AI-Generated Drama Sends Mango Excellent Media’s Market Value Up by 13.3 Billion Yuan

Summary

AI-generated drama After Journey to the West began airing in Hunan TV’s prime-time slot and on Mango TV on August 31. The 30-episode series runs 40 minutes per episode, and its characters, actions, settings and props were generated with AI. Over the five trading days ending September 4, Mango Excellent Media’s share price rose 50.18%, adding about 13.284 billion yuan to its market value, as investors bet that AI could reduce the traditionally rigid cost structure of television production. Mango says the series cost only a fraction of a comparable S-level live-action drama, shortened production time by 70% compared with traditional 3D animation, and created 109 character assets and 143 scene assets that can be reused in later episodes and a second season. The series initially ranked second in prime-time ratings, but its ratings fell over the following two days to sixth. Audience reactions were divided: viewers praised some visual effects while criticizing the slow pacing, repetitive emotional beats and simplified storytelling. The article argues that the production dropped much of the original novel’s philosophical and satirical core to create a more technically manageable growth story. It also cautions that AI shifts costs toward computing, model calls, human refinement and review, while Mango has not disclosed a full-cycle production cost. The series currently relies on VIP early access rather than a demonstrated advertising or revenue-sharing model, so it remains an industrial experiment rather than proof that AI has solved television profitability.