WeChat Channel +50% (WeChat Video)

Tencent’s Q3 2023 Financial Results Highlights:

Quick hello. I am Jon Wang, and I help brands use WeChat to its full power. WeChat Channels, the video feed inside WeChat, keeps growing fast, and it matters because it brings short video and livestream into the app where your audience already lives, shops and pays. Here is why Channels deserves a place in your plan.

• Combined Monthly Active Users (MAU) of Weixin and WeChat reached 1.336 billion.
• Total video views on #Channels saw a year-on-year increase of over 50%.
• FinTech Services continued to show robust performance with double-digit year-on-year growth.
• Weixin’s closed-loop advertising revenue recorded a year-on-year rise of over 30%.
• This advertising revenue contributed to over half of Weixin’s total advertising revenue.

source

WeChat Channel An Emerging Short Video Platforms inside of WeChat

• WeChat Channels in the WeChat App
  • Location: Found in the Discover tab, below the frequently used Moments feature.
  • Functionality: Users can post photos and videos either directly from their phone or via the WeChat Channels Assistant web platform.
  • Video Length: Initially limited to under 1 minute, now expanded to up to 30 minutes.
  • Post Description: Allows up to 1000 Chinese characters, including hashtags and mentions of other accounts.

Content Display and Navigation

• Format: Content is listed in a single column, similar to Douyin , and auto-plays upon scrolling.
• Tabs:
  • Following: Displays posts from followed WeChat Channels accounts.
  • Friends: Shows posts liked by your friends.
  • Hot: Features popular posts recommended by WeChat.
• Additional Features:
  • Location-based content viewing.
  • Top search bar for finding specific content or accounts.

Brand Engagement on WeChat Channels

• Interactivity: Viewers can like, comment on posts, and interact with other users’ comments.
• Direct Messaging: Users can send messages to a WeChat Channels account without following it.
• Live Streaming:
  • Tested since October 2020 with selected users.
  • Features include sharing, commenting, sending virtual gifts, and participating in lucky draws.
• Advertising: WeChat Channels is testing advertising functionalities.

Integration with Other WeChat Functions for Marketing

• Increasing Followers:
  • Linking a business’s WeChat Channels account with a verified WeChat account for verification.
  • Redirects viewers to articles in the WeChat public account, aiding follower growth.
  • Embedding WeChat Channels content in WeChat public account articles.
• Promoting WeChat Store:
  • Linking to a WeChat Store, enabling viewers to make purchases during live streams without leaving the app.
• Video for Sales Growth:
  • Videos aid in increasing product understanding and conversions.
  • Utilized by luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Fendi, and Burberry.
  • Example: Chanel uses Channels to showcase products with article links for more information and purchasing options.

What the 2026 data says

WeChat Channels, the platform’s video feed, keeps posting strong growth. It matters because it folds short video and livestream into the WeChat ecosystem, next to your Official Account, Mini Program shop and WeChat Pay. That means a viewer can watch, follow and buy without ever leaving the app, turning your owned WeChat audience into a selling channel.

How we grow brands on WeChat

We are a small Shanghai team, and we built our name making WeChat a real sales channel, not just a brochure. We tie Channels, content and a Mini Program shop together so your audience can buy in the app. See our WeChat service, then get in touch through our contact form. Friendly team, fair prices, real results.

Tencent’s Q1 2025 numbers put Channels at the center

In its Q1 2025 report, Tencent said marketing services revenue grew 20% year on year to RMB 31.9 billion, and it named WeChat Channels as a main driver alongside Mini Programs and WeChat Search. The same report flagged that WeChat Mini Shop transaction volume kept climbing fast, on top of 2024 sales that were already about 1.9 times the year before. Combined WeChat users sat at 1.4 billion. For a foreign brand, the read is simple: the money is moving toward video inside WeChat, and the ad-to-shop path is getting shorter, so a small, steady Channels presence now buys you cheaper reach later. source.

What Chinese pros say on Zhihu

A widely read Zhihu thread asks how Channels selling actually works today. The top answers are practical and walk through the real steps, not theory.

Q: “How is WeChat Channels selling done right now?”

A (translated): “Open WeChat, go to Discover, then Channels, tap your profile, open Creator Center and the selling section. There is no follower minimum to switch it on. Post a video, add product links, and put the product keyword in the title with a topic tag so the feed pushes it wider. The feed spreads through likes from friends, then friends of friends, so reshare in Moments, groups and your Official Account to warm it up. When you go live, link products from your showcase to sell in real time. Note the audience skews older, so pick products that group likes.”

It lines up with what we see: Channels rewards a clear product hook and consistent posting more than a big budget. Read the thread on Zhihu.

The opportunity, and how to take it

The chance here is owning a video channel where your buyer already watches, follows and pays, instead of renting attention on a platform you do not control. Here is how it turns into sales: Channels videos and livestreams feed a WeChat Mini Program shop, so a viewer can buy in two taps, while a softer track captures B2B leads through your Official Account and a contact form. We are a small Shanghai team, Chinese-native, and we care about orders and qualified leads, not view counts that look nice in a deck. We keep prices fair for smaller brands. Want a plan that fits your products and budget? Talk to us.

Sources: China digital data from QuestMobile and the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC).

Jon Wang is a pragmatic, China-focused consultant with hands-on experience in Chinese e-commerce, distribution and digital marketing, always focused on practical solutions for smaller brands and tighter budgets. Connect with Jon on LinkedIn.