TV Series Marketing in China: Industrial Restructuring and Algorithmic Discipline in the Platform Age

This thesis examines the TV series marketing industry in China in the platform age. Drawing on expert interviews and document research, it maps the reconfiguration of industry structure and power dynamics within the Chinese TV series marketing industry, showing how traditional media industries are adapting to the platform age. It further reveals the mechanisms through which social media platforms, exemplified by Douyin, deploy algorithms as apparatuses to discipline marketers’ creativity, labour practices, and budget allocations. This thesis contributes to an understanding of the underexplored TV series marketing industry and enriches scholarly discussions of platform–creator relationships from a disciplinary perspective.