How iQIYI’s Adoption of IMF Doubles Video Delivery Efficiency

iQIYI has upgraded its Interoperable Master Format (IMF) to the third phase, achieving at least a 50% increase in overall delivery efficiency compared with the traditional MOV format. This means that the time required to deliver one film is now sufficient to deliver two.

IMF is an internationally leading master file format used by major streaming platforms such as Netflix and Disney+. Since 2020, iQIYI has filled the domestic gap in IMF adoption through technical upgrades, dedicated training, and collaborations with global post‑production software vendors. All of iQIYI’s self‑produced dramas now use IMF for 100% of deliveries.

The delivery stage is the final step before a work reaches the audience: the content is uploaded to the platform, then decoded, transcoded, and adapted to various playback devices.

Unlike the industry‑standard MOV format, which bundles video, audio, and subtitles into a single file, IMF separates these elements into individual, interchangeable components. This modular approach is analogous to the shift from woodblock printing to movable type, enabling independent, flexible, and interoperable handling of each element.

Key benefits of IMF include:

Subtitle modifications can be completed in less than 5% of the original time, reducing edit cycles by over 95%.

Storage requirements drop by more than one‑third compared with MOV, because only the changed components need to be re‑encoded.

Support for high‑quality formats such as 4K, HDR, wide‑color gamut, high frame rates, and immersive audio, preserving maximum visual and auditory detail.

Easy localization for overseas distribution: opening/closing sequences and subtitles can be swapped without re‑encoding the entire program.

IMF’s modular workflow also introduces new challenges for post‑production staff, who must learn new tools and processes. Nevertheless, iQIYI has partnered with international vendors like FilmLight and Colorfront to develop embedded IMF templates and provide dedicated training, lowering the learning curve.

In April, China’s National Radio and Television Administration incorporated IMF into the “Television Drama Master Format Specification,” and iQIYI’s IMF implementation complies with this national standard.

According to a partner from the “Feiyue” project, IMF is not just a packaging format but a complete, standardized workflow that dramatically improves efficiency, freeing more time for creative work and enhancing overall production quality.

iQIYI CEO Gong Yu emphasizes that standardization and intelligent production are essential for the industrialization of film and television, and IMF’s impact on the delivery stage exemplifies practical benefits for cost reduction and efficiency gains.