From language education to live-streaming commerce, Oriental Selection's remarkable transformation has rewritten the rules of digital content creation in China. As the company expands beyond Douyin, industry observers question whether its success can be replicated across multiple platforms.
The Strategic Pivot Behind New Oriental's MCN Transformation
New Oriental's seamless transition into a multi-channel network (MCN) powerhouse demonstrates its exceptional corporate adaptability and market foresight. The education group's shift toward live commerce was no accident, but rather a calculated move leveraging its unique accumulated advantages.
Years of cultivating academically rigorous yet charismatic teachers provided Oriental Selection with a ready pool of talent. However, the company's true competitive edge lies in its institutional "star-making" capability. New Oriental's long history of developing "celebrity teacher" IPs, both online and offline, created the perfect foundation for its live commerce success.
Decoding Douyin: The Algorithm Behind Oriental Selection's Rise
Quality hosts alone couldn't guarantee success without mastering platform-specific traffic mechanisms. As China's dominant short-video platform, Douyin's interest-based ecommerce ecosystem became the proving ground for Oriental Selection's strategy.
The viral success of hosts like Dong Yuhui reflects more than individual charisma—it represents New Oriental's MCN division's sophisticated understanding of Douyin's recommendation algorithms. From earlier platform phenomena like "Zhang Tongxue" to fitness guru Liu Genghong, Douyin's ability to create overnight stars follows predictable patterns that savvy MCNs have learned to navigate.
Platform Control and the Evolving MCN Landscape
Douyin has consistently adjusted its traffic distribution to prevent over-reliance on top creators. Since 2021, the platform implemented a "1-3-6 gradient" system: 10% of traffic goes to top influencers, 30% to vertical specialists, and 60% to brand accounts.
This marked a dramatic shift from the previous 50% allocation to headliners. The new paradigm forces top creators to scale operations while maintaining quality—a challenge requiring professional MCN support for everything from product selection to IP management. Industry analysts predict MCNs will become increasingly indispensable in China's live commerce sector over the next three to five years.
Multi-Platform Expansion: Oriental Selection's Next Chapter
Recent moves signal Oriental Selection's ambitious platform diversification. The launch of a standalone app was quickly followed by entries into Taobao and JD.com—clear indications the company won't remain tethered to Douyin.
This strategic dispersion reflects basic risk management. No brand, whether corporate or individual, can afford single-platform dependency in China's volatile digital ecosystem. Likewise, platforms themselves avoid becoming over-reliant on particular creators.
Oriental Selection's expansion serves as an industry wake-up call. Successful creators must now master cross-platform adaptation while strengthening supply chain partnerships and refining audience segmentation. For MCNs and talent alike, this multi-homing strategy appears inevitable in China's evolving digital content landscape.
The symbiotic relationship between platforms and creators continues to evolve. While platforms provide growth opportunities, high-value creators contribute to ecosystem development. As Oriental Selection innovates, the industry watches closely—not just for its commercial achievements, but for its potential to nurture more talents like Dong Yuhui who can elevate China's live commerce standards.