Streaming channel for pets launched in China

A photograph of a dog and a cat.

Cats and dogs can now fill the hours their owners are at work with a dedicated all-day streaming channel for pets launched by Chinese tech giant Tencent.

Clips of a duckling swimming in a bath or two happy pooches patrolling their neighbourhood are examples of the curated programming on “PetTV”.

The new channel on Tencent Video -- China’s most popular online streaming platform -- is meant to keep pets company while alone or can act as an activity for animals and humans to enjoy together.

“This is all dog content, when will the cat programme be on?” one person engrossed in the service wrote in the chatroom on PetTV’s streaming page.

Tencent Video described PetTV as a “24-hour happiness hub specially designed for your furry kids” in a post on social media app WeChat introducing the service last weekend.

Dogs and cats’ senses are different to humans’, so the channel’s colours, refresh rates and audio frequencies have been designed to suit their specific needs, it said.

PetTV is available to paid subscribers of Tencent Video, which said its market research found that 66 per cent of dog owners leave the television on for their pets when they are out.

But the streaming service isn’t the only pet specific media on the market.

Popular Headspace mindfulness app posted a YouTube video this week titled: “When your pets miss you, play this: 6 hour calming music for dogs and cats”.

Tencent Video will also take advantage of third-party content including airing America’s DogTV -- the world’s first TV channel and streaming service for pets.

The value of China’s growing urban pet market is estimated to reach 405 billion yuan (US$59 billion) in 2028, according to a recent report by PetData.cn.

On average last year, Chinese households spent more than 3,000 yuan ($435) on each dog and more than 2,000 yuan on each cat for their care needs.