A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
YouTube占美国电视百分之十五点八，好莱坞开始反击
YouTube Takes 15.8% of US TV Viewing as Hollywood Fights Back
About this story
Easy Chinese news: YouTube grabs 15.8% of US TV time, earns $60B, and challenges Netflix and Hollywood studios. HSK 3 Chinese listening practice.
This is an HSK 3 Chinese listening episode that runs about 3 minutes. The full Mandarin script is shown with tap-for-pinyin and a line-by-line English translation, so you can listen and read at once — comprehensible input in the sense of Stephen Krashen's i+1 theory. It teaches 12 key vocabulary words such as 差不多、公司、房间 and walks through 7 grammar patterns, each explained in English with examples. The same news story is retold at 4 difficulty levels — use the level selector above to find the version that is challenging but still understandable for you.
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原文Read the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.
English transcript reference
In the US, people give about 15.8% of their TV watching time to YouTube.
This number was calculated by an American company.
YouTube alone is about equal to Netflix and these companies combined.
Hollywood companies are very anxious now.
Near Los Angeles, there is a video-making company called Smosh.
This company's building is big, with large rooms inside for making videos.
More than 45 million people follow this company.
In three years, the money this company earned became five times its original amount.
The company also has more people than before; now there are 100 people.
The person managing this company says, the people big companies don't want, we exactly want.
She says, this is like others sending the people they've chosen to us.
There is also a video maker named Mark.
Mark has more than 40 million followers on YouTube.
He paid himself to make a scary movie.
As soon as the movie came out, his followers all went to see it.
A small movie later sold very well.
Mark says, YouTube is like a very heavy monster, standing behind everyone.
These companies fear YouTube because YouTube is very good at making money.
YouTube's money last year totaled more than 60 billion US dollars.
Part of this money is from others placing ads, part is from people paying to watch.
Netflix earned more than 45 billion US dollars last year.
Video makers put videos on YouTube.
YouTube takes almost half of the money the videos earn.
At first, YouTube doesn't give any money in advance.
Netflix didn't make this kind of short video before.
Now Netflix has also started making them.
Netflix also made an agreement with video makers.
In three years, Netflix will give them 1 billion US dollars.
Other companies are also thinking of ways.
TikTok will work with another company to make ten very long feature films.
Another company puts short videos from small screens onto TV.
On TV, this kind of video can be watched for up to 90 minutes.
YouTube's boss says, other companies coming to call our people away, we feel a little happy.
Netflix's earliest person is now no longer working.
He says, YouTube is like old TV, Netflix is like old movies.
He also says, wanting to beat YouTube at what it does best is very hard.
Some Hollywood companies have merged together.
These merged companies owe 87.5 billion US dollars.
Now, these companies are still thinking of ways.
But YouTube is still walking at the very front.
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇HSK 2. Used to indicate approximation, e.g., 差不多百分之十五点八 (about 15.8%).
HSK 2. Common noun for business entity.
HSK 2. Measure word: 个.
HSK 2. Used to refer to a past time.
HSK 2. Common noun.
HSK 2. Time word.
HSK 2. Can be used as verb or noun.
HSK 2. Often used in 想办法 (think of a way).
HSK 2. Describes a feeling of urgency or worry.
HSK 2. Verb-object compound.
HSK 3. Beyond level for easy.
Beyond HSK 2. Compound of 怪 (strange) and 兽 (beast).
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法差不多 + Number + Measure Word
Expresses approximation, meaning 'about' or 'almost'.
差不多百分之十五点八给了YouTube。
跟 + Noun + 差不多
Means 'about the same as' or 'similar to'.
光YouTube一家，就跟Netflix这些公司加起来差不多。
变成 + Noun
Means 'to change into' or 'become'.
赚的钱变成了原来的五倍。
一……就……
Means 'as soon as... then...'.
电影一出来，跟着他的人就都去看。
像 + Noun + 一样
Expresses similarity, 'like' or 'as if'.
YouTube像一头很重的怪兽，站在所有人的后面。
要 + Verb + 差不多 + Number
Indicates an approximate amount that is taken or required.
YouTube要拿走差不多一半。
Proper nouns
专有名词Sources
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