Black Cat's Big Data Center has released a report analyzing consumer complaint trends within the video and livestreaming sector for the first half of 2026. The report examines industry trends and highlights prevalent issues based on complaint data.
Complaint Volume Nears 76,000, Marked by Multiple Collective Incidents
During the first six months of 2026, the video and livestreaming industry received close to 76,000 complaints, with several significant collective incidents occurring. In February, consumers purchasing tickets for the QQ Music Super Peak Night Music Festival found their selected dates sold out, with the platform automatically switching their bookings to other dates without consent. In March, the same festival triggered another wave of complaints due to chaotic event management. In April, a technical failure disrupted a paid solo livestream service on Kuaishou, where a promised on-time broadcast was delayed by nearly an hour, preventing normal viewing.
Automatic Renewal Issues Account for Over One-Third of Complaints
Analysis using the AI risk warning tool "Miaoyiyan" identified common grievances in the industry. These include consumers being charged for automatic renewals without their knowledge, livestream hosts inducing minors to make in-app purchases and send gifts, and difficulties obtaining refunds for event tickets or course subscriptions. Among these, issues related to automatic renewals were particularly prominent, with nearly 26,000 cases, constituting over one-third of the total complaints.
Complaints Concentrated Among Top Platforms
A total of 99 companies in the video and livestreaming space received complaints on the Black Cat platform in the first half of the year. Eleven of these merchants each accumulated over 1,000 complaints, collectively accounting for more than 90% of the total volume. Notably, two merchants each received over 10,000 complaints. In contrast, the remaining 88 companies each had fewer than 1,000 complaints, together representing only 8.75% of the industry's total.
Tencent-Affiliated Platforms Show Poorer Complaint Resolution Rates
There was significant variation in how the top ten most-complained-about merchants handled cases. Platforms including Kuaishou, Youku, KuGou Music, iQiyi, and NetEase Cloud Music achieved a 100% response rate. Bilibili and Douyin both had response rates exceeding 90%. In comparison, three Tencent-affiliated platforms—Quanmin K Ge, Tencent Video, and QQ Music—performed less satisfactorily. Tencent Music (ASX: TME)'s QQ Music platform had a notably low response rate of approximately 70%.
Nearly 60% of Complaints Involve Amounts Under 100 Yuan
The majority of complaint amounts in the industry fell into the low-value category of under 100 yuan, representing 55.77% of cases. Complaints involving 100 to 500 yuan were the next largest segment at 23.06%. Higher-value disputes of 500-1000 yuan (7.49%) and over 1000 yuan (13.68%) were less common. The prevalence of low-amount complaints is often linked to frequent disputes over small charges like automatic renewals and membership subscriptions, while mid-to-high-value complaints typically involve larger in-app purchases, gifting, or ticket and course purchases.
Young and Middle-Aged Adults Form Core Complainant Demographic
Analyzing the age distribution of complainants reveals that individuals aged 20-25, 26-30, and 31-40 are the primary groups, constituting 38.34%, 21.56%, and 23.17% of complaints respectively. These demographics represent the core user base for audio and video platforms, with high daily usage frequency and heightened sensitivity to issues related to membership services and content updates, leading to a concentrated volume of feedback.
The report concludes with a reminder to consumers that the Black Cat complaint platform assists in resolving consumer disputes free of charge. Any entity claiming to be an official or partner of the platform and requesting fees to handle complaints is engaging in impersonation or fraud. Consumers are advised to remain vigilant and report such accounts to the official platform and authorities.
After a complaint is filed on the Black Cat platform, the resolution process involves direct communication between the consumer and the accused company. The platform itself does not have customer service agents proactively contacting users to assist with refunds. Consumers are urged to use official channels to resolve disputes and to be wary of third-party agencies or individuals offering refund services to avoid being scammed. Any suspected fraud should be reported to the police.
Official channels for submitting complaints include the Black Cat website, its official mobile app available from legitimate app stores, and its mini-programs on platforms like WeChat, Baidu, Alipay, Douyin, Kuaishou, and DingTalk. Suspected impersonator accounts can be reported to the official Black Cat email address.
To prevent personal information leaks and fraud, consumers are advised to: carefully review complaint text and image evidence for exposed private information before submission; rely solely on official channels for dispute resolution and not trust unsolicited contact offers; never provide bank details, passwords, ID numbers, or verification codes to strangers; be cautious of overseas phone calls; and note that legitimate company refunds are processed through the original payment method, not via alternative links or requests for "unfreezing" fees.
To concentrate resources and serve users more effectively, the Black Cat platform currently only accepts complaints related to actual consumer transaction disputes.
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