Video streaming sites have become the main platform for producing and broadcasting documentaries in China, luring an increasing number of young viewers, according to a recent report.

The report on the development of Chinese documentaries in 2020 was released by the National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) at the Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival, which runs from Dec. 14 to 17.

It showed that more players have entered the documentary production field and noted the genre has become increasingly prominent on video streaming sites such as Bilibili, Youku and Tencent Video.

On Bilibili, for example, a total of over 3,500 documentaries are available to stream, while nearly 100 of these works are original productions, according to Zhang Shengyan, general manager of the site's copyright cooperation center.

"Watching documentaries has become an important way for young people to understand and explore the world," said Zhang, noting a significant surge in documentary viewers on the site from 30 million in late 2018 to 90 million this year.

Tencent Video also noted that 66 percent of its users are members of Generation Z, and the platform is catering to their demands by providing documentaries with greater interactiveness, diversity of themes and innovative expressions, said Zhou Mo, with the platform's documentary IP content operation center.

Online platforms have been producing original documentaries and securing copyrighted works to offer more such films to attract young viewers, the report noted.

"We'll continue to support innovations in the production and dissemination of documentaries, and encourage more innovative production methods and forms to attract more viewers, especially the youth," said Gao Jianmin, deputy director of the NRTA.