(Yicai Global) Dec. 28 -- China's online film and television platforms are continually improving the quality of content to attract more paying members, and subscription volumes could more than double over the next two years, predicts Meng Yifei, director of Zhejiang Huace Film & TV Co.'s research institute.

There are 121 paid series available online this year, double last year's figure, state-owned People's Daily quoted Meng as saying. The market volume of subscriptions has reached CNY20 billion (USD3 billion) and is set to grow to more than CNY50 billion in two years, on par with advertising revenue, he added.

Advertising income will also maintain strong growth, Meng believes. It hit CNY44 billion this year and could surpass CNY50 billion in 2018.

The combination of entertainment and advertising is a prominent income model online. It links ads to film and television plots to better relate to audiences, he added, saying there will likely be a broader range of ad formats next year.

China's online TV series have attracted over a trillion views this year and traffic volume is up 20 percent annually. One series brought in more than 45 billion views this year, and most attain five billion or more, Meng estimated.

Online platforms now pay almost as much as traditional broadcasters in royalties for television series. Internet providers have paid CNY22 billion to producers this year, up 40 percent annually, while traditional broadcasters paid CNY23.8 billion, a 20-percent increase, he added.