New investors

         US$         US$      US$  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

       

Total

        100.0      US$        100.0        
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

       

The pro forma as adjusted information discussed above is illustrative only. Our net tangible book value following the completion of this offering is subject to adjustment based on the actual initial public offering price of our ADSs and other terms of this offering determined at pricing.

 

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EXCHANGE RATE INFORMATION

Substantially all of our operations are conducted in China and substantially all of our revenues are denominated in RMB. This prospectus contains translations of RMB amounts into U.S. dollars at specific rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB to U.S. dollars and from U.S. dollars to RMB in this prospectus were made at a rate of RMB6.5063 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate in The City of New York for cable transfers of RMB as certified for customs purposes by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on December 29, 2017. We make no representation that any RMB or U.S. dollar amounts could have been, or could be, converted into U.S. dollars or RMB, as the case may be, at any particular rate, at the rates stated below, or at all. The PRC government imposes control over its foreign currency reserves in part through direct regulation of the conversion of RMB into foreign exchange and through restrictions on foreign trade. On February 23, 2018, the noon buying rate was RMB6.3329 to US$1.00.

The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, information concerning exchange rates between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar based on the noon buying rate in New York City as certified for customs purposes by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. These rates are provided solely for your convenience and are not necessarily the exchange rates that we used in this prospectus or will use in the preparation of our periodic reports or any other information to be provided to you.

 

     Noon Buying Rate  
     Period End      Average(1)      Low      High  
     (RMB per US$1.00)  

Period

           

2013

     6.0537        6.1412        6.2438        6.0537  

2014

     6.2046        6.1704        6.2591        6.0402  

2015

     6.4778        6.2869        6.4896        6.1870  

2016

     6.9430        6.6549        6.9580        6.4480  

2017

     6.5063        6.7350        6.9575        6.4773  

August

     6.5888        6.6670        6.7272        6.5888  

September

     6.6533        6.5690        6.6591        6.4773  

October

     6.6328        6.6254        6.6533        6.5712  

November

     6.6090        6.6200        6.6385        6.5967  

December

     6.5063        6.5932        6.6210        6.5063  

2018

           

January

     6.2841        6.4233        6.5263        6.2841  

February (through February 23)

     6.3329        6.3182        6.3471        6.2649  

 

Note:

(1) Annual averages are calculated from month-end rates. Monthly averages are calculated using the average of the daily rates during the relevant period.

 

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ENFORCEABILITY OF CIVIL LIABILITIES

Cayman Islands

We are incorporated in the Cayman Islands to take advantage of certain benefits associated with being a Cayman Islands exempted company, such as:

 

    political and economic stability;

 

    an effective judicial system;

 

    a favorable tax system;

 

    the absence of exchange control or currency restrictions; and

 

    the availability of professional and support services.

However, certain disadvantages accompany incorporation in the Cayman Islands. These disadvantages include:

 

    the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws as compared to the United States and provides significantly less protection to investors; and

 

    Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to sue before the federal courts of the United States.

Our constituent documents do not contain provisions requiring that disputes, including those arising under the securities laws of the United States, between us, our officers, directors and shareholders, be arbitrated.

Substantially all of our operations are conducted in China, and substantially all of our assets are located in China. A majority of our directors and executive officers are nationals or residents of jurisdictions other than the United States and a substantial portion of their assets are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for a shareholder to effect service of process within the United States upon these persons, or to enforce against us or them judgments obtained in United States courts, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States.

We have appointed Law Debenture Corporate Services Inc., located at 801 2nd Avenue, Suite 403, New York, New York 10017, as our agent upon whom process may be served in any action brought against us under the securities laws of the United States.

We have been advised by Walkers, our counsel as to Cayman Islands law, that the United States and the Cayman Islands do not have a treaty providing for reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments of U.S. courts in civil and commercial matters and that there is uncertainty as to whether a final judgment for the payment of money rendered by any federal or state court in the United States based on civil liability provisions, whether or not predicated solely upon the U.S. federal securities laws, would be enforceable in the Cayman Islands. This uncertainty relates to whether such a judgment would be determined by the courts of the Cayman Islands to be penal or punitive in nature. We have also been advised by Walkers that, notwithstanding the above, a final and conclusive judgment obtained in U.S. federal or state courts under which a definite sum of money is payable as compensatory damages and not in respect of laws that are penal in nature (i.e., not being a sum claimed by a revenue authority for taxes or other charges of a similar nature by a governmental authority, or in respect of a fine or penalty or multiple or punitive damages) will be recognized and enforced in the courts of the Cayman Islands at common law, without any re-examination of the merits of the underlying dispute, by an action commenced on the foreign judgment debt in the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, provided that:

 

    the court that gave the judgment was competent to hear the action in accordance with private international law principles as applied by the courts in the Cayman Islands and the parties subject to such judgment either submitted to such jurisdiction or were resident or carrying on business within such jurisdiction and were duly served with process;

 

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    the judgment given by the foreign court was not in respect of penalties, taxes, fines or similar fiscal or revenue obligations;

 

    the judgment was final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum;

 

    the judgment was not obtained by fraud; and

 

    the judgment was not obtained in a manner and is not of a kind the enforcement of which is contrary to natural justice or public policy in the Cayman Islands.

A Cayman Islands court may impose civil liability on us or our directors or officers in a suit brought in the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands against us or these persons with respect to a violation of U.S. federal securities laws, provided that the facts surrounding any violation constitute or give rise to a cause of action under Cayman Islands law.

PRC

Jingtian & Gongcheng, our counsel as to PRC law, has advised us that there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of China would:

 

    recognize or enforce judgments of United States courts obtained against us or our directors or officers predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States; or

 

    entertain original actions brought in each respective jurisdiction against us or our directors or officers predicated upon the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States.

Jingtian & Gongcheng has further advised us that the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedures Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of the PRC Civil Procedures Law based either on treaties between China and the jurisdiction where the judgment is made or on principles of reciprocity between jurisdictions. China does not have any treaties or other form of reciprocity with the United States that provide for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. In addition, according to the PRC Civil Procedures Law, courts in the PRC will not enforce a foreign judgment against us or our directors and officers if they decide that the judgment violates the basic principles of PRC law or national sovereignty, security or public interest. As a result, it is uncertain whether and on what basis a PRC court would enforce a judgment rendered by a court in the United States. Under the PRC Civil Procedures Law, foreign shareholders may originate actions based on PRC law against us in the PRC, if they can establish sufficient nexus to the PRC for a PRC court to have jurisdiction, and meet other procedural requirements, including, among others, the plaintiff must have a direct interest in the case, and there must be a concrete claim, a factual basis and a cause for the suit. However, it would be difficult for foreign shareholders to establish sufficient nexus to the PRC by virtue only of holding our ADSs or ordinary shares.

 

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CORPORATE HISTORY AND STRUCTURE

Corporate History

We launched qiyi.com under the QIYI brand in April 2010 as an internet video streaming service in China. Our holding company, Ding Xin, Inc., was incorporated in November 2009 in the Cayman Islands. Ding Xin, Inc. was subsequently renamed Qiyi.com, Inc. in August 2010 and later iQIYI, Inc. in November 2017. QIYI was rebranded as iQIYI in November 2011.

In March 2010, we established a wholly-owned PRC subsidiary, Beijing QIYI Century Science & Technology Co., Ltd., or Beijing QIYI Century. In November 2011, we obtained control over Beijing Xinlian Xinde Advertisement Media Co., Ltd. and in May 2012 we renamed it Beijing iQIYI Science & Technology Co., Ltd., or Beijing iQIYI, to operate our internet video streaming services. In December 2012, Shanghai iQIYI Culture Media Co., Ltd., or Shanghai iQIYI, was established as our exclusive advertising agent. In May 2013, we acquired the online video business of PPS. We primarily provide live broadcasting service through Shanghai Zhong Yuan Network Co., Ltd., or Shanghai Zhong Yuan, the operating entity of PPS. We have control over and are the primary beneficiary of Beijing iQIYI, Shanghai iQIYI and Shanghai Zhong Yuan through a series of contractual arrangements. Beijing iQIYI and Shanghai Zhong Yuan hold our ICP licenses and other licenses and permits necessary for our business operation.

In May 2017, we established a wholly-owned Cayman Islands subsidiary, IQIYI Film Group Limited. Subsequently, we established IQIYI Film Group HK Limited in June 2017, and Beijing iQIYI New Media Science and Technology Co., Ltd., or iQIYI New Media, in July 2017. IQIYI Film Group Limited holds 100% of the equity of IQIYI Film Group HK Limited, which in turn holds 100% of equity in iQIYI New Media. iQIYI Pictures (Beijing) Co., Ltd., or iQIYI Pictures, was established in December 2014, and Beijing iQIYI Cinema Management Co., Ltd., or Beijing iQIYI Cinema, was established in June 2017. We have control and are the primary beneficiary of iQIYI Pictures and Beijing iQIYI Cinema through a series of contractual arrangements.

Between March 2010 and September 2014, Baidu made substantial investments in our company, and we issued ordinary shares and several series of preferred shares to Baidu Holdings. In our Series F preferred shares financing, which took place in November 2014, we issued 136,749,954 Series F preferred shares to Baidu Holdings, 341,874,885 Series F preferred shares to Xiaomi Ventures Limited, or Xiaomi Ventures, and 68,374,978 Series F preferred shares to Prominent TMT Limited, an affiliate of Xiaomi Ventures. In January 2017, we raised $1.53 billion from the issuance of convertible notes to a group of investors. These notes were converted into Series G preferred shares in October 2017, including 215,484,776 Series G-1 preferred shares issued to Baidu Holdings and another investor, as well as 798,951,243 Series G-2 preferred shares issued to other investors.

 

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Corporate Structure

The following diagram illustrates our corporate structure, including our significant subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities, as of the date of this prospectus:

 

LOGO

 

(1) Shareholders of Beijing iQIYI Cinema are Dr. Yu Gong, our founder, director and chief executive officer, and Mr. Xianghua Yang, our senior vice president, each holding 50% of equity interest.
(2) Shareholders of iQIYI Pictures are Dr. Yu Gong and Mr. Ning Ya, senior vice president of the company and president of iQIYI Pictures, each holding 50% of equity interest.
(3) Shareholders of Shanghai iQIYI are Dr. Yu Gong and Mr. Xiaohua Geng, our senior vice president, each holding 50% of equity interest.
(4) The shareholder of Beijing iQIYI is Mr. Xiaohua Geng, holding 100% of equity interest.
(5) The shareholder of Shanghai Zhong Yuan is Dr. Yu Gong, holding 100% of equity interest.

Contractual Arrangements with the Consolidated Affiliated Entities and Their Respective Shareholders

Current PRC laws and regulations impose certain restrictions or prohibitions on foreign ownership of companies that engage in value-added telecommunication services, Internet audio-video program services and certain other businesses. We are a company registered in the Cayman Islands. Beijing QIYI Century and iQIYI New Media, our PRC subsidiaries, are considered foreign-invested enterprises. To comply with PRC laws and

 

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regulations, we primarily conduct our business in China through Beijing iQIYI, Shanghai iQIYI, Shanghai Zhong Yuan, iQIYI Pictures and Beijing iQIYI Cinema, our consolidated affiliated entities in the PRC, based on a series of contractual arrangements by and among Beijing QIYI Century, iQIYI New Media, our consolidated affiliated entities and their shareholders. As a result of these contractual arrangements, we exert control over our consolidated affiliated entities in the PRC and consolidate their operating results in our financial statements under U.S. GAAP.

The following is a summary of the currently effective contractual arrangements among Beijing QIYI Century, Beijing iQIYI, Beijing iQIYI’s shareholders and iQIYI, Inc.

Loan Agreement

Pursuant to the amended and restated loan agreement dated January 30, 2013 between Beijing QIYI Century and Mr. Xiaohua Geng, the sole shareholder of Beijing iQIYI, Beijing QIYI Century made loans in an aggregate amount of RMB27 million to Mr. Geng for the acquisition and capitalization of Beijing iQIYI. Pursuant to the amended and restated loan agreement, Mr. Geng can only repay the loans by the sale of all his equity interest in Beijing iQIYI to iQIYI, Inc. insofar as permitted under PRC law and pay all of the proceeds from sale of such equity interests to iQIYI, Inc. In the event that Mr. Geng sells his equity interests in Beijing iQIYI to iQIYI, Inc. with a price equivalent to or less than the amount of the principal, the loans will be interest free. If the price is higher than the amount of the principal, the excess amount will be paid to Beijing QIYI Century as the loan interest to or cost for capital occupancy to the extent allowed under PRC law. The loan maturity date is June 23, 2021 unless otherwise decided by Beijing QIYI Century.

Share Pledge Agreement

Pursuant to the amended and restated equity pledge agreement dated January 30, 2013, Mr. Xiaohua Geng has pledged all of his equity interest in Beijing iQIYI to guarantee his and Beijing iQIYI’s performance of his obligations under, where applicable, the amended and restated exclusive technology consulting and services agreement and the amended and restated loan agreement. If Beijing iQIYI or Mr. Geng breach their contractual obligations under these agreements, Beijing QIYI Century, as pledgee, will have the right to dispose of the pledged equity interests. Mr. Geng agrees that, during the term of the equity pledge agreements, he will not dispose of the pledged equity interests or create or allow any encumbrance on the pledged equity interests, and he also agrees that Beijing QIYI Century’s rights relating to the equity pledge should not be prejudiced by the legal actions of Mr. Geng, his successor or his designatee. During the term of the amended and restated equity pledge agreement, Beijing QIYI Century has the right to receive all of the dividends and profits distributed on the pledged equity. The amended and restated equity pledge agreement will terminate on the date when Beijing iQIYI and Mr. Geng have completed all their obligations under the amended and restated exclusive technology consulting and services agreement and the amended and restated loan agreement unless otherwise unilaterally terminated by Beijing QIYI Century.

Exclusive Purchase Option Agreement

Pursuant to the amended and restated exclusive purchase option agreement dated January 30, 2013 by and among iQIYI, Inc., Beijing QIYI Century, Beijing iQIYI, and Mr. Xiaohua Geng, Mr. Geng irrevocably grants iQIYI, Inc. or its designee an exclusive option to purchase at its discretion, to the extent permitted under PRC law, all or part of his equity interests in Beijing iQIYI. In addition, the purchase price should equal the amount that Mr. Geng contributed to Beijing iQIYI as registered capital for the equity interest to be purchased, or be the lowest price permitted by applicable PRC law. If any dividends or assets of other form were distributed, such dividends or distributions, including the purchase consideration received if the exclusive purchase option is exercised, will have to be repaid by Mr. Geng to iQIYI, Inc. Without the prior written consent of iQIYI, Inc., Beijing iQIYI may not amend its articles of associate, increase or decrease the registered capital, sell or otherwise dispose of its assets or beneficial interest, create or allow any encumbrance on its assets or other

 

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beneficial interests, provide any loans for any third parties, enter into any material contract with a value of more than RMB300,000 (except those contracts entered into in the ordinary course of business), merge with or acquire any other persons or make any investments, or distribute dividends to the shareholders. Mr. Geng agrees that, without the prior written consent of iQIYI, Inc., he will not dispose of his equity interests in Beijing iQIYI or create or allow any encumbrance on the equity interests, and will not cause Beijing iQIYI to provide any persons with any loans. The initial term of the amended and restated exclusive purchase option agreement is ten years and can be renewed at the discretion of iQIYI, Inc.

Business Operation Agreement

Pursuant to the amended and restated business operation agreement dated January 30, 2013 by and among Beijing QIYI Century, Beijing iQIYI and Mr. Xiaohua Geng, Beijing QIYI Century agrees to provide Beijing iQIYI with performance guarantees with respect to any contracts, agreements and transactions Beijing iQIYI entered into in connection with its business. As counter-guarantee, Beijing iQIYI agrees to offer all its account receivables and assets as collateral. The initial term of the business operation agreement is ten years and can be renewed at the discretion of Beijing QIYI Century.

Business Cooperation Agreement

Pursuant to the business cooperation agreement, which took effect on November 23, 2011 by and between Beijing QIYI Century and Beijing iQIYI, Beijing iQIYI agrees to provide Beijing QIYI Century with services, including internet information services, online advertising and other services reasonably necessary within the scope of Beijing QIYI Century’s business. Beijing iQIYI agrees to use, on the website it operates, technology services provided by Beijing QIYI Century, including but not limited to, P2P download and video on-demand system. As consideration for the internet information services and other services provided by Beijing iQIYI, Beijing QIYI Century agrees to pay specified service fees to Beijing iQIYI. Beijing iQIYI has the right to waive the service fees. The term of the business cooperation agreement is ten years and can be renewed at the discretion of Beijing QIYI Century.

Commitment Letter

Pursuant to the commitment letter dated January 30, 2013, under the condition that Beijing iQIYI remains as a consolidated affiliated entity of the Company under U.S. GAAP and the relevant contractual arrangements remain in effect, iQIYI, Inc. and Beijing QIYI Century undertake to provide financial support to Beijing iQIYI for any financial loss that might affect its business operation occurred before and after the execution of the commitment letter as permitted by relevant laws. Such financial support shall be forgiven by iQIYI, Inc. and Beijing QIYI Century. As of December 31, 2017, iQIYI has provided RMB785.8 million (US$120.8 million) in financial support to Beijing iQIYI under this commitment letter, all of which has been forgiven.

Shareholder Voting Rights Trust Agreement

Pursuant to the amended and restated shareholder voting rights trust agreement dated January 30, 2013 by and between Beijing QIYI Century and Mr. Xiaohua Geng, Mr. Geng has agreed to irrevocably entrust a person designated by Beijing QIYI Century to represent him to exercise all the voting rights and other shareholders’ rights to which he is entitled as the shareholder of Beijing iQIYI. The agreement will remain effective for as long as Mr. Geng remains the shareholder of Beijing iQIYI unless Beijing QIYI Century unilaterally terminates the agreement by written notice.

Exclusive Technology Consulting and Services Agreement

Pursuant to the exclusive technology consulting and services agreement, which took effect on November 23, 2011 by and between Beijing QIYI Century and Beijing iQIYI, Beijing QIYI Century has the sole and exclusive

 

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right to provide specified technology consulting and services to Bejing iQIYI. Beijing iQIYI agrees to accept such services and, without the prior written consent of Beijing QIYI Century, may not accept the same or similar technology consulting and services provided by any third party during the term of the agreement. Beijing iQIYI agrees to pay specified service fees to Beijing QIYI Century on a quarterly basis. Beijing QIYI Century has the right to adjust the calculation basis and payment method through written confirmation, without prior consent of Beijing iQIYI. All the benefits and interests generated from the agreement, including but not limited to software copyrights, intellectual property rights, know-how and trade secrets, will be Beijing QIYI Century’s sole and exclusive rights. The term of the exclusive technology consulting and services agreement is ten years and can be renewed at the discretion of Beijing QIYI Century.

Trademark License Agreement

Pursuant to the trademark license agreement, which took effect on November 23, 2011 by and between Beijing QIYI Century and Beijing iQIYI, Beijing QIYI Century grants Beijing iQIYI trademark licenses to use the trademarks held by Beijing QIYI Century in specified areas. Beijing QIYI Century may not grant trademark licenses to third parties. Beijing iQIYI agrees to pay specified usage fees to Beijing QIYI Century. The term of this trademark license agreement is five years and is afterwards automatically renewed for one additional year each year, unless terminated by Beijing QIYI Century by written notice.

Software Usage License Agreement

Pursuant to the software usage license agreement, which took effect on November 23, 2011 by and between Beijing QIYI Century and Beijing iQIYI, Beijing QIYI Century grants Beijing iQIYI non-exclusive rights to use specified software in China. Beijing iQIYI agrees not to sub-license such software usage rights, and agrees to pay specified usage fees to Beijing QIYI Century. The term of this software usage license agreement is five years and can be renewed at the discretion of Beijing QIYI Century. On December 2, 2016, Beijing QIYI Century executed a confirmation letter to extend the term of the software usage license agreement for another five years.

Power of Attorney

On January 30, 2013, Beijing QIYI Century granted iQIYI, Inc. irrevocable power of attorney under the amended and restated shareholder voting rights trust agreement. Pursuant to the irrevocable power of attorney, iQIYI, Inc. may exercise all shareholder rights during the term of the amended and restated shareholder voting rights trust agreement and may transfer such rights to a designated third party without written notice to Beijing QIYI Century.

Spousal Consent Letter

The spouse of the shareholder of Beijing iQIYI signed a spousal consent letter. Under the spousal consent letter, the signing spouse unconditionally and irrevocably agreed that the spouse is aware of the above-mentioned loan agreement, share pledge agreement, exclusive purchase option agreement, business operation agreement, and shareholder voting rights trust agreement, and has no objection regarding the contractual arrangements aforesaid. The signing spouse committed not to impose any adverse assertions upon the validity of such contractual arrangement based on the existence or termination of the marital relationship with the relevant shareholder, or exert any impediment or adverse influence over the relevant shareholder’s performance of any contractual arrangement or claim rights on Beijing iQIYI.

The contractual arrangements by and among iQIYI, Inc., our subsidiary Beijing QIYI Century, Shanghai iQIYI, and the shareholders of Shanghai iQIYI, including loan agreement, share pledge agreement, exclusive purchase option agreement, business operation agreement, commitment letter, shareholder voting rights trust agreement, spousal consent letter and exclusive technology consulting and services agreement, are substantially the same as the corresponding contractual arrangements discussed above.

 

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The contractual arrangements by and among iQIYI, Inc., Beijing QIYI Century, Shanghai Zhong Yuan, and the shareholder of Shanghai Zhong Yuan, including loan agreement, share pledge agreement, exclusive purchase option agreement, business operation agreement, commitment letter, shareholder voting rights trust agreement, spousal consent letter and exclusive technology consulting and services agreement, are substantially the same as the corresponding contractual arrangements discussed above.

The contractual arrangements by and among iQIYI, Inc., our subsidiary iQIYI New Media, Beijing iQIYI Cinema, and the shareholders of Beijing iQIYI Cinema, including loan agreements, share pledge agreements, exclusive purchase option agreement, exclusive management consulting and business cooperation agreement, commitment letter, power of attorney and spousal consent letters, are substantially the same as the corresponding contractual arrangements discussed above.

The contractual arrangements by and among iQIYI, Inc., our subsidiary iQIYI New Media, iQIYI Pictures, and the shareholders of iQIYI Pictures, including loan agreements, share pledge agreements, exclusive purchase option agreement, exclusive management consulting and business cooperation agreement, commitment letters, power of attorney and spousal consent letter, are substantially the same as the corresponding contractual arrangements discussed above.

In the opinion of Jingtian & Gongcheng, our PRC legal counsel:

 

    the ownership structures of our consolidated affiliated entities and our wholly-foreign owned subsidiaries, both currently and immediately after giving effect to this offering, do not and will not contravene any PRC laws or regulations currently in effect; and

 

    the contractual arrangements among our wholly-foreign owned subsidiaries, consolidated affiliated entities and their respective shareholder(s) governed by PRC laws are valid and binding upon each party to such arrangements and enforceable against each party thereto in accordance with their terms and applicable PRC laws and regulations currently in effect, and will not contravene any PRC laws or regulations currently in effect.

However, there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws, regulations and rules. Accordingly, the PRC regulatory authorities may in the future take a view that is contrary to the above opinion of our PRC legal counsel. We have been further advised by our PRC counsel that if the PRC government finds that the agreements that establish the structure for operating our internet video streaming business and related business do not comply with PRC government restrictions on foreign investment in internet video streaming and related businesses, we could be subject to severe penalties including being prohibited from continuing operations. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure—If the PRC government finds that the agreements that establish the structure for operating certain of our operations in China do not comply with PRC regulations relating to the relevant industries, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations.” and “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could adversely affect us.”

 

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OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH BAIDU

Baidu is the leading Chinese language internet search provider. Baidu has been our controlling shareholder since our launch in 2010, and will continue to control us after the completion of this offering. We enjoy significant business synergies with Baidu primarily in the form of complementary content offerings for users and cross-sale of each other’s services.

Historically, Baidu has provided us with technology, infrastructure and financial support. We operate our own technology, management, financial, legal and human resources functions separately from Baidu’s, and we will continue to establish support systems of our own after we become a public company. Therefore, any diminishment in the significant business synergy between Baidu and us will not by itself result in a material increase in our costs for the technology, management, human resources, and other support functions that we expect to establish and are not otherwise covered by the master business cooperation agreement. As our business continues to grow and after we become a public company, we expect to rely less on financing support from Baidu and increasingly rely on net cash provided by operating activities, financing through capital markets and commercial banks for our liquidity needs.

Master Business Cooperation Agreement

We have entered into a master business cooperation agreement with Baidu on January 19, 2018. The following is a summary of the major terms of the agreement. For the complete text of the agreement, please see the copy filed as an exhibit to the registration statement filed with the SEC of which this prospectus is a part.

Under the master business cooperation agreement, we and Baidu agree to cooperate with each other in areas including but not limited to AI technology, smart devices/DuerOS (the dialog-type AI system and open platform developed by Baidu), cloud services, online advertising, internet traffic, data and content, and to treat each other as the most preferred strategic partner in our areas of cooperation.

Specifically, (i) Baidu agrees to cooperate with us on leveraging AI technology to further improve our user experience; (ii) we and Baidu agree to share sales channel resources to promote smart devices/DuerOS and increase iQIYI’s market share in its industry; (iii) Baidu agrees to provide support for our cloud computing infrastructure and provide us with cloud computing infrastructure services on Baidu’s most favored terms; (iv) we and Baidu agree to cross sell our respective advertising services, and Baidu agrees to grant us priority to advertise on its platform; (v) we and Baidu agree to leverage our respective services to increase user traffic; and (vi) we and Baidu agree to allow our respective registered users and content providers to log onto each other’s platforms.

Under this agreement, (i) Baidu agrees not to compete with us in providing video content services that are the same as or substantially similar to our long-form video businesses (with the exception of existing business activities conducted by Baidu and its affiliates and of the business activities conducted by the entity that currently operates Baidu’s online video business), and (ii) we agree not to compete with Baidu in any business that is the same as or substantially similar to Baidu’s core businesses (with the exception of existing business activities conducted by us or our affiliates). Long-form video business means long-form video content services currently provided by iQIYI, such long-form video content includes but not limited to movies, TV series, network series, cartoons, variety shows, documentaries, etc. Whether any service is Baidu’s core business or is the same as or substantially similar to Baidu’s core business shall be determined by Baidu and us in a commercially reasonable manner.

The master business cooperation agreement will expire on the eighth anniversary of the date of execution, extendable for a term of eight years upon agreement by both parties. In the event we are no longer controlled by Baidu, either we or Baidu may terminate this agreement.

 

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Loan Agreement

Under the master business cooperation agreement, Baidu will provide us with a RMB650.0 million (US$99.9 million) loan, which will mature on the fifth anniversary of the grant date. We entered into a loan agreement with Baidu with respect to such loan on January 19, 2018. The loan is interest free.

Share Purchase Agreement and Ticket Business Cooperation Agreement

On February 12, 2018, we entered into a share purchase agreement with Baidu Holdings, pursuant to which we will issue to Baidu Holdings an aggregate of 36,860,691 Class B ordinary shares. The transaction is expected to close no later than May 31, 2018. As consideration for the issuance of such shares and subject to the conditions set forth in the share purchase agreement, Baidu Holdings agreed to (i) undertake certain non-compete obligations towards us with respect to the online movie ticket and show ticket booking business of Baidu Holdings and its affiliates, (ii) direct user traffic related to such ticket business to us, (iii) provide us with technological support with respect to our ticket booking business, (iv) license certain domain names and certain intellectual property rights to us and (v) enter into a ticket business cooperation agreement with us, which has been signed concurrently.

For the complete text of the share purchase agreement and the ticket business cooperation agreement, please see the copies filed as exhibits to the registration statement filed with the SEC of which this prospectus is a part.

Termination of Certain Agreements

Pursuant to certain service agreements entered into between Baidu and us in 2011, Baidu was obligated to provide us with user traffic support. We had entered into a termination agreement with Baidu in January 2018, pursuant to which such earlier service agreements (including the traffic support obligations of Baidu therein) were terminated. For further information on such termination, see Note 25 to our consolidated financial statements included in this prospectus.

 

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SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA

The following selected consolidated statements of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017 and selected consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The selected consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2015 has been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2015, which are not included in this prospectus. We have not included financial information for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2014, as such information cannot be provided on a stand-alone and U.S. GAAP basis without unreasonable effort or expense. You should read this Selected Consolidated Financial Data section together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included elsewhere in this prospectus. Our consolidated financial statements are prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of results expected for future periods.

 

    For the Year Ended December 31,  
    2015     2016     2017     2017  
    RMB     RMB     RMB     US$  
    (in thousands, except for share and per share data)  

Selected Consolidated Statements of Operations Data:

       

Total revenues

    5,318,584       11,237,407       17,378,350       2,671,003  

Operating costs and expenses:

       

Cost of revenues(1)

    (6,041,764     (11,436,595     (17,386,563     (2,672,266

Selling, general and administrative(1)

    (1,204,464     (1,765,824     (2,674,990 )       (411,138

Research and development(1)

    (499,957     (824,482     (1,269,806     (195,166
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total operating costs and expenses

    (7,746,185     (14,026,901     (21,331,359 )       (3,278,570
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating loss

    (2,427,601     (2,789,494     ( 3,953,009     (607,567

Total other (expenses)/income, net

    (136,345     (271,440     208,512       32,047  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss before income tax

    (2,563,946     (3,060,934     (3,744,497     (575,520

Income tax (expense)/benefit

    (11,166     (13,088     7,565       1,163  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss

    (2,575,112     (3,074,022     (3,736,932     (574,357
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Accretion of redeemable convertible preferred shares

    (2,342,385     (4,874,739     5,073,140       779,727  

Extinguishment and reissuance of Series B preferred shares

    —         —         (363,279     (55,835
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net (loss)/income attributable to ordinary shareholders

    (4,917,497     (7,948,761     972,929       149,535  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net (loss)/earnings per share:

       

Basic

    (14.36     (23.20     0.30       0.05  

Diluted

    (14.36     (23.20     (1.15     (0.18

Shares used in net (loss)/earnings per share computation:

       

Basic

    342,548,237       342,548,237       342,548,237       342,548,237  

Diluted

    342,548,237       342,548,237       3,243,147,261       3,243,147,261  

Pro forma net loss per share attributable to Class A and Class B ordinary shareholders (unaudited)(2):

       

Basic

        (0.89)       (0.14)  

Diluted

        (0.89)       (0.14)  

Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares used in pro forma net loss per share computation (unaudited)(2):

       

Basic

        4,071,371,737       4,071,371,737  

Diluted

        4,071,371,737       4,071,371,737  

Other comprehensive income

       

Foreign currency translation adjustments

    151,062       195,255       (264,774     (40,695

Unrealized gains/(losses) on available-for-sale debt securities

    —         2,978       (1,470     (226
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Comprehensive loss

    (2,424,050     (2,875,789     (4,003,176     (615,278
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

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Notes:

(1) Share-based compensation expense was allocated as follows:

 

     For the Year Ended December 31,  
     2015      2016      2017  
     RMB      RMB      RMB      US$  
     (in thousands)  

Cost of revenues

     5,837        9,479        34,895        5,363  

Selling, general and administrative

     21,330        30,447        130,994        20,133  

Research and development

     17,027        22,466        67,535        10,380  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     44,194        62,392        233,424        35,876  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(2) The unaudited pro forma loss per Class A and Class B ordinary share is computed using the weighted average number of Class A and Class B ordinary shares outstanding as of December 31, 2017, and assuming the automatic conversion of all of the Company’s convertible redeemable preferred shares into ordinary shares and re-designation to Class A and Class B ordinary shares upon the closing of the Company’s IPO, as if it had occurred on January 1, 2017.

The following table presents our selected consolidated balance sheet data for the years indicated.

 

     As of December 31,  
     2015     2016     2017     2017  
     RMB     RMB     RMB     US$  
           (in thousands)  

Selected Consolidated Balance Sheet Data:

        

Cash and cash equivalents

     1,588,739       964,207       733,010       112,662  

Short-term investments

     160,000       902,978       779,916       119,871  

Total current assets

     4,473,910       5,154,305       5,700,528       876,156  

Total assets

     10,424,986       13,631,636       20,200,899       3,104,822  

Total current liabilities

     5,862,949       11,889,853       11,625,612       1,786,824  

Total liabilities

     5,877,095       11,897,142       11,918,299       1,831,810  

Total mezzanine equity

     12,164,428       17,039,167       22,601,664       3,473,812  

Total shareholders’ deficit

     (7,616,537     (15,304,673     (14,319,064     (2,200,800

The following table presents our selected cash flows for the years indicated.

 

    For the Year Ended December 31,  
    2015     2016     2017  
    RMB     RMB     RMB     US$  
    (in thousands)  

Selected Consolidated Cash Flow Data:

       

Net cash provided by operating activities

    1,070,770       2,612,121       4,011,784       616,594  

Net cash used for investing activities

    (3,133,375     (6,663,100     (10,660,674     (1,638,515

Net cash (used in)/provided by financing activities

    (131,708     3,411,766       6,561,110       1,008,424  

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

    71,951       14,681       (143,417)       (22,037)  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents

    (2,122,362     (624,532     (231,197)       (35,534)  

Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year

    3,711,101       1,588,739       964,207       148,196  

Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year

    1,588,739       964,207       733,010       112,662  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF

FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with the section entitled “Selected Consolidated Financial Data” and our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results and the timing of selected events could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus.

Overview

We are an innovative market-leading online entertainment service in China. We are at the forefront of the entertainment industry in China. Our corporate DNA combines creative talent with technology, fostering an environment for the continuous innovation and production of blockbuster content. Our platform features highly popular original content, as well as a comprehensive selection of professionally-produced and partner-generated content. Through our curated premium content, we attract a massive user base with tremendous user engagement, and generate significant monetization opportunities.

We have developed multiple monetization methods to capture entertainment market opportunities in China. We generate revenues through (i) membership services, (ii) online advertising services, (iii) content distribution, and (iv) others.

We have experienced rapid growth in revenues in recent years. Our revenues increased by 111.3% from RMB5,318.6 million in 2015 to RMB11,237.4 million in 2016, and further by 54.6% from RMB11,237.4 million in 2016 to RMB17,378.4 million (US$ 2,671.0 million) in 2017. We had net losses of RMB2,575.1 million, RMB3,074.0 million, and RMB3,736.9 million (US$574.4 million) in 2015, 2016, and 2017, respectively.

General Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations

Our business and operating results are affected by general factors affecting China’s internet video industry, which include:

 

    China’s overall economic growth and level of per capita disposable income;

 

    mobile internet usage and penetration rate;

 

    growth of online entertainment, especially internet video, and its popularity as an entertainment and advertising medium; and

 

    governmental policies and initiatives affecting the Chinese internet video industry.

Unfavorable changes in any of these general industry conditions could negatively affect demand for our services and materially and adversely affect our results of operations.

Specific Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations

While our business is influenced by general factors affecting the internet video industry in China generally, we believe our results of operations are more directly affected by company specific factors, including the following major factors.

Our ability to maintain and expand our user base, as well as to maintain and enhance user engagement

We have a massive and highly engaged user base, which drives our revenue growth. Our ability to continue to effectively maintain and expand our user base will affect the growth of our business and our revenues going

 

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forward. Furthermore, the level of user engagement affects our membership services revenues. In addition, advertisers are drawn to our platform because of the size of our user base, its attractive demographics, and the level of our user engagement. Our ability to maintain and expand our user base, as well as maintain and enhance user engagement, depends on, among other things, our ability to continuously offer popular content, recommend personalized content through technological innovation and provide a superior entertainment experience.

Our ability to provide innovative and effective advertising services

We generate a majority of our revenues through the provision of online advertising services. We believe demand for our advertising services will continue to be affected by the pace of advertisement budget shift from traditional media, such as TV, to internet video advertising in China. On a more specific level, we need to provide innovative and effective advertising services to increase our existing customers’ advertising spending and to attract new advertising customers. To this end, we need to continue to strengthen the innovation and effectiveness of our advertising solutions, including our precise targeting technology, creative design, results monitoring, salesforce, distribution network and customer service capabilities.

Our ability to increase revenues from our extensive monetization channels

In addition to revenues from membership services and online advertising services, we generate revenues from content distribution, live broadcasting, online games, IP licensing, online literature and e-commerce. Our extensive monetization efforts are affected by (i) the demand for high-quality entertainment content, (ii) our bargaining power with content production, distribution and adaptation partners, and (iii) the availability of popular content on our platform. Our monetization channels have benefited from the recent boom in the entertainment industry in China and the resulting surge in demand for high-quality entertainment content. Furthermore, technological development has allowed us to pursue increasingly diversified monetization channels, including adapting popular content into a variety of derivative works based on our IP.

Our ability to produce and license premium content in a cost-effective manner

Premium content is critical to the success of our business. We need to produce and license premium content in order to deliver a differentiated and engaging entertainment experience for our users. Content cost has historically accounted for the biggest portion of our cost of revenues, representing 69.5%, 67.1% and 72.6% of our total revenues in 2015, 2016, and 2017, respectively. Our content portfolio consists of original content, content licensed from third-party professional content producers, as well as content uploaded by professional and other users. We make content production and licensing decisions based on the quality of the content, its relevance to our users’ preferences, its advertising appeal relative to its cost, as well as its potential for development into derivative entertainment products. We aim at ensuring that we realize substantial value from the content that we produce or license. Our ability to continue to manage and control our content costs while maintaining the high-quality and attractiveness of our content affects our results of operations. We expect our content cost to increase in an absolute amount as we expand our content portfolio to maintain our market leadership.

Effective investment in technology infrastructure

Our technology infrastructure is critical for us to produce and offer high-quality content, as well as to retain and attract users, customers and content partners. We must continue to upgrade and expand our technology infrastructure to keep pace with the growth of our business, to further enhance our AI and big data analytical capabilities and develop new features and services for our users and members.

 

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Key Components of Results of Operations

Total Revenues

We derive our revenues from (i) membership services, (ii) online advertising services, (iii) content distribution and (iv) others. The following table presents our revenue lines and as percentages of our total revenues for the periods presented.

 

     For the Year Ended December 31,  
     2015      2016      2017  
     RMB      %      RMB      %      RMB      US$      %  
     (in thousands, except for percentages)  

Revenues:

                    

Membership services

     996,682        18.7        3,762,183        33.5        6,536,028        1,004,569        37.6  

Online advertising services

     3,399,935        63.9        5,650,366        50.3        8,158,924        1,254,004        46.9  

Content distribution

     387,687        7.4        500,952        4.4        1,191,816        183,179        6.9  

Others

     534,280        10.0        1,323,906        11.8        1,491,582        229,251        8.6  

Total revenues

     5,318,584        100.0        11,237,407        100.0        17,378,350        2,671,003        100.0  

Membership services

We offer membership packages to provide our members with (i) access to our premium content, (ii) certain commercial skipping and other viewing privilege, and (iii) higher community status in our iQIYI Paopao social platform. We generate a small portion of our membership services revenue from on-demand content purchase by our users.

Online advertising services

Our advertising revenues are recognized net of advertising agency rebates. Most of advertising services are in the form of brand advertising. An increasing portion of our advertising services are in the form of in-feed advertising, which we launched in the fourth quarter of 2016.

Content distribution

We distribute video content licensed from third parties by sub-licensing such content to other third-party internet video streaming platforms, and as consideration receive either cash or the right to distribute on our platform certain licensed content from such platforms. We distribute selected original content titles outside of China and to TV stations in China.

Others

We generate revenues from various other channels, such as live broadcasting, online games and IP licensing. We generate revenues from online games primarily by distributing third-party online games and sharing revenues with them. We generate revenues from live broadcasting through the sale and consumption of virtual items purchased by viewers of our live broadcasting shows. We generate revenues from IP licensing by licensing third parties to develop related merchandise based on our IP and by licensing to third parties our popular trademarks for use in their products. In addition, we also generate revenues from online literature and e-commerce.

Operating Costs and Expenses

Our operating costs and expenses consist of (i) cost of revenues, (ii) selling, general and administrative expenses and (iii) research and development expenses.

 

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Cost of revenues. Our cost of revenues mainly consists of content costs, bandwidth costs and others. Content costs mainly consist of expense for original content, which includes amortization of capitalized produced content and expenses recorded when production costs exceeds the total revenues to be earned; licensed content, which includes amortization and impairment of licensed copyrights; and revenue sharing cost for content uploaded by partners and cost incurred for live broadcasting hosts. Bandwidth costs are the fees we pay to telecommunications carriers and other service providers for telecommunications and other content delivery-related services. We expect that our cost of revenues will increase in the foreseeable future as we continue to produce and license premium content and our user base and level of user engagement increase over time.

Selling, general and administrative expenses. Our selling expenses primarily consist of promotional and marketing expenses and compensation for our sales and marketing personnel. We expect our selling and marketing expenses to increase in the foreseeable future as we plan to engage in more selling and marketing activities to attract new users and advertisers and to promote our brand recognition and content titles, as well as to grow our business.

Our general and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries and benefits for our general and administrative personnel and fees and expenses for legal, accounting and other professional services. We expect our general and administrative expenses to increase in the foreseeable future as we grow our business and incur increased costs related to operating as a public company and complying with our reporting obligations under the U.S. securities laws.

Research and development expenses. Research and development expenses primarily consist of salaries and benefits for research and development personnel. We expect our research and development expenses to increase in the foreseeable future as we continue to develop new products and services to attract users and increase user engagement, and expand our monetization efforts.

Taxation

We had income tax expense of RMB11.2 million and RMB13.1 million in 2015 and 2016, respectively, and income tax benefit of RMB7.6 million (US$1.2 million) in 2017. We are subject to various rates of income tax under different jurisdictions. The following summarizes major factors affecting our applicable tax rates in the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong and the PRC.

Cayman Islands

We are an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands. Under the current laws of the Cayman Islands, we are not subject to income, corporation or capital gains tax in the Cayman Islands. In addition, our payment of dividends to our shareholders, if any, is not subject to withholding tax in the Cayman Islands.

Hong Kong

Our subsidiaries in Hong Kong are subject to the uniform tax rate of 16.5%. Under Hong Kong tax law, our subsidiaries in Hong Kong are exempted from income tax on their foreign-derived income and there is no withholding tax in Hong Kong on remittance of dividends. No provision for Hong Kong profits tax was made as we had no estimated assessable profit that was subject to Hong Kong profits tax during 2015, 2016, or 2017.

PRC

Generally, our PRC subsidiaries, our consolidated affiliated entities and their subsidiaries are subject to enterprise income tax on their taxable income in the PRC at a rate of 25%. The enterprise income tax is calculated based on the entity’s global income as determined under PRC tax laws and accounting standards.

 

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Beijing QIYI Century, Beijing iQIYI, and Shanghai Zhong Yuan obtained High and New Technology Enterprises, or HNTE, status to enjoy a preferential tax rate of 15% from 2013 to 2018, from 2015 to 2017 and from 2013 to 2018, respectively, to the extent it has taxable income under the Enterprise Income Tax Law of the PRC, or EIT Law, as long as it maintains the HNTE qualification and duly conducts relevant EIT filing procedures with the relevant tax authority.

Our PRC subsidiaries, our consolidated affiliated entities and their subsidiaries are subject to VAT at a rate of 3%, 6%, or 17% on the services we provide and related surcharges.

If our holding company in the Cayman Islands or our subsidiary outside of the PRC were deemed to be a “resident enterprise” under the EIT Law, it would be subject to enterprise income tax on its worldwide income at a rate of 25%. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—If we are classified as a PRC resident enterprise for PRC income tax purposes, such classification could result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders or ADS holders.”

Results of Operations

The following table summarizes our consolidated results of operations and as percentages of our total revenues for the years presented.

 

    For the Year Ended December 31,  
    2015     2016     2017  
    RMB     %     RMB     %     RMB     US$     %  
    (in thousands, except for percentages)  

Revenues:

             

Membership services

    996,682       18.7       3,762,183       33.5       6,536,028       1,004,569       37.6  

Online advertising services

    3,399,935       63.9       5,650,366       50.3       8,158,924       1,254,004       46.9  

Content distribution

    387,687       7.4       500,952       4.4       1,191,816       183,179       6.9  

Others

    534,280       10.0       1,323,906       11.8       1,491,582       229,251       8.6  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total revenues

    5,318,584       100.0       11,237,407       100.0       17,378,350       2,671,003       100.0  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating costs and expenses:

             

Cost of revenues(1)

    (6,041,764     (113.6     (11,436,595     (101.8     (17,386,563     (2,672,266     (100.0

Selling, general and administrative(1)

    (1,204,464     (22.6     (1,765,824     (15.7     (2,674,990     (411,138     (15.4

Research and development(1)

    (499,957     (9.4     (824,482     (7.3     (1,269,806     (195,166     (7.3
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total operating costs and expenses

    (7,746,185     (145.6     (14,026,901     (124.8     (21,331,359     (3,278,570     (122.7
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating loss

    (2,427,601     (45.6     (2,789,494     (24.8     (3,953,009     (607,567     (22.7

Total other (expenses)/income, net

    (136,345     (2.6     (271,440     (2.4     208,512       32,047       1.2  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss before income tax

    (2,563,946     (48.2     (3,060,934     (27.2     (3,744,497     (575,520 )       (21.5

Income tax (expense)/benefit

    (11,166     (0.2     (13,088     (0.1     7,565       1,163       0.0  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss

    (2,575,112     (48.4     (3,074,022     (27.4     (3,736,932     (574,357 )       (21.5
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

Note:

(1) Share-based compensation expense was allocated as follows:

 

     For the Year Ended December 31,  
     2015      2016      2017  
     RMB      RMB      RMB      US$  
     (in thousands)  

Cost of revenues

     5,837        9,479        34,895        5,363  

Selling, general and administrative

     21,330        30,447        130,994        20,133  

Research and development

     17,027        22,466        67,535        10,380  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     44,194        62,392        233,424        35,876  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

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Year Ended December 31, 2017 Compared with Year Ended December 31, 2016

Revenues

Our revenues increased by 54.6% from RMB11,237.4 million in 2016 to RMB17,378.4 million (US$2,671.0 million) in 2017.

Membership services. Our membership services revenue increased by 73.7% from RMB3,762.2 million in 2016 to RMB6,536.0 million (US$1,004.6 million) in 2017, primarily driven by the increase in the number of subscribing members, which in turn results from the expansion of our user base and user engagement. The number of subscribing members increased by 68.4% from 30.2 million as of December 31, 2016 to 50.8 million as of December 31, 2017. “Subscribing members” refers to the individuals who purchased our monthly, quarterly or annual membership packages, including individuals with trial membership, and excluding individuals who used paid video on-demand service. The number of individuals with trial memberships has consistently accounted for less than 5% of the total number of subscribing members. Excluding individuals with trial memberships, the number of subscribing members increased by 66.8% from 30.0 million as of December 31, 2016 to 50.0 million as of December 31, 2017. Between the fourth quarters of 2016 and 2017, our average mobile DAUs increased by 0.5% from 125.4 million to 126.0 million, and our average mobile MAUs increased by 3.9% from 405.4 million to 421.3 million. Daily average total user time spent on our iQIYI platform increased by 15.8% from 259.1 million hours in 2016 to 300.1 million hours in 2017.

Online advertising services. Our online advertising services revenue grew by 44.4% from RMB5,650.4 million in 2016 to RMB8,158.9 million (US$1,254.0 million) in 2017, as a result of the increase of brand advertising, which is primarily due to the increase in average brand advertising revenue per brand advertiser, driven mainly by the increased attractiveness and efficiency of our advertising services, as well as the growth of our in-feed advertising service launched in the fourth quarter of 2016. Average brand advertising revenue per brand advertiser increased by 16.3% from RMB4.9 million in 2016 to RMB5.7 million (US$0.9 million) in 2017.

Content distribution. Our content distribution revenue increased by 137.9% from RMB501.0 million in 2016 to RMB1,191.8 million (US$183.2 million) in 2017, primarily caused by an increased amount of content titles distributed.

Others. Other revenues increased by 12.7% from RMB1,323.9 million in 2016 to RMB1,491.6 million (US$229.3 million) in 2017, primarily as a result of the growth in live broadcasting revenue.

Cost of revenues

Our cost of revenues increased by 52.0% from RMB11,436.6 million in 2016 to RMB17,386.6 million (US$2,672.3 million) in 2017.

Content cost. Content cost increased by 67.3% from RMB7,541.0 million in 2016 to RMB12,616.9 million (US$1,939.2 million) in 2017. The RMB5,075.9 million increase was primarily due to the increased purchase of third-party professionally-produced or partner-generated content, which increased by RMB3,633.9 million as we procured more high-quality and popular licensed content; and to a lesser extent, to the increase of RMB1,002.9 million in revenue sharing with content partners as more content was uploaded onto our platform, and to our rapid expansion of original content production, which resulted in an increase of RMB429.4 million in content cost. The increase was partially offset by a decrease of other content cost.

Bandwidth cost. Our bandwidth cost increased by 16.8% from RMB1,874.6 million in 2016 to RMB2,190.2 million (US$336.6 million) in 2017, primarily as a result of the increased bandwidth necessary to support the growth of our user traffic and better user experience.

 

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Gross Loss

As a result of the foregoing, we had gross losses of RMB199.2 million and RMB8.2 million (US$1.3 million) in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Our gross losses as a percentage of total revenues decreased between 2016 and 2017, which was primarily attributed by the decrease of bandwidth cost as a percentage of total revenues, resulting from application efficiency being improved by technology. However, content cost as a percentage of total revenues increased as we continued to produce and offer high-quality content, especially popular original content. We expect our cost of revenues to increase on an absolute basis as traffic to our platform increases, user base of our platform grows, the resolution of our videos improves and as we produce and acquire more high-quality content to enrich user experience in our diversified monetization channels. In the short run, increase of cost of revenues may still outpace revenue as we devote more resources on original content production. In the long run, however, we expect the increase of revenue will outpace cost of revenues as a result of our rapid growth and the resulting economies of scale, as well as our technological innovations with respect to content delivery and bandwidth usage. However, we cannot provide an accurate estimate as to when we will achieve gross profit. For specific factors that may constrain our ability to reverse our gross loss, see “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business and Industry—We have incurred net losses since our inception and may continue to incur losses in the future.”

Selling, general and administrative expenses

Selling expenses increased by 45.4% from RMB1,524.5 million in 2016 to RMB2,217.0 million (US$340.8 million) in 2017, primarily due to the increase in advertising expenses and the increase in sales and marketing personnel salaries and benefits. Our advertising expenses increased by 51.3% from RMB907.9 million in 2016 to RMB1,373.3 million (US$211.1 million) in 2017 as we increased our brand and content promotional spending, and our spending on user acquisition channels, including mobile device manufacturers, search engines and mobile app stores. Our sales and marketing personnel compensation expenses increased by 45.5% from RMB426.8 million in 2016 to RMB621.2 million (US$95.5 million) in 2017 primarily due to the increased headcount. Our sales and marketing personnel headcount increased from 909 as of December 31, 2016 to 1,239 as of December 31, 2017.

General and administrative expenses increased by 89.7% from RMB241.4 million in 2016 to RMB458.0 million (US$70.3 million) in 2017, primarily due to the increase in personnel compensation expenses and professional service fees. Our general and administrative personnel compensation expenses increased by 107.7% from RMB90.8 million in 2016 to RMB188.6 million (US$29.0 million) in 2017, primarily due to increased headcount and average compensation level. Our general and administrative personnel headcount increased from 255 as of December 31, 2016 to 344 as of December 31, 2017. Our professional service fees increased by 104.5% from RMB38.2 million in 2016 to RMB78.1 million (US$12.0 million) in 2017 primarily due to procurement of audit and legal services.

Research and development expenses

Our research and development expenses increased by 54.0% from RMB824.5 million in 2016 to RMB1,269.8 million (US$195.2 million) in 2017, primarily due to the increase in research and development personnel compensation expenses. Our research and development personnel compensation expenses increased by 58.7% from RMB704.7 million in 2016 to RMB1,118.1 million (US$171.8 million) in 2017 primarily due to the increased headcount and average compensation level. Our research and development personnel headcount increased from 1,998 as of December 31, 2016 to 2,608 as of December 31, 2017.

 

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Income tax expense

We had an income tax expense of RMB13.1 million in 2016, which resulted from the net profit position of certain operating entities in the PRC. In 2017, RMB7.6 million (US$1.2 million) income tax benefit was recognized, which can be carried forward to offset future tax payable.

Net loss

As a result of the foregoing, we had net losses of RMB3,074.0 million and RMB3,736.9 million (US$574.4 million) in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

Year Ended December 31, 2016 Compared with Year Ended December 31, 2015

Revenues

Our revenues increased by 111.3% from RMB5,318.6 million in 2015 to RMB11,237.4 million in 2016.

Membership services. Our membership services revenue increased by 277.5% from RMB996.7 million in 2015 to RMB3,762.2 million in 2016, primarily driven by the increase in the number of subscribing members, which in turn results from the expansion of our user base and user engagement. The number of subscribing members increased by 182.7% from 10.7 million as of December 31, 2015 to 30.2 million as of December 31, 2016. Excluding individuals with trial memberships, the number of subscribing members increased by 180.4% from 10.7 million as of December 31, 2015 to 30.0 million as of December 31, 2016. Between the fourth quarters of 2015 and 2016, our average mobile DAUs increased by 42.0% from 88.3 million to 125.4 million, and our average mobile MAUs increased by 10.9% from 365.5 million to 405.4 million. Daily average total user time spent on our iQIYI platform increased by 52.5% from 169.9 million hours in 2015 to 259.1 million hours in 2016.

Online advertising services. Our online advertising services revenue grew by 66.2% from RMB3,399.9 million in 2015 to RMB5,650.4 million in 2016, primarily as a result of the increase in average brand advertising revenue per brand advertiser, driven mainly by the increased attractiveness and efficiency of our advertising services, and partially offset by the decrease in the number of brand advertisers. Average brand advertising revenue per brand advertiser increased by 80.3% from RMB2.7 million in 2015 to RMB4.9 million in 2016.

Content distribution. Our content distribution revenue increased by 29.2% from RMB387.7 million in 2015 to RMB501.0 million in 2016, primarily caused by an increased amount of content titles distributed.

Others. Other revenues increased by 147.8% from RMB534.3 million in 2015 to RMB1,323.9 million in 2016, primarily as a result of the growth in live broadcasting revenue.

Cost of revenues

Our cost of revenues increased by 89.3% from RMB6,041.8 million in 2015 to RMB11,436.6 million in 2016.

Content cost. Content cost increased by 104.1% from RMB3,694.4 million in 2015 to RMB7,541.0 million in 2016. The RMB3,846.6 million increase was primarily due to the increased purchase of third-party professionally-produced or partner-generated content, which increased by RMB1,954.6 million as we have increased procurement for high-quality and popular licensed content; and to a lesser extent, to the increase of RMB822.7 million in revenue sharing with content partners as more content was uploaded onto our platform, and to our rapid expansion of original content production, which resulted in an increase of RMB549.4 million in content cost.

Bandwidth cost. Our bandwidth cost increased by 60.6% from RMB1,167.0 million in 2015 to RMB1,874.6 million in 2016, primarily as a result of the increased bandwidth necessary to support the growth of our user traffic and better user experience.

 

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Gross Loss

As a result of the foregoing, we had gross losses of RMB723.2 million and RMB199.2 million in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Our gross losses as a percentage of total revenues significantly decreased between 2015 and 2016, which was primarily attributed by the decrease of bandwidth cost as a percentage of total revenues, resulting from application efficiency being improved by technology. However, content cost as a percentage of total revenues increased as we continued to produce and offer high-quality content, especially popular original content.

Selling, general and administrative expenses

Selling expenses increased by 47.7% from RMB1,032.0 million in 2015 to RMB1,524.5 million in 2016, primarily due to the increase in advertising expenses and the increase in sales and marketing personnel salaries and benefits. Our advertising expenses increased by 69.1% from RMB536.9 million in 2015 to RMB907.9 million in 2016 as we increased our brand and content promotional spending, and our spending on user acquisition channels, including mobile device manufacturers, search engines and mobile app stores. Our sales and marketing personnel compensation expenses increased by 29.8% from RMB328.9 million in 2015 to RMB426.8 million in 2016 primarily due to the increased headcount. Our sales and marketing personnel headcount increased from 698 as of December 31, 2015 to 909 as of December 31, 2016.

General and administrative expenses increased by 40.0% from RMB172.4 million in 2015 to RMB241.4 million in 2016, primarily due to the increase in professional service fees, office expenses and personnel compensation expenses. Our professional service fees increased by 61.4% from RMB23.6 million in 2015 to RMB38.2 million in 2016 primarily due to procurement of audit and legal services. Our general and administrative personnel compensation expenses increased by 29.3% from RMB70.2 million in 2015 to RMB90.8 million in 2016 primarily due to increased headcount. Our general and administrative personnel headcount increased from 222 as of December 31, 2015 to 255 as of December 31, 2016.

Research and development expenses

Our research and development expenses increased by 64.9% from RMB500.0 million in 2015 to RMB824.5 million in 2016, primarily due to the increase in research and development personnel compensation expenses. Our research and development personnel compensation expenses increased by 69.2% from RMB416.4 million in 2015 to RMB704.7 million in 2016 primarily due to the increased headcount and average compensation level. Our research and development personnel headcount increased from 1,345 as of December 31, 2015 to 1,998 as of December 31, 2016.

Income tax expense

We had an income tax expense of RMB11.2 million in 2015 and RMB13.1 million in 2016. Our income tax expense in 2015 and 2016 resulted from the net profit position of certain operating entities in the PRC.

Net loss

As a result of the foregoing, we had net losses of RMB2,575.1 million and RMB3,074.0 million in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

 

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Selected Quarterly Results of Operations

The following table sets forth our unaudited consolidated statement of operations data for each of the six quarters from July 1, 2016 to December 31, 2017. The unaudited quarterly statement of operations data set forth below have been prepared on the same basis as our audited annual consolidated financial statements and include all normal recurring adjustments that we consider necessary for a fair statement of our financial position and operating results for the periods presented. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for any future period. The following quarterly financial data for the periods indicated are qualified by reference to and should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes which are included elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

    For the Three Months Ended  
    September 30,
2016
    December 31,
2016
    March 31,
2017
    June 30,
2017
    September 30,
2017
    December 31,
2017
 
    RMB     RMB     RMB     RMB     RMB     RMB  
    (in thousands of RMB and unaudited)  

Revenues:

           

Membership services

    1,168,433       1,262,952       1,329,976       1,579,530       1,696,697       1,929,825  

Online advertising services

    1,625,802       1,340,261       1,473,445       1,908,453       2,634,187       2,142,839  

Content distribution

    118,588       117,835       196,016       486,263       276,052       233,485  

Others

    344,833       434,068       284,597       352,073       343,647       511,265  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total revenues

    3,257,656       3,155,116       3,284,034       4,326,319       4,950,583       4,817,414  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating costs and expenses:

           

Cost of revenues(1)

    (3,140,991     (3,121,314     (3,558,628     (4,394,981     (4,897,843     (4,535,111

Selling, general and administrative(1)

    (465,324     (552,369     (496,145     (627,623     (777,038     (774,184

Research and development(1)

    (229,972     (243,920     (268,880     (294,371     (342,328     (364,227
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total operating costs and expenses

    (3,836,287     (3,917,603     (4,323,653     (5,316,975     (6,017,209     (5,673,522
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating loss

    (578,631     (762,487     (1,039,619     (990,656     (1,066,626     (856,108
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total other (expenses)/income, net

    (49,476     (180,817     (79,110     38,191       15,599       233,832  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss before income taxes

    (628,107     (943,304     (1,118,729     (952,465     (1,051,027     (622,276
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income tax (expense)/benefit

    (2,831     (4,139     (840     (705     (786     9,896  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss

    (630,938     (947,443     (1,119,569     (953,170     (1,051,813     (612,380
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

Note:

(1) Share-based compensation was allocated as follows:

 

    For the Three Months Ended  
    September 30,
2016
    December 31,
2016
    March 31,
2017
    June 30,
2017
    September 30,
2017
    December 31,
2017
 
    RMB     RMB     RMB     RMB     RMB     RMB  
    (in thousands of RMB and unaudited)  

Cost of revenues

    3,492       2,984       10,695       7,988       8,190       8,022  

Selling, general and administrative

    10,681       8,301       43,863       29,058       29,381       28,692  

Research and development

    6,537       5,105       23,075       14,240       15,255       14,965  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

    20,710       16,390       77,633       51,286       52,826       51,679  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

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Notwithstanding the fluctuations of our quarterly results of operations as discussed below, we have achieved significant revenue growth in the last six quarters. Our quarterly revenues were primarily generated from our membership services and online advertising services, and to a lesser extent, from content distribution and other revenues. We have experienced lower online advertising services revenue in the first quarter of each year in connection with the Chinese New Year holiday as advertisers limit their budget for online platforms and less blockbuster content is released during the period. We have generally achieved the fastest revenue growth in the third quarter, driven by summer holidays and more popular content titles being released on our platform, thereby providing more space for advertisements and attracting more paying members.

Our quarterly operating costs and expenses generally increased in absolute amounts during the period from July 1, 2016 to September 30, 2017, as our revenues increased and we acquired more content and used more bandwidth, expanded market promotion and recruited more experienced employees. Our quarterly operating costs and expenses decreased between the third and fourth quarters of 2017, primarily because less blockbuster content was released in the fourth quarter of 2017. Our operating loss as a percentage of revenue increased from July 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017 and decreased afterwards, primarily because of economy of scale and of our more mature technology to manage bandwidth as well as more efficient expenditure on market promotion.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Prior to this offering, our principal sources of liquidity have been net cash provided by operating activities, debt financing support from Baidu, as well as private placements of preferred shares and convertible notes. As of December 31, 2017, we had RMB733.0 million (US$112.7 million) in cash and cash equivalents. Our cash and cash equivalents primarily consist of cash on hand and highly liquid investments, which are unrestricted from withdrawal or use, or which have original maturities of three months or less when purchased. As of December 31, 2017, we had RMB779.9 million (US$119.9 million) in short-term investments. Our short-term investments consisted of available-for-sale debt securities with maturities of less than one year purchased from commercial banks and other financial institutions.

Our total current liabilities were RMB11,625.6 million (US$1,786.8 million) as of December 31, 2017, which primarily included RMB7,041.3 million (US$1,082.2 million) in accounts payable and RMB2,511.2 million (US$386.0 million) in accrued expenses and other liabilities.

We had working capital (defined as total current assets deducted by total current liabilities) deficits as of December 31, 2016 and 2017. Historically, we have not been profitable nor generated positive net cash flows. Accounts payable amounted to RMB4,184.6 million and RMB7,041.3 million (US$1,082.2 million) as of December 31, 2016 and 2017, respectively. A substantial majority of our accounts payable is due to third party content and bandwidth providers. The increase in accounts payable was primarily a result of our continued significant investments to acquire premium licensed copyrights and expand our content offering.

The working capital deficits will restrict our liquidity position and have a negative impact on our ability to repay current liabilities.

We prudently manage our working capital to support our business and operations. In terms of financing activities, we have been actively seeking additional financings to improve our liquidity position and we have been able to raise capital through private placements to investors. We completed the US$1.53 billion convertible notes financing in 2017, which were converted to Series G preferred shares in October 2017, obtained multiple lines of credit from commercial banks and have secured from Baidu another loan of around RMB650.0 million in early 2018. In terms of business initiatives, we will (i) continue to work closely with our advertising customers and suppliers in order to optimize our payment terms, (ii) continue to pursue strategies to increase our revenues from membership services, live broadcasting services and in-feed advertising services, where customers usually prepay for our services, and (iii) continue to strengthen our content production capabilities in order to gain more pricing power over our content sourcing efforts.

 

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We believe that our current cash and cash equivalents, proceeds from this offering and our anticipated cash flows from operations will be sufficient to meet our anticipated working capital requirements and capital expenditures for the 12 months following this offering. We may, however, need additional capital in the future to fund our continued operations. The issuance and sale of additional equity would result in further dilution to our shareholders. The incurrence of indebtedness would result in increased fixed obligations and could result in operating covenants that would restrict our operations. As we will continue to invest in both original and licensed content and technology to support our growth, we may not be able to improve our working capital position or to achieve a surplus beyond the next 12 months. In the future, should we require additional liquidity and capital resources to fund our business and operations, we may need to obtain additional financing, including financing from new and/or existing shareholders, and financing generated through capital market and commercial banks. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business and Industry—We have significant working capital requirements and have historically experienced negative working capital balances. If we continue to experience such negative working capital balances in the future, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.”

As of December 31, 2017, 68.2% of our cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments were held in the PRC, while 62.6% of our cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments were held by our consolidated affiliated entities and their subsidiaries.

Although we consolidate the results of our consolidated affiliated entities and their subsidiaries, we only have access to the assets or earnings of our consolidated affiliated entities and their subsidiaries through our contractual arrangements with our consolidated affiliated entities and their shareholders. See “Corporate History and Structure—Contractual Arrangements with the Consolidated Affiliated Entities and Their Respective Shareholders.” For restrictions and limitations on liquidity and capital resources as a result of our corporate structure, see “—Holding company structure.”

In utilizing the proceeds we expect to receive from this offering, we may make additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries, establish new PRC subsidiaries and make capital contributions to these new PRC subsidiaries, make loans to our PRC subsidiaries, or acquire offshore entities with business operations in China in offshore transactions. However, most of these uses are subject to PRC regulations and approvals. For example:

 

    capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries must be approved by or filed with the MOFCOM in its foreign investment comprehensive management information system; and

 

    loans by us to our PRC subsidiaries to finance their activities cannot exceed the difference between its registered capital and its total investment amount as recorded in the foreign investment comprehensive management information system or, as an alternative, only procure loans subject to the Risk-Weighted Approach and the Net Asset Limits and must be registered with SAFE or its local branches or filed with SAFE in its information system.

See “Regulation—Regulations on Foreign Exchange.” There is, in effect, no statutory limit on the amount of capital contribution that we can make to our PRC subsidiaries. This is because there is no statutory limit on the amount of registered capital for our PRC subsidiaries, and we are allowed to make capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries by subscribing for their initial registered capital and increased registered capital, provided that the PRC subsidiaries completes the relevant filing and registration procedures. With respect to loans to the PRC subsidiaries by us, (i) if the relevant PRC subsidiaries determine to adopt the traditional foreign exchange administration mechanism, or the Current Foreign Debt mechanism, the outstanding amount of the loans shall not exceed the difference between the total investment and the registered capital of the PRC subsidiaries and there is, in effect, no statutory limit on the amount of loans that we can make to our PRC subsidiaries under this circumstance since we can increase the registered capital of our PRC subsidiaries by making capital contributions to them, subject to the completion of relevant registrations, and the difference between the total investment and the registered capital will increase accordingly; and (ii) if the relevant PRC subsidiaries determine to adopt the

 

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foreign exchange administration mechanism as provided in the PBOC Notice No. 9, or the Notice No. 9 Foreign Debt mechanism, the risk-weighted outstanding amount of the loans, which shall be calculated based on the formula provided in the PBOC Notice No. 9, shall not exceed 200% of the net asset of the relevant PRC subsidiary. According to the PBOC Notice No. 9, after a transition period of one year since the promulgation of the PBOC Notice No. 9, the PBOC and SAFE will determine the cross-border financing administration mechanism for the foreign-invested enterprises after evaluating the overall implementation of the PBOC Notice No. 9. As of the date hereof, neither PBOC nor SAFE has promulgated and made public any further rules, regulations, notices or circulars in this regard. It is uncertain which mechanism will be adopted by PBOC and SAFE in the future and what statutory limits will be imposed on us when providing loans to our PRC subsidiaries.

A majority of our future revenues are likely to continue to be in the form of Renminbi. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, Renminbi may be converted into foreign exchange for current account items, including profit distributions, interest payments and trade-and service related foreign exchange transactions.

Our PRC subsidiaries may convert Renminbi amounts that they generate in their own business activities, including technical consulting and related service fees pursuant to their contracts with the consolidated affiliated entities, as well as dividends they receive from their own subsidiaries, into foreign exchange and pay them to their non-PRC parent companies in the form of dividends. However, current PRC regulations permit our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to us only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. Each of our PRC subsidiaries is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits after making up previous years’ accumulated losses each year, if any, to fund certain reserve funds until the total amount set aside reaches 50% of its registered capital. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends. Furthermore, capital account transactions, which include foreign direct investment and loans, must be approved by and/or registered with SAFE and its local branches. The total amount of loans we can make to our PRC subsidiaries cannot exceed statutory limits and must be registered with the local counterpart of SAFE. The statutory limit for the total amount of foreign debts of a foreign-invested company is the difference between the amount of total investment as approved by the MOFCOM and the amount of registered capital of such foreign-invested company.

The following table sets forth a summary of our cash flows for the years indicated.

 

     For the Year Ended December 31,  
     2015     2016     2017  
     RMB     RMB     RMB      US$  
     (in thousands)  

Summary Consolidated Cash Flow Data:

         

Net cash provided by operating activities

     1,070,770       2,612,121       4,011,784        616,594  

Net cash used for investing activities

     (3,133,375     (6,663,100     (10,660,674)        (1,638,515)  

Net cash (used in)/provided by financing activities

     (131,708     3,411,766       6,561,110        1,008,424  

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

     71,951       14,681       (143,417)        (22,037)  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents

     (2,122,362     (624,532     (231,197)        (35,534)  

Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year

     3,711,101       1,588,739       964,207        148,196  

Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year

     1,588,739       964,207       733,010        112,662  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net cash provided by operating activities

Net cash provided by operating activities increased from RMB2,612.1 million in 2016 to RMB4,011.8 million (US$616.6 million) in 2017 primarily due to the combined effect of increase in net loss, as adjusted for

 

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non-cash items, and changes in operating assets and liabilities. Net loss increased by RMB662.9 million from RMB3,074.0 million in 2016 to RMB3,736.9 million (US$574.4 million) in 2017. A key factor that caused operating cash inflow was the increase in the amortization and impairment of licensed copyrights and produced content from RMB4,822.9 million in 2016 to RMB8,693.6 million (US$1,336.2 million) in 2017 as a result of continued expansion of our content portfolio to maintain our market leadership. Operating cash inflow was partially offset by an increase in changes in produced content of RMB1,089.8 million from RMB872.4 million in 2016 to RMB1,962.2 million (US$301.6 million) in 2017, primarily due to our increased expenditures on original content production.

Net cash provided by operating activities increased from RMB1,070.8 million in 2015 to RMB2,612.1 million in 2016 primarily due to the combined effect of increase in net loss, as adjusted for non-cash items, and changes in operating assets and liabilities. Net loss increased by RMB498.9 million from RMB2,575.1 million in 2015 to RMB3,074.0 million in 2016. Key factors that caused operating cash inflow included (i) the increase in the amortization and impairment of licensed copyrights and produced content from RMB2,525.3 million in 2015 to RMB4,822.9 million in 2016 as a result of continued expansion of our content portfolio to maintain our market leadership, and (ii) the increase of customer advances and deferred revenue of RMB237.3 million from RMB219.5 million in 2015 to RMB456.8 million in 2016, which is consistent with membership services revenue growth. Operating cash inflow was partially offset by an increase in changes in produced content of RMB534.5 million from RMB337.9 million in 2015 to RMB872.4 million in 2016, primarily due to our increased expenditures on original content production.

Net cash used for investing activities

Net cash used for investing activities increased from RMB6,663.1 million in 2016 to RMB10,660.7 million (US$1,638.5 million) in 2017 primarily due to (i) an increase of acquisition of licensed copyrights from RMB5,290.8 million in 2016 to RMB9,087.4 million (US$1,396.7 million) in 2017 as result of the continued expansion of our content portfolio.

Net cash used for investing activities increased from RMB3,133.4 million in 2015 to RMB6,663.1 million in 2016 primarily due to an increase of acquisition of licensed copyrights from RMB2,586.1 million in 2015 to RMB5,290.8 million in 2016 as result of the continued expansion of our content portfolio.

Net cash (used in) / provided by financing activities

Net cash provided by financing activities increased from RMB3,411.8 million in 2016 to RMB6,561.1 million (US$1,008.4 million) in 2017 primarily due to (i) proceeds of RMB10,528.2 million from the issuance of convertible notes in 2017, and (ii) partially offset by net proceeds from related parties of RMB3,311.8 million in 2016 to net repayments of loans to related parties of RMB4,506.0 million (US$692.6 million) in 2017.

The change in net cash provided by financing activities between 2015 and 2016 was primarily due to proceeds from loans we received from Baidu in 2016.

 

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Contractual obligations

The following table sets forth our contractual obligations by specified categories as of December 31, 2017.

 

     Payment due by December 31,  
     Total      2018      2019      2020      2021      2022 and after  
     (in RMB thousands)  

Operating lease obligations(1)

     1,666,718        1,512,618        124,701        16,764        10,953        1,682  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Purchase obligations(2)

     16,562,694        6,146,266        5,377,993        2,800,675        895,652        1,342,108  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Long-term debt obligations(3)

     294,000        10,000        10,000        274,000        —          —    

Non-cancelable capital lease obligations and purchase obligations for fixed assets

     32,313        32,313        —          —          —          —    
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     18,555,725        7,701,197        5,512,694        3,091,439        906,605        1,343,790  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

Notes:

(1) Operating lease obligations represent our obligations for leasing office premises and bandwidth.
(2) Purchase obligations represent our future minimum payments under non-cancelable agreements for licensed copyrights.
(3) On April 10, 2017, Shanghai iQIYI entered into a three-year loan agreement with Bank of China (Shanghai Branch), pursuant to which Shanghai iQIYI is entitled to borrow a secured RMB denominated loan of RMB299.0 million with an annual interest rate at 94% of the benchmark three-year lending rate published by the People’s Bank of China. The loan is intended for the general working capital. On April 11, 2017, Shanghai iQIYI drew down RMB299.0 million with an interest rate of 4.47%. The principal shall be repaid by installments from September 21, 2017 to April 10, 2020. In September 2017, Shanghai iQIYI repaid RMB5.0 million of principal. The principal, interest, related penalties and other costs of the loan under this agreement were guaranteed by Beijing iQIYI, who is jointly and severally liable to the creditor.

In June 2017, Beijing iQIYI entered into a banking facility agreement with China Minsheng Bank (Beijing Branch), pursuant to which Beijing iQIYI is entitled to borrow a RMB denominated loan of up to RMB300.0 million (US$46.1 million) for general working capital purposes and is repayable in one year. The repayment of any loans under the banking facility agreement is guaranteed by Beijing QIYI Century. In November 2017, Beijing QIYI Century received a letter of credit from Beijing iQIYI. Beijing QIYI Century discounted the letter of credit and related receivable to China Minsheng Bank (Beijing Branch) for proceeds of RMB131.5 million (US$20.2 million) and the same amount was considered drawn down as a loan at an effective interest rate of 4.78%. Further, Beijing iQIYI drew down RMB62.2 million (US$9.6 million) at an annual interest rate of 5.00%. As the legal isolation criteria was not met, the transfer of the receivable balance did not qualify as a transfer of financial assets and is accounted for as a secured borrowing.

On August 15, 2017, Beijing iQIYI entered into a banking facility agreement with China Merchants Bank (Beijing Branch), as supplemented on September 30, 2017, pursuant to which Beijing iQIYI is entitled to borrow a RMB denominated loan of up to RMB200.0 million for general working capital purposes and is repayable in one year. The repayment of any loans under the banking facility agreement are guaranteed by Beijing QIYI Century and Shanghai iQIYI. Concurrently, Beijing QIYI Century factored a receivable due from Beijing iQIYI of RMB105.7 million to China Merchants Bank (Beijing branch) and the same amount was considered drawn down as a loan at an effective interest rate of 4.11%, or the receivable factoring transaction. As the legal isolation criteria was not met, the receivable factoring transaction did not qualify as a transfer of financial assets and is accounted for as a secured borrowing.

Other than as shown above, we did not have any significant capital and other commitments, long-term obligations or guarantees as of December 31, 2017.

Holding company structure

iQIYI, Inc. is a holding company with no material operations of its own. We conduct our operations primarily through our PRC subsidiaries, our consolidated affiliated entities and their subsidiaries in China. As a

 

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result, iQIYI, Inc.’s ability to pay dividends depends upon dividends paid by our PRC subsidiaries. If our existing PRC subsidiaries or any newly formed ones incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing their debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends to us. In addition, our wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries in China are permitted to pay dividends to us only out of their retained earnings, if any, as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. Under PRC law, each of our subsidiaries and our consolidated affiliated entities in China is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund certain statutory reserve funds until such reserve funds reach 50% of its registered capital. In addition, each of our wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries in China may allocate a portion of its after-tax profits based on PRC accounting standards to enterprise expansion funds and staff bonus and welfare funds at its discretion, and our consolidated affiliated entities may allocate a portion of their after-tax profits based on PRC accounting standards to a discretionary surplus fund at its discretion. The statutory reserve funds and the discretionary funds are not distributable as cash dividends. Remittance of dividends by a wholly foreign-owned company out of China is subject to examination by the banks designated by SAFE. Our PRC subsidiaries have not paid dividends and will not be able to pay dividends until they generate accumulated profits and meet the requirements for statutory reserve funds.

The table below sets forth the respective revenues contribution and assets of iQIYI, Inc. and our wholly-owned subsidiaries and our consolidated affiliated entities as of the dates and for the periods indicated:

 

    Total revenues(1)     Total assets  
    For the year ended
December 31, 2015
    For the year ended
December 31, 2016
    For the year ended
December 31, 2017
    As of
December 31, 2016
    As of
December 31, 2017
 

iQIYI, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries

    6.0     4.3     5.7     41.0     40.2

Consolidated affiliated entities

    94.0     95.7     94.3     59.0     59.8
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

    100     100     100     100     100
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

Note:

(1) The percentages exclude the inter-company transactions and balances between iQIYI, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries and the consolidated affiliated entities.

Off-Balance sheet commitments and arrangements

We have not entered into any financial guarantees or other commitments to guarantee the payment obligations of any third parties. In addition, we have not entered into any derivative contracts that are indexed to our shares and classified as shareholder’s equity or that are not reflected in our consolidated financial statements. Furthermore, we do not have any retained or contingent interest in assets transferred to an unconsolidated entity that serves as credit, liquidity or market risk support to such entity. We do not have any variable interest in any unconsolidated entity that provides financing, liquidity, market risk or credit support to us or engages in leasing, hedging or product development services with us.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

Foreign exchange risk

Our revenues and expenses are mainly denominated in Renminbi. Renminbi is not freely convertible into foreign currencies for capital account transactions. The value of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar and other currencies is affected by changes in China’s political and economic conditions and by China’s foreign exchange policies, among other things. In July 2005, the PRC government changed its decades-old policy of pegging the value of the Renminbi to the U.S. dollar, and the Renminbi appreciated more than 20% against the U.S. dollar over the following three years. Between July 2008 and June 2010, this appreciation subsided and the exchange rate between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar remained within a narrow band. Since June 2010, the Renminbi has fluctuated against the U.S. dollar, at times significantly and unpredictably. On November 30, 2015, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed the regular five-year review of the basket

 

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of currencies that make up the Special Drawing Right, or the SDR, and decided that with effect from October 1, 2016, Renminbi is determined to be a freely usable currency and will be included in the SDR basket as a fifth currency, along with the U.S. dollar, the Euro, the Japanese yen and the British pound. In the fourth quarter of 2016, the RMB depreciated significantly in the backdrop of a surging U.S. dollar and persistent capital outflows of China. It is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar in the future.

To date, we have not entered into any material hedging transactions in an effort to reduce our exposure to foreign currency exchange risk. To the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars we received from this offering into Renminbi for our operations or capital expenditures, appreciation of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the Renminbi amount we would receive from the conversion. Conversely, if we decide to convert our Renminbi into U.S. dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our ordinary shares or ADSs or for other business purposes, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the Renminbi would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amount available to us.

We estimate that we will receive net proceeds of approximately US$                million from this offering if the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and the estimated offering expenses payable by us, based on the initial offering price of US$                per ADS (the mid-point of the estimated initial public offering price range shown on the front cover page of this prospectus). Assuming that we convert the full amount of the net proceeds from this offering into Renminbi, a 10% appreciation of the U.S. dollar against Renminbi, from a rate of RMB                to US$1.00 to a rate of RMB                 to US$1.00, will result in an increase of RMB                million in our net proceeds from this offering. Conversely, a 10% depreciation of the U.S. dollar against the Renminbi, from a rate of RMB                to US$1.00 to a rate of RMB                to US$1.00, will result in a decrease of RMB                 million in our net proceeds from this offering.

Interest rate risk

Our exposure to interest rate risk primarily relates to the interest income generated by excess cash, which is mostly held in interest-bearing bank deposits. Interest-earning instruments carry a degree of interest rate risk. We have not been exposed to material risks due to changes in interest rates, and we have not used any derivative financial instruments to manage our interest risk exposure. However, our future interest income may fall short of expectations due to changes in market interest rates.

Inflation

To date, inflation in the PRC has not materially impacted our results of operations. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the year-over-year percent changes in the consumer price index for December 2015, 2016 and 2017 were increases of 1.6%, 2.1% and 1.8%, respectively. Although we have not been materially affected by inflation in the past, we can provide no assurance that we will not be affected in the future by higher rates of inflation in the PRC. For example, certain operating costs and expenses, such as employee compensation and office operating expenses may increase as a result of higher inflation. Additionally, because a substantial portion of our assets consists of cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments, high inflation could significantly reduce the value and purchasing power of these assets. We are not able to hedge our exposure to higher inflation in China.

Critical accounting policies, judgment and estimates

We prepare our financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP, which requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect our reporting of, among other things, assets and liabilities, contingent assets and liabilities and total revenues and expenses. On an on-going basis, we evaluate our estimates based on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the

 

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results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Since our financial reporting process inherently relies on the use of estimates and assumptions, our actual results could differ from what we expect. This is especially true with some accounting policies that require higher degrees of judgment than others in their application.

The selection of critical accounting policies, the judgments and other uncertainties affecting application of those policies and the sensitivity of reported results to changes in conditions and assumptions are factors that should be considered when reviewing our financial statements. For further information on our significant accounting policies, see Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements. We believe the following accounting policies involve the most significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our financial statements.

Consolidation of Affiliated Entities

In order to comply with PRC laws and regulations limiting foreign ownership of or imposing conditions on value-added telecommunication services, internet, value-added telecommunication-based online advertising, online audio and video services and mobile application distribution businesses, we operate our internet platform and conduct our value-added telecommunication-based online advertising, online audio and video services and mobile application distribution businesses through our affiliated entities in China by means of contractual arrangements. We have entered into certain exclusive agreements with the affiliated entities through our subsidiaries, which obligate them to absorb a majority of the risk of loss and receive a majority of the residual returns from the affiliated entities’ activities. In addition, we have entered into certain agreements with the affiliated entities and the nominee shareholders of affiliated entities, which enable us to direct the activities that most significantly affect the economic performance of the affiliated entities. Based on these contractual arrangements, we consolidate the affiliated entities as required by SEC Regulation SX-3A-02 and ASC topic 810, Consolidation, because we hold all the variable interests of the affiliated entities and are the primary beneficiary of the affiliated entities. We will reconsider the initial determination of whether a legal entity is a consolidated affiliated entity upon certain events listed in ASC 810-10-35-4 occurred. We will also continuously reconsider whether we are the primary beneficiariy of our affiliated entities as facts and circumstances change. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure.”

Revenue recognition

Our revenues are derived principally from membership services, online advertising services, and content distribution. Revenue is recognized only when the price is fixed or determinable, persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, the service is performed and collectability of the related fee is reasonably assured under ASC subtopic 605-10, Revenue Recognition: Overall, or ASC 605-10.

Membership services

We offer membership services which provide subscribing members access to streaming of premium content in exchange for a non-refundable upfront membership fee. Membership periods range from one month to twelve months. The receipt of membership fees is initially recorded as deferred revenue and we recognize revenue ratably over the membership period as services are rendered.

Online advertising services

We sell advertising services primarily to third-party advertising agencies and a small portion are sold directly to advertisers. Advertising contracts are signed to establish the price and advertising services to be provided. Pursuant to the advertising contracts, we provide advertisement placements on its web pages in different formats, including but not limited to video, banners, links, logos, brand placement and buttons. We perform a credit assessment of the customer to assess the collectability of the contract price prior to entering into contracts. For contracts where we provide customers with a bundle of advertising services, primarily for

 

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advertisements to be displayed in different spots, placed under different forms and occur at different time, we first determine whether each identified deliverable qualifies as a separate unit of accounting. For the arrangements with deliverables considered to be separate units of accounting, we allocate the total consideration of the arrangements based on their relative selling price, with the selling price of each deliverable determined using vendor-specific objective evidence, or VSOE, of selling price, third-party evidence, or TPE, of selling price, or management’s best estimate of the selling price, or BESP, and recognize revenue as each service deliverable is provided. We consider all reasonably available information in determining the BESP, including both market and entity-specific factors.

We provide various sales incentives to its customers, including cash incentives in the form of commissions to certain third-party advertising agencies and noncash incentives such as discounts and advertising services provided free of charge in certain bundled arrangements, which are negotiated on a contract by contract basis with customers. We have a general policy regarding the volume of advertising services to be provided free of charge which depends largely on the volume of advertising services purchased by the advertiser. We evaluate all advertising services in a bundled arrangement, whether provided for consideration or free or charge, pursuant to ASC 605-25, Revenue Recognition: Multiple-Element Arrangements to determine whether it qualifies as a deliverable and separate unit of accounting.

Content distribution

We also generate revenues from sub-licensing content licensed from third party vendors for cash or through nonmonetary exchanges with other online video broadcasting companies. The exclusive licensing agreement we enter into with the vendors has a definitive license period and gives us rights to sub-license these contents to other third parties. We enter into a non-exclusive sub-license agreement with a sub-licensee for a period that falls within the original exclusive license period. For cash sub-licensing transactions, we receive a fixed amount of the sub-license fee upfront under the sub-licensing arrangements and do not have any future obligation once we have provided the underlying content to the sub-licensee (which is provided at or before the beginning of the sub-license period). In accordance with ASC subtopic 926-605, Entertainment-Films: Revenue Recognition, or ASC 926-605, we recognize the amount of the sub-license fee as revenue at the beginning of the sub-license period only when we meet all the following criteria: persuasive evidence of a sub-licensing arrangement with a customer exists, the content has been delivered or is available for immediate and unconditional delivery, the sub-license period of the arrangement has begun and the customer can begin its exploitation, exhibition, or sale, the arrangement fee is fixed or determinable and collection of the arrangement fee is reasonably assured.

We also enter into nonmonetary transactions to exchange online broadcasting rights of licensed copyrights with other online video broadcasting companies from time to time. The exchanged licensed copyrights provide rights for each party to broadcast the licensed copyrights received on its own platform only. Each transferring party retains the right to continue broadcasting the exclusive content on its own website and/or sublicense the rights to the content it surrendered in the exchange. We account for these nonmonetary exchanges in accordance with ASC topic 845, Nonmonetary Transactions, or ASC 845, and record the transaction based on the fair value of the asset surrendered. Barter sublicensing revenues are recognized in accordance with the same ASC 926-605 criteria above and when there are no other future obligations under the agreement. We estimate the fair value of the contents surrendered based on various factors, including comparable cash sublicensing transactions and relative size, scale, and market share of counterparties to the exchange.

The attributable cost of the barter transaction is recognized as cost of revenues through the amortization of the sublicensing right component of the exclusive licensed copyright, computed using the individual-film-forecast-computation method in accordance with ASC topic 926, Entertainment—Films, or ASC 926.

Others

Other revenues mainly include revenues from live broadcasting, online games and online literature.

 

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Live broadcasting

We operate a live broadcasting platform, iQIYI Show, whereby our users can follow their favorite hosts and shows in real time through live broadcasting. Our users can purchase virtual currency for usage in iQIYI Show to acquire consumable virtual gifts, which are simultaneously presented to hosts to show their support or time-based virtual items, which enables users to enjoy additional functions and privileges for a specified time period.

We derive revenues from the sale of virtual items and record revenue on a gross basis as we act as the principal in the transaction. We operate the live broadcasting platform and determine the price of virtual items sold. Costs incurred from services provided by the hosts is recognized as cost of revenues. To facilitate the sale of virtual items, we bundle special privileges and virtual items as a package at a discounted price and we allocate the arrangement consideration to the separate units of accounting based on their relative selling prices. Revenue from the sale of consumable virtual gifts is recognized when consumed by the user, or, in the case of time-based virtual items, recognized ratably over the period each virtual item is made available to the user. Virtual currency sold by us but not yet consumed by the purchasers is recorded as “Customer advances and deferred revenue”.

Online games

We distribute online games operated by third-party game developers. We act as an agent while the game developer is the primary obligor in these arrangements in accordance with ASC subtopic 605-45, Revenue Recognition, Principal Agent Considerations, or ASC 605-45. Therefore, we recognize revenue on a net basis based on the ratios pre-determined with the online game developers when all the revenue recognition criteria set forth in ASC 605 are met, which is generally when the user purchases virtual currencies issued by the game developers.

Online literature

We distribute online literature authorized by third-party book organizations and original authors through our online platform and charge customers fees based on the number of words in chapters or a membership fee. We are acting as the primary obligor in the arrangement in accordance with ASC 605-45 and recognize revenue on a gross basis when all the revenue recognition criteria set forth in ASC 605 are met.

Produced content, net

We produce and contract external parties to produce films and episodic series to exhibit on our internet platform. Produced content includes direct production costs, production overhead and acquisition costs and is stated at the lower of unamortized cost or estimated fair value. Produced content also includes cash expenditures made to acquire a proportionate share of certain rights to films including profit sharing, distribution and/or other rights. Produced content exceeding the total revenues to be earned, or ultimate revenue, is expensed as cost of revenues.

We use the individual-film-forecast-computation method to amortize our produced content based on the ratio of current period actual revenue (numerator) to estimated remaining unrecognized ultimate revenue as of the beginning of the fiscal year (denominator) in accordance with ASC 926-20, Entertainment-Films, Other Assets-Film Costs. We periodically review our estimates of ultimate revenue estimates for our produced content and adjustments, if any, will result in prospective changes to our amortization rates. We review our unamortized produced content costs for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the fair value of the produced content may be less than its unamortized cost.

Licensed copyrights, net

Licensed copyrights consist of professionally-produced content such as movies, television series, variety shows, sports and other video content acquired from external parties. The license fees are capitalized and, unless

 

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prepaid, a corresponding liability recorded when cost of the content is known, the content has been accepted by us in accordance with the conditions of the license agreement and the content is available for its first showing on our internet platform. Licensed copyrights are carried at the lower of unamortized cost or net realizable value. Licensed copyrights are presented on the balance sheet as current and non-current based on estimated time of usage.

We have two types of licensed copyrights, (i) non-exclusive licensed copyrights and (ii) exclusive licensed copyrights. With non-exclusive licensed copyrights, we have the right to broadcast the contents on its own internet platform. While, with exclusive licensed copyrights, in addition to the broadcasting right, we also have the right to sublicense the underlying contents to third parties.

Non-exclusive licensed copyrights, mainly comprising of newly released movies, television series and seasonal variety shows, are generally amortized using an accelerated method based on historical viewership consumption patterns. Other non-exclusive licensed copyrights, mainly comprising of library movies, television series and variety shows and certain non-episodic features, are amortized on a straight-line basis, as the consumption pattern based on historical viewing data supports this amortization method. Estimates of the consumption patterns for licensed copyrights are reviewed periodically and revised, if necessary. The major factors that impact our viewership consumption patterns include film box office, ratings for television series and variety shows, user traffic on our platforms, placement schedule, user tastes and preferences, emerging cultural trends, merchandising and marketing efforts. When the amortization pattern is revised, it is accounted for as a change in accounting estimate prospectively in accordance with ASC topic 250, Accounting Changes and Error Corrections, or ASC 250.

The purchase cost of exclusive licensed copyrights includes a broadcasting right and a right to sublicense to third parties, and we allocate the content cost to these two rights when the exclusive licensed copyrights are initially recognized based on the relative proportion of our estimate of the total revenues that will be generated by each right. For the broadcasting right, which is the portion of an exclusive licensed copyright that generates direct and indirect advertising and membership revenues, the content costs are amortized in accordance with ASC subtopic 920-350, Entertainment-Broadcasters: Intangibles—Goodwill and Other, or ASC 920-350, using the same method as non-exclusive licensed copyrights as described above. For the right to sublicense to third parties, which is the portion of an exclusive licensed copyright that generates direct revenues, the content costs are amortized in accordance with ASC 926 using an individual-film-forecast-computation method, which amortizes such costs based on the ratio of the actual sublicensing revenues generated for the current period to the total sublicensing revenues estimated to be generated by the sublicensing right. We revisit the forecasted total direct revenues on a periodic basis and any resulting changes to such estimates and the resulting amortization expense are accounted for prospectively as a change in accounting estimate in accordance with ASC 250.

On a periodic basis, we evaluate the program usefulness of the broadcasting rights of its licensed copyrights and record such rights at the lower of unamortized cost or estimated net realizable value pursuant to the guidance in ASC 920-350. When there is a change in the expected usage of licensed copyrights, we estimate net realizable value of licensed copyrights to determine if any impairment exists.

Net realizable value is determined by estimating the expected cash flows generated from provision of online advertising and membership services, less any direct costs, over the remaining useful lives of the non-exclusive licensed copyrights. We estimate advertising and membership cash flows for each category of content. Estimates that impact advertising and membership cash flows include anticipated levels of demand for our online advertising and membership services and the expected selling prices of our advertisements and membership. For the right to sublicense to third parties, we assess recoverability in accordance with ASC 926-20.

Goodwill

Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the identifiable net assets acquired in a business combination. We assesse goodwill for impairment in accordance with ASC subtopic

 

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350-20, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other: Goodwill, or ASC 350-20, which requires that goodwill be tested for impairment at the reporting unit level at least annually and more frequently upon the occurrence of certain events, as defined by ASC 350-20.

A reporting unit is defined as an operating segment or one level below an operating segment referred to as a component. We determine reporting units by first identifying operating segments, and then assess whether any components of these segments constituted a business for which discrete financial information is available and our chief operating decision maker, or CODM, regularly reviews the operating results of that component. We had one reporting unit because our CODM does not regularly review component financial information below the consolidated level.

We have the option to assess qualitative factors first to determine whether it is necessary to perform the two-step test in accordance with ASC 350-20. We believe, as a result of the qualitative assessment that it is more-likely-than-not that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, the two-step quantitative impairment test described above is required. Otherwise, no further testing is required. In the qualitative assessment, we consider primary factors such as industry and market considerations, overall financial performance of the reporting unit, and other specific information related to the operations. In performing the two-step quantitative impairment test, the first step compares the carrying amount of the reporting unit to the fair value of the reporting unit. If the fair value of the reporting unit exceeds the carrying value of the reporting unit, goodwill is not impaired and we are not required to perform further testing. If the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeds the fair value of the reporting unit, then we must perform the second step of the impairment test in order to determine the implied fair value of the reporting unit’s goodwill. The fair value of the reporting unit is allocated to its assets and liabilities in a manner similar to a purchase price allocation in order to determine the implied fair value of the reporting unit’s goodwill. If the carrying amount of the goodwill is greater than its implied fair value, the excess is recognized as an impairment loss. Application of a goodwill impairment test requires significant management judgment and actual results may differ from those used in valuations. The judgment in estimating the fair value of the reporting unit includes estimating future cash flows, determining appropriate discount rates and making other assumptions. Changes in these estimates and assumptions could materially affect the determination of fair value for the reporting unit.

Impairment of long-lived assets other than goodwill

We evaluate long-lived assets, such as fixed assets and purchased or acquired intangible assets with finite lives other than licensed copyrights, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable in accordance with ASC subtopic 360-10, Property, Plant and Equipment: Overall or ASC 360-10. When such events occur, we assess the recoverability of the long-lived assets based on the undiscounted future cash flows the long-lived assets are expected to generate at the lowest level of identifiable cash flows. We recognize an impairment loss when the estimated undiscounted future cash flow expected to result from the use of the long-lived assets plus net proceeds expected from the eventual disposition of the long-lived assets, if any, is less than their carrying values. If we identify an impairment, we reduce the carrying value of the long-lived assets to its estimated fair value based on a discounted cash flow approach or, when available and appropriate, to comparable market values. We use estimates and judgments in its impairment tests and if different estimates or judgments had been utilized, the timing or the amount of any impairment charges could be different.

Income taxes

We follow the liability method of accounting for income taxes. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the difference between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates that will be in effect in the period in which the differences are expected to reverse. We record a valuation allowance to offset deferred tax assets if, based on the weight of available evidence, it is more-likely-than-not that some portion, or all, of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The

 

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effect of a change in tax rate is recognized in tax expense in the period that includes the enactment date of the change in tax rate. We have elected to classify interest and penalties related to an uncertain tax position, if and when required, as part of income tax expense in the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss.

We apply the provisions of ASC subtopic 740, Accounting for Income Taxes, or ASC 740, to account for uncertainty in income taxes. ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold a tax position is required to meet before being recognized in the financial statements. We recognize in our consolidated financial statements the benefit of a tax position if a tax return position or future tax position is “more likely than not” to be sustained under examination based solely on the technical merits of the position. Tax positions that meet the “more likely than not” recognition threshold are measured, using a cumulative probability approach, at the largest amount of tax benefit that has a greater than fifty percent likelihood of being realized upon settlement. Our estimated liability for unrecognized tax benefits are periodically assessed for adequacy and may be affected by changing interpretations of laws, rulings by tax authorities, changes and or developments with respect to tax audits, and the expiration of the statute of limitations. As each audit is concluded, adjustments, if any, are recorded in our financial statements. Additionally, in future periods, changes in facts and circumstances, and new information may require us to adjust the recognition and measurement estimates with regard to changes in individual tax position. Changes in recognition and measurement estimates are recognized in the period which the change occurs.

Redeemable convertible preferred shares

The redeemable convertible preferred shares, or Preferred Shares, are classified as mezzanine equity as they may be redeemed at the option of the holders on or after an agreed upon date outside the sole control of us or redeemable upon a deemed liquidation event. The holders of the Preferred Shares have the ability to convert the instrument into our ordinary shares. We early adopted Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-16, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Determining Whether the Host Contract in a Hybrid Financial Instrument Issued in the Form of a Share Is More Akin to Debt or to Equity, or ASU 2014-16, for all periods presented. ASU 2014-16 requires the use of the whole instrument approach to determine whether the nature of the host contract in a hybrid instrument is more akin to debt or to equity. We evaluated the embedded conversion option in the Preferred Shares to determine if there were any embedded derivatives requiring bifurcation and to determine if there were any beneficial conversion features. The conversion option of the Preferred Shares does not qualify for bifurcation accounting because the conversion option is clearly and closely related to the host instrument and the underlying ordinary shares are not publicly traded nor readily convertible into cash. The contingent redemption options and registration rights of the Preferred Shares did not qualify for bifurcation accounting because the underlying ordinary shares were neither publicly traded nor readily convertible into cash. There were no other embedded derivatives required to be bifurcated.

Beneficial conversion features exist when the conversion price of the Preferred Shares is lower than the fair value of the ordinary shares at the commitment date, which is the issuance date in our case. When a beneficial conversion feature, or BCF, exists as of the commitment date, its intrinsic value is bifurcated from the carrying value of the Preferred Shares as a contribution to additional paid-in capital. No BCF was recognized for Preferred Shares as the fair value per ordinary share at the commitment date was less than the most favorable conversion price. We determined the fair value of our ordinary shares with the assistance of an independent third party valuation firm.

The contingent conversion price adjustment is accounted for as a contingent BCF. In accordance with ASC paragraph 470-20-35-1, changes to the conversion terms that would be triggered by future events not controlled by the issuer should be accounted as contingent conversions, and the intrinsic value of such conversion options would not be recognized until and unless a triggering event occurred. No contingent BCF was recognized for any of the Preferred Shares for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively.

 

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As the Preferred Shares (other than the Series A-1 Preferred Shares) will become redeemable solely based on the passage of time should the contingent events not occur, we chose to recognize changes in the redemption value over the period from the date of issuance to the earliest redemption date of the Preferred Shares using the interest method.

Modification of redeemable convertible preferred shares

We assess whether an amendment to the terms of its redeemable convertible preferred shares is an extinguishment or a modification using the fair value model. If the change in fair value of the redeemable convertible preferred shares immediately after the amendment exceeds 10% from the fair value of the redeemable convertible preferred shares immediately before the amendment, the amendment is considered an extinguishment. An amendment that does not meet this criterion is a modification. When redeemable convertible preferred shares are extinguished, the difference between the fair value of the consideration transferred to the redeemable convertible preferred shareholders and the carrying amount of the redeemable convertible preferred shares (net of issuance costs) is treated as a deemed dividend to or contribution from the redeemable convertible preferred shareholders. When redeemable convertible preferred shares are modified, a new effective interest rate to equate the future contractual cash flows (redemption amount) to the carrying amount is determined and applied to accretion on a prospective basis by analogy to ASC 470-50.

Share-based Compensation Expense and Valuation of Our Ordinary Shares

We account for share-based compensation in accordance with ASC topic 718, Compensation-Stock Compensation, or ASC 718.

We have elected to recognize share-based compensation using the straight-line method for all share-based awards granted with graded vesting based on service conditions. Forfeiture rates are estimated based on historical experience and future expectations of employee turnover rates and are periodically reviewed. If required vesting conditions are not met and the share-based awards are forfeited, previously recognized compensation expense relating to those awards are reversed. ASC 718 requires forfeitures to be estimated at the time of grant and revised, if necessary, in the subsequent period if actual forfeitures differ from initial estimates. To the extent we revise these estimates in the future, the share-based payments could be materially impacted in the period of revision, as well as in following periods. Share-based compensation expense was recorded net of estimated forfeitures such that expense was recorded only for those share-based awards that are expected to vest.

We account for share-based awards issued to non-employees in accordance with ASC subtopic 505-50, Equity: Equity-based Payments to Non-Employees, or ASC 505-50. The measurement date of the fair value of a share-based award issued to a non-employee is the date on which the counterparty’s performance is completed as there is no associated performance commitment. The expense is recognized in the same manner as if we had paid cash for the services provided by non-emloyees.

We, with the assistance of an independent third party valuation firm, determined the fair value of share-based awards granted to employees and non-employees.

We calculated the estimated fair value of the options on the respective grant dates using a binomial option pricing model with assistance from independent valuation firms, with the following assumptions:

 

     2016     2017  

Risk-free interest rate

     2.27     2.27

Volatility

     43.45     43.37

Expected exercise multiple

     2.3       2.3  

Dividend yield

     —         —    

Exercise price

   US$ 0.51     US$ 0.51  

Fair value of option

   US$ 0.49     US$ 0.53  

 

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Determining the fair value of the share options required us to make complex and subjective judgments, assumptions and estimates, which involved inherent uncertainty. Had we used different assumptions and estimates, the resulting fair value of the share options and the resulting share-based compensation expenses could have been different.

The following table sets forth the fair value of options and ordinary shares estimated at the dates of option and restricted share unit, or RSU, grants indicated below with the assistance from an independent valuation firm:

 

Date of Options/RSUs
Grant

  Options/RSUs
Granted
    Exercise
Price
    Fair Value
of Option/
RSU
    Fair Value
of Ordinary
Shares
    Discount for
Lack of
Marketability
    Discount
Rate
    Type of
Valuations
 

August 6, 2016

    60,103,247     US$ 0.51     US$ 0.49     US$ 0.82       12     17.5     Retrospective  

February 14, 2017

    127,163,896     US$ 0.51     US$ 0.53     US$ 0.89       9     17.5     Retrospective  

December 15, 2017

    720,000       —       US$ 1.92     US$ 1.92       4     16.5     Retrospective  

Valuations of our ordinary shares were determined in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ Practice Aid, Valuation of Privately–Held Company Equity Securities Issued as Compensation, and with the assistance of an independent appraisal firm from time to time. The assumptions we use in the valuation model are based on future expectations combined with management judgment, with inputs of numerous objective and subjective factors, to determine the fair value of our ordinary shares, including the following factors:

 

    our operating and financial performance;

 

    current business conditions and projections;

 

    our stage of development;

 

    the prices, rights, preferences and privileges of our convertible preferred shares relative to our ordinary shares;

 

    the likelihood of achieving a liquidity event for the ordinary shares underlying these share-based awards, such as an initial public offering;

 

    any adjustment necessary to recognize a lack of marketability for our ordinary shares; and

 

    the market performance of industry peers.

In order to determine the fair value of our ordinary shares underlying each share-based award grant, we first determined our business enterprise value, or BEV, and then allocated the BEV to each element of our capital structure (convertible preferred shares and ordinary shares) using a hybrid method comprising the probability-weighted expected return method and the option pricing method. In our case, three scenarios were assumed, namely: (i) the liquidation scenario, in which the option pricing method was adopted to allocate the value between convertible preferred shares and ordinary shares, and (ii) the redemption scenario, in which the option pricing method was adopted to allocate the value between convertible preferred shares and ordinary shares, and (iii) the mandatory conversion scenario, in which equity value was allocated to convertible preferred shares and ordinary shares on an as-if converted basis. Increasing probability was assigned to the mandatory conversion scenario during fiscal year 2015 and the subsequent periods in light of preparations for our initial public offering.

In determining the fair value of our ordinary shares, we applied the income approach / discounted cash flow, or DCF, analysis based on our projected cash flow using management’s best estimate as of the valuation date. The determination of the fair value of our ordinary shares requires complex and subjective judgments to be made regarding our projected financial and operating results, our unique business risks, the liquidity of our shares and our operating history and prospects at the time of valuation.

Fair value of our ordinary shares increased from US$0.82 in June 2016 to US$0.89 in February 2017 was primarily due to the decrease of the marketability discount.

 

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Fair value of our ordinary shares increased from US$0.89 in February 2017 to US$1.92 in December 2017 was primarily due to (i) the organic growth of our business; (ii) we became the largest internet video streaming service in China in terms of user time spent and average total MAUs in 2017, according to iResearch; (iii) the conversion of convertible notes invested by external investors in January 2017 were converted into Series G preferred shares in October 2017, which improved our financial situation; (iv) a review of our actual financial performance achieved in 2017, which made our projected financials less uncertain and decreased our discount rate from 17.5% to 16.5%; and (v) the marketability discount decreased from 9% in February 2017 to 4% in December 2017.

Recently issued accounting pronouncements

Please see a more detailed discussion in Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

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INDUSTRY

According to the iResearch Report, China has the largest internet and mobile internet user base in the world, with approximately 765 million internet users, including 752 million mobile internet users, as of December 31, 2017. China’s internet and mobile internet user base is expected to reach 880 million and 870 million, respectively, as of December 31, 2022, according to the same report. Internet will continue to reshape many aspects of people’s lives in China, including entertainment.

The entertainment industry in China is still at an early stage of development, compared with that of developed economies. The ratio of culture and entertainment industry GDP to total GDP was 4.1% in China in 2016, according to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, compared with 6.5% in the United States, according to the iResearch Report. As China’s per capita GDP continues to grow, the culture and entertainment industry in China, propelled by rapidly improving internet infrastructure and increasing consumer demand for entertainment, is poised for sustainable and strong growth in China.

According to the iResearch Report, the market size of China’s entertainment industry is expected to reach approximately RMB2,768.6 billion by 2022, representing a CAGR of 17.3% since 2016. China’s entertainment industry is comprised of online and offline entertainment. Online entertainment industry in China consists of internet video, live broadcasting, short-form video, online literature, digital music and recreational internet anime and comic markets.

Online Entertainment Industry in China

Consistent with the global trend, people in China have been increasingly transitioning from enjoying traditional offline entertainment to online entertainment. In China, average daily time spent per user on TV has decreased from 169 minutes in 2012 to 152 minutes in 2016, while average daily time spent per mobile device on mobile internet video across all platforms has increased from 13 minutes in 2012 to 95 minutes in 2016, representing a CAGR of 63.6%, according to the iResearch Report. Furthermore, according to the same report, in 2016, daily time spent on internet video per device in China has surpassed that in the United States.

The following chart demonstrates the historical and projected market size of China online entertainment industry from 2012 to 2022.

 

China online entertainment industry market size

 

 

LOGO

Source: the iResearch Report

 

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Internet entertainment is gaining popularity in China mainly for the following reasons:

 

    Internet entertainment is available anytime and anywhere, which enables users to choose entertainment according to their tastes instead of availability.

 

    Technology enables a variety of innovative entertainment formats, further expanding users’ internet entertainment options.

 

    Internet entertainment platforms can leverage data analytics to personalize content delivery and enhance user experience.

 

    Internet entertainment enjoys greater creative flexibility and provides a broader range of choices that cater to a larger user base than traditional forms of entertainment, which are more restricted in their content and forms of distribution.

Internet Video Industry in China

Rapid Growth of Internet Video Industry in China

Video is the leading online entertainment format in China. Internet video industry in China has experienced rapid growth. According to the iResearch Report, in 2016, out of total time spent by users on online entertainment in China, over 80% was spent on internet videos. According to the same report, China’s internet video users have increased from 372 million in 2012 to 545 million in 2016, and is expected to further increase to 766 million in 2022, representing 66.4%, 74.6%, and 87.0% of total internet users in China in these respective years.

The growth of internet video industry in China is driven largely by the following factors:

 

    Internet video platforms are increasingly functioning as key aggregators and distributors of entertainment content. Internet video platforms provide a broad range of content verticals that cater to different users, effectively competing for a greater share of users’ entertainment time. Video platforms have become increasingly engaged in various stages of content production and introduced diversified, personalized video content to cater to their large user base.

 

 

    Internet video platforms, powered by AI and big data technologies, can deliver more customized entertainment experience.

 

    Internet video platforms enable users to conveniently post, view and share videos, providing an interactive and engaging user community.

High-quality and Rich Content is Critical to Internet Video Platforms in China

As Chinese users become more focused on the quality and originality of video content, having a deep collection of high-quality entertainment content and possessing related intellectual property rights is critical to the success of internet video platforms in China. As a result, China’s internet video platforms focus on professionally-produced content, or PPC, to cater to viewers’ demand. Internet video platforms in China typically rely on a combination of self-production and broadcasting-right-licensing models to ensure the supply of PPC on the platforms. A professional team with expertise in systematically producing, licensing and promoting of high-quality content is essential for continued success of an internet video platform in China.

Developing various forms of entertainment content based on popular IP has also become an important trend in the internet video industry in China. Derivative forms of content based on popular IP, such as drama series, films and animation, enhance users’ entertainment experience. Users interested in one entertainment format are likely drawn to other works inspired by the same IP, enabling internet video platforms to achieve synergy among different content formats around the same IP.

 

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The internet video industry in China also benefits from a highly fragmented content production and distribution ecosystem. Whereas cable TV distributors in the United States often operate their own vertically integrated content production units, traditional TV networks in China are typically separated and distinct from content producers. According to the iResearch Report, as of December 31, 2017, China had over 2,000 TV networks and over 14,000 video content production studios that are largely independent of the TV networks. This industry landscape provides leading internet video platforms in China with greater bargaining power in procuring quality content and expanding content libraries. Additionally, content production is highly decentralized in China. In 2017, the top 50 video titles aired over the internet in China were produced or co-produced by 81 different studios, according to the iResearch Report. In contrast, internet content distribution is dominated by a few leading players in China. In 2017, the top three internet video platforms in China occupied around 73.8% of users’ time spent on all internet video platforms, according to the iResearch Report.

Monetization Opportunities in the Internet Video Industry in China

Internet video platforms in China currently generate revenues mainly from membership services and online advertising. Monetization through derivative works is also expected to become an increasingly important revenue source. The industry has shifted from heavy reliance on online advertising revenues to a more balanced and diversified revenue generation model.

Membership services. Chinese consumers are increasingly willing to pay fees to internet video platforms to access premium content and quality services. According to the iResearch Report, paying ratio of internet video users in China, as measured by number of users who pay for video content related services during the year as a percentage of total number of internet video users in the same year, has increased from approximately 1.2% in 2012 to 13.2% in 2016, and is expected to further increase to 40.0% in 2022. Membership services payments from users can be re-invested by the platforms to produce or acquire more premium content, reinforcing and augmenting the services’ value proposition to consumers, thereby attracting more paying users. Additionally, users who pay in the form of membership package are likely to visit the platforms more often, increasing user stickiness and related monetization opportunities. According to the iResearch Report, Netflix’s domestic paying members as of the end of 2016 represented approximately 28.1% of total internet video users in the United Stated in 2016. In terms of the average revenue per paying user, or ARPU, Netflix’s U.S. domestic streaming segment’s ARPU was approximately US$110.5 in 2016, according to the iResearch Report, implying significant growth potential for internet video platforms in China. We believe that the convenience and high penetration of mobile internet, online payment methods and improving IP protection are conducive to the growth of membership services market size in China.

 

China internet video industry membership services market size

 

 

LOGO

 

Source: the iResearch Report
Note: Market size of “membership services” in the above chart includes payments from users for video related services, including membership package and on-demand payments.

 

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We believe that the membership services market has significant room for growth as China’s internet video industry continues to develop. The membership services model is still at an early stage of development in China, relative to that in the United States. According to Motion Picture Association of America, the movie box office in the Northern America was US$11.4 billion in 2016, while the domestic membership services revenue from Netflix was approximately US$5.1 billion in the same year. In contrast, according to GAPPRFT, the movie box office in China was approximately RMB45.7 billion (US$6.9 billion) in 2016, while the membership services market size of the entire internet video industry in China was approximately RMB12.1 billion (US$1.8 billion) in the same period, according to the iResearch Report.

Online Advertising. Online advertising in China has experienced rapid growth and is expected to continue its growth momentum. According to the iResearch Report, China online advertising market size has increased from approximately RMB77.3 billion in 2012 to RMB290.2 billion in 2016 and is expected to reach RMB1,032.3 billion in 2022, contributing approximately 16.5%, 44.7%, and 78.5% of total advertising market size in the respective years. In particular, in-feed advertisement emerged as an innovative advertising format that enables advertisers to tailor their advertisement based on target users’ profile, and is gaining increasing popularity among advertisers. According to the same report, in-feed advertising market size increased from approximately RMB2.4 billion in 2013 to RMB32.6 billion in 2016 and is expected to reach RMB360.9 billion in 2022.

Compared with traditional media, advertising on internet video platforms is gaining popularity among advertisers. The market size of traditional TV advertising as a percentage of the total advertising market size in China has decreased from approximately 22.3% in 2012 to 16.2% in 2016, and expected to further decrease to 7.1% in 2022, while market size of advertising on internet video platforms as a percentage of total advertising market size in China has increased from 1.4% in 2012 to 5.0% in 2016, and is expected to further increase to 9.6% in 2022, according to the iResearch Report. Internet video platforms appeal to advertisers because they provide a more diverse set of advertising formats, such as in-feed advertisements. Internet video platforms with a large, engaged user base and strong targeted advertising capabilities offer an especially compelling value proposition to advertisers.

 

China internet video industry advertising market size

 

 

LOGO

 

Source: the iResearch Report
Note: Advertising market size in the above chart includes all advertising gross billings generated by internet video platform companies and video service segment of portal websites

Monetization of Derivative Works. Internet video platforms in China also generate increasing revenues from new monetization channels and opportunities, such as adapting popular entertainment content into a variety of derivative works including animation, online games, and offline merchandizing. However, this monetization

 

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model is still at an early stage in China, compared to the robust monetization ecosystem in developed economies such as the United States. We believe that as China’s entertainment industry matures, emerging monetization models will provide internet video platforms in China with tremendous growth potential.

 

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BUSINESS

Our Mission

We aspire to become a technology-based entertainment giant that brings fun and joy to people and their families.

Business Overview

iQIYI is an innovative market-leading online entertainment service in China.

We are at the forefront of the entertainment industry in China. Our corporate DNA combines creative talent with technology, fostering an environment for the continuous innovation and production of blockbuster content. Our platform features highly popular original content, as well as a comprehensive selection of professionally-produced and partner-generated content. Through our curated premium content, we attract a massive user base with tremendous user engagement, and generate significant monetization opportunities.

We are one of the largest internet companies in China in terms of user base. We have successfully built iQIYI into a widely-recognized brand among users, content partners and advertisers, and have redefined online entertainment in China. We are the largest internet video streaming service in China in terms of user time spent and average total MAUs in 2017, according to iResearch. Through our license partner, we also operate the largest smart TV video streaming service in China as measured by monthly active devices in December 2017, according to the iResearch Report. For the three months ended December 31, 2017, we had approximately 421.3 million average mobile MAUs and approximately 126.0 million average mobile DAUs, while our average PC MAUs and average PC DAUs reached 424.1 million and 53.7 million, respectively. In December 2017, our users watched a total of 9.2 billion hours of videos on our platform, and spent an average of 1.7 hours per day per user watching video content on our mobile apps. We have also built a leading entertainment-based social media platform, iQIYI Paopao, for fans to follow and interact with celebrities and the entertainment community. iQIYI Paopao had approximately 45.8 million average mobile DAUs for the three months ended December 31, 2017.

We pride ourselves in establishing a track record of producing blockbuster original content. In 2017, our original content accounted for 5 of the top 10 original internet variety shows and 6 of the top 10 original internet drama series in China based on each title’s peak monthly active users, according to the iResearch Report. The Lost Tomb ( LOGO ), one of the first high-budget original internet drama series in China that we released in 2015, generated more than 100 million video views within the first 24 hours of debut and over 4 billion video views in total. Since 2015, we have released several award-winning multi-genre original titles, such as The Mystic Nine ( LOGO ) and Burning Ice ( LOGO ), which two titles in aggregate have generated approximately 13 billion video views. We also pioneered and produced a number of internet variety shows that are highly popular, such as Qipa Talk ( LOGO ), released in 2014 and currently in its fourth season, and The Rap of China ( LOGO ), each of which has generated over 3.0 billion video views. Leveraging on our initial success, we have extended selected popular titles into multi-season format.

Our powerful content distribution capability makes us the go-to partner in China for premium content providers. Equipped with our deep-learning predictive algorithms and massive user data, we have developed industry-leading tools to select third-party content. During 2017, iQIYI featured 42 of the top 50 most popular drama series, variety show and film titles streamed on the internet in China based on each title’s peak monthly active users, according to the iResearch Report. We have also built a comprehensive content library catering to the diverse tastes of our users, and cultivated emerging content providers. Our growing network of iQIYI partner accounts provides us with high-quality partner-generated content. This network also enables thousands of content providers to distribute content effectively and monetize their followings through revenue sharing arrangements with us.

We distinguish ourselves in the online entertainment industry by our leading technology platform powered by advanced AI, big data analytics and other core proprietary technologies. Our core proprietary technologies are

 

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critical to producing content that caters to user tastes, delivering superior entertainment experience to our users, improving operational efficiency, and increasing return on investment for our advertisers and monetization opportunities for content providers. For example, for our highly popular original title The Rap of China ( LOGO ), we used advanced AI technology in our casting process to select the most suitable celebrities for the show as well as for real-time frame analysis to study user preferences.

We have developed a diversified monetization model to capture multiple opportunities arising from the rapid growth of the online entertainment industry in China. We generate revenues through membership services, online advertising services and a suite of IP-related monetization methods, including content distribution. We pioneered a large scale paid content subscription business in China. Our membership services revenue increased by 277.5% from RMB996.7 million in 2015 to RMB3,762.2 million, and further by 73.7% from RMB3,762.2 million in 2016 to RMB6,536.0 million (US$1,004.6 million) in 2017. Membership services revenue as a percentage of total revenues increased from 18.7% in 2015 to 33.5% in 2016, and further to 37.6% in 2017. For the foreseeable future, we expect membership services as a percentage of total revenues to remain at a similar level as that in 2017. We appeal to advertisers through broad and efficient user reach, as well as innovative and effective advertising products. Our online advertising revenue grew by 66.2% from RMB3,399.9 million in 2015 to RMB5,650.4 million in 2016, and further by 44.4% from RMB5,650.4 million in 2016 to RMB8,158.9 million (US$1,254.0 million) in 2017. We have proven capabilities of adapting a single popular work into a variety of entertainment products, creating multiple channels to amplify the popularity and monetary value of the original work. Our sophisticated monetization model fosters an environment for high-quality content production and distribution on our platform, which in turn expands our user base and increases user engagement, creating a virtuous cycle.

We enjoy significant synergies with our parent company Baidu. Baidu has provided us with technology, infrastructure and financial support. Our close cooperation in AI technology, user traffic and infrastructure sharing allows us to strengthen our respective leading market positions. We have no experience operating as a stand-alone public company. After this offering, we will face enhanced administrative and compliance requirements, which may result in substantial costs. Furthermore, upon the completion of this offering, Baidu will beneficially own all of our outstanding high voting Class B ordinary shares and continue to be our controlling shareholder. Baidu’s voting control may cause transactions to occur that might not be beneficial to you as a holder of ADSs and may prevent transactions that could have been be beneficial to you. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Carve-out from Baidu and Our Relationship with Baidu—Baidu will control the outcome of shareholder actions in our company.” As our business continues to grow and after we become a public company, we expect to rely less on financing support from Baidu and increasingly rely on net cash provided by operating activities, financing through capital markets and commercial banks for our liquidity needs.

We have grown rapidly with total revenues increasing by 111.3% from RMB5,318.6 million in 2015 to RMB11,237.4 million in 2016, and further by 54.6% from RMB11,237.4 million in 2016 to RMB17,378.4 million (US$2,671.0 million) in 2017. We had net losses of RMB2,575.1 million, RMB3,074.0 million, and RMB3,736.9 million (US$574.4 million) in 2015, 2016, and 2017, respectively.

Our Competitive Strengths

We have successfully built iQIYI into a widely-recognized brand among users, content partners and advertisers, and have redefined online entertainment in China. We believe our success to date is primarily attributable to the following key competitive strengths:

We Have a Massive and Highly Engaged User Base

We are one of the largest internet companies in China in terms of user base. According to iResearch, our iQIYI mobile app had the fourth largest mobile MAU base and ranked second in terms of total user time spent, in each case among all mobile apps in China in December 2017.

 

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We are the largest internet video streaming service in China in terms of user time spent and average total MAUs in 2017, according to iResearch. We are the largest internet video streaming service in China in both mobile app and PC in terms of MAUs, average DAUs and total user time spent in December 2017, according to the iResearch Report. In December 2017, among video streaming services, we had 32.8% total time spent market share on mobile app, and 31.2% total time spent market share on PC, according to the iResearch Report. We have consistently ranked No. 1 since July 2015 in terms of combined PC and mobile video streaming total time spent market share, according to iResearch. Through our license partner, we also operate the largest smart TV video streaming service in China as measured by monthly active devices in December 2017, according to the iResearch Report.

We have a highly engaged user base. In December 2017, our users spent an average of 1.7 hours per day per user watching video content on our mobile apps. In December 2017, our iQIYI mobile app ranked No. 1 in terms of average monthly time spent per user among all internet video streaming mobile apps in China, according to iResearch. We have also successfully built iQIYI Paopao as a leading entertainment-based social media platform for fans to interact with celebrities and the entertainment community. By strengthening the connection between fans, celebrities and content, our platform enhances user engagement and stickiness.

We Produce Highly Popular, Trend-setting Original Content

Over the years, we have developed industry-leading content origination and self-production capability. We produce highly popular, trend-setting original content, which attracts a massive user base and differentiates us from competitors. In 2017, we released 5 of the top 10 original internet variety shows and 6 of the top 10 original internet drama series in China, according to the iResearch Report.

We have established a proven approach to producing original blockbuster content. We have a large pool of creative talents within our company who incubate original ideas. Our highly experienced in-house creative talents collaborate closely with IP owners, authors, screenplay writers, performers, and other partners in the content creation process. We continually release successful original titles and expand original content genres. For example, in 2017, our self-produced rap reality show, The Rap of China ( LOGO ), transformed hip-hop music from a niche entertainment format into a cultural phenomenon in China. The Rap of China ( LOGO ) has generated over 3.0 billion video views.

We Offer Premium Third-party Content and a Vast and Diversified Content Library

Equipped with strong content distribution capability, we are the go-to internet video streaming platform in China for premium content providers. Our strong partnership with premium content providers enables us to continually curate a comprehensive repertoire of blockbuster content. Our platform featured 42 out of the top 50 most popular drama series, variety show and film titles streamed on the internet in China during 2017, according to the iResearch Report. In addition to top Chinese content providers, we collaborate with leading global premium content providers, including the “Big Six” Hollywood production studios, top TV networks in the U.S. and Netflix, which further enriches our premium content offerings.

To cater to the tastes of Chinese users across their diverse spectrum, in particular the long-tail content interests of our users that individually generate lower level of video views but collectively make up significant content demand, we license content from thousands of professional content providers and have built a vast and diversified library of professionally produced content. As of December 31, 2017, our content library included over 70,000 titles of drama series, variety shows, films, kids programs, documentaries, animations, sports programs as well as other various genres of program, covering more than 30 content categories. This vast and diversified content library has helped us attract users of different ages and backgrounds and increase user engagement.

 

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We Cultivate a Vibrant Partner-generated-content System

China’s content production industry is highly fragmented. There are thousands of domestic content production houses and emerging internet content providers that lack adequate distribution channel and monetization capability. We have partnered with content providers with proven track records or great potentials and developed iQIYI partner accounts, an internet content open platform, to cultivate a vibrant partner-generated-content system. We set industry standards for new online content formats. For example, our 60-plus-minute length standard for internet films has been widely accepted by the market.

We empower content providers to efficiently distribute content to our massive users and build their own fan base. Our big data analytics tools enable content providers to reach targeted users and improve content production quality. We help content providers to monetize their content in multiple ways, such as paid video views, virtual item rewards, and advertisements, and we strengthen our partnership through revenue sharing arrangements. As a result, content providers can effectively distribute and monetize their content on our platform, and are motivated to continually create popular content for us, which further enriches our content offerings to allow us to attract more users, creating a virtuous self-reinforcing cycle. For example, in 2017, 533 internet film production houses in China distributed over 1,300 internet films on our platform.

We Capture Extensive Monetization Opportunities

We are the frontrunner in content monetization in China. Leveraging our industry-leading content creation and distribution capabilities, we have developed extensive monetization means that primarily generate revenues through membership services, online advertising and content distribution. We also generate revenues through a suite of IP-related monetization channels.

We reshaped the internet video streaming industry in China by successfully cultivating users’ willingness to pay for content. As of December 31, 2017, we had approximately 50.8 million subscribing members, representing 68.4% year-over-year growth. Our blockbuster content and innovation in operations continually enable us to expand our member base. For example, The Lost Tomb ( LOGO ), our premium original internet series, was released in June 2015. After two trial episodes, we altered the traditional weekly broadcasting schedule to release the complete season for members, which successfully attracted approximately 3.3 million new subscribing members. Our original titles have started generating meaningful revenues with efficient cost structure.

We have attracted a large base of brand advertising customers, and further expanded our online advertising customer base by rapidly ramping up our in-feed ads. Leveraging our highly popular original content, we are further improving our brand advertising pricing power and making further inroads into the traditional TV brand advertising budgets of advertisers. For example, the price for a 60-second ad spot during the season finale of The Rap of China ( LOGO ) reached a record breaking RMB45 million.

Leveraging our high-quality original content and massive user traffic, we generate revenues through a suite of IP-related monetization channels, such as content distribution, live broadcasting, online games and IP licensing. Our IP ownership of the original content gives us flexibility in derivative content adaptations. Moreover, we monetize our massive traffic by providing online games and live broadcasting services on our platform.

We Have Developed a Robust Technology Platform

We have developed a robust technology platform that powers every major aspect of our business, including content creation, production, procurement, categorization, distribution, display, intellectual property protection and monetization, as well as customer service.

For users, our proprietary visual and audio technology allows us to deliver a reliable, immersive and rewarding entertainment experience. We have developed sophisticated big data analytics capability and built a massive user and content database, which enable us to profile our users precisely and deliver accurate and personalized content recommendation.

 

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For internal business operations, our technology makes us more efficient. Our AI allows us to more accurately forecast box office and internet traffic impact of new title releases, which optimizes our selection of content and improves return on investments in content acquisition. For example, powered by deep learning algorithms, our 180-day forecast model of box office receipts for 100 films achieved a statistically significant accuracy rate of above 80%. In addition, technology also plays an important role in our content creation process. We also leverage our big data technology to intelligently match suggested cast with screenplay’s character settings.

For our advertising customers and content partners, our sophisticated advertising technology tailors advertisement distribution based on user behavior and content label, resulting in higher level of engagement and return-on-investment, while maintaining user experience. Our technology is also critical to increasing return on investment for our advertising customers and content partners.

We Enjoy Significant Synergies with Baidu

We enjoy significant synergies with our parent company, Baidu. Under the master business cooperation agreement with Baidu, we carry out cooperation in many areas, including AI technology, Smart devices/DuerOS, cloud, online advertising, internet traffic, data and content. The close cooperation allows us to strengthen our respective leading positions.

Our premium and comprehensive content library has significant synergies with Baidu’s massive user traffic. Our technology team regularly engages in joint developments with Baidu on advanced AI know-how. We leverage our cooperation with Baidu to form clearer content interest graphs of our users. Our access to Baidu’s cloud IT infrastructure such as cloud computing and cloud storage on favorable terms provides us with advantages in performance and technology innovation. See “Our Relationship with Baidu” for a more detailed description of our cooperation with Baidu.

We Have a Visionary Management Team

We have a visionary management team with a proven track record of entrepreneurial success, as well as solid, diverse and complementary backgrounds. Dr. Yu Gong, our chief executive officer and founder, possesses deep entrepreneurship and extensive managerial experience. Under his leadership, iQIYI has grown to become the leader in China’s internet video industry. Dr. Gong is a successful serial entrepreneur and a pioneer in China’s internet and entertainment industries. Before founding iQIYI, Dr. Gong founded focus.cn in 1999, the then largest real estate website in China, which was acquired by Sohu, a Nasdaq-listed company, in 2003. Dr. Gong continued to serve as Sohu’s chief operating officer until 2008.

Other members of our senior management team have extensive and complementary experiences in a wide range of fields, covering technology, internet, entertainment, finance and operations. Together with Dr. Gong, they have led our company to continually drive innovation and achieve market leadership in China. We are confident that our senior management will further grow our company, strengthen our iQIYI brand, and pave the way for us to achieve our mission.

Our Strategies

We intend to pursue the following strategies to further grow our business:

Enrich and Expand Our Blockbuster Content

Our content production capability is vital to the quality and popularity of our original content. Such capability includes, among others, our expertise in identifying original literary titles or scripts with the most potential, nurturing promising artistic talents and executing impactful marketing campaigns. We will leverage our deep understanding of entertainment, users and content, as well as advanced technology to systematically produce phenomenal original titles. We intend to allocate approximately 25% of the net proceeds from this offering towards original content production over the next three to five years.

 

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We intend to pursue the following initiatives to strengthen our content production capability:

 

    Dolphin Program—We plan to invite renowned production companies to competitively bid for roles in producing our most popular internet drama series, and our payment to such production companies will be in the form of a guaranteed fee plus revenue sharing.

 

    Young Tiger Program—We intend to increase our financial and platform resource support to producers, directors, screenplay writers and other artists in their entrepreneurship efforts. Through such support, we plan to foster the creation of quality content and further raise our industry profile.

 

    Swan Program—To alleviate the scarcity of high-quality acting talent and reduce the high cost of engaging such talent in China, we intend to systematically discover and nurture young acting talent through training camps. We also plan to promote our trainees through acting roles in popular featured programs.