China's first long AI-made television series has become a surprise hit. 'Sequel to Journey to the West' premiered on Mango TV on August 31. Its first five episodes have drawn about 280 million online views. The first episode is free, while the rest require payment. The series also airs in prime time on Hunan TV, where it leads its time slot.
The show is made and broadcast at the same time. Episodes go out as soon as they are finished. This lets the team adjust the story based on viewers' reactions. The director says the whole budget is only about four million dollars. That is roughly one tenth of the cost of similar films about myths. The full series is planned to run for 30 episodes of 40 minutes.