Contesting the intermediary power: How Chinese MCNs interact with platforms, creators, and advertisers

Abstract

China currently has the largest Multi-Channel Networks (MCN) market in the world and developed a multi-layered ecosystem, which presents unique insights into our understanding of platforms as infrastructures. Through 18 semi-structured interviews and the walkthrough method, we found that Chinese MCNs can be divided into the following categories: (1) Live-streaming guilds, (2) E-commerce MCNs, (3) Agency MCNs, and (4) Old media MCNs. We also found that Chinese content platforms have not fully monopolized the intermediary power because they rely on Chinese MCNs to take on the risks of professional content production. In response, the intermediary risks of MCNs are also transferred to creators who work for MCNs. MCNs can help creators to game the algorithm and monetize their content, but can also exploit creators and leave them unprotected. The ambiguous roles played by Chinese MCNs point to an uncertain future for content platforms’ infrastructuralization at large.