HANGZHOU, China, Feb. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- NetEase Cloud Music Inc. (HKEX: 9899 or the "Company"), a leading interactive music streaming service provider in China, today announced its financial results for the fiscal year 2025 ended December 31, 2025.
Summary of Key Financial Metrics
(RMB in thousands, unless otherwise stated)
Year ended 31 December | ||||
2025 | 2024 | |||
(Unaudited) | (Unaudited) | |||
Revenue | 7,759,450 | 7,950,146 | ||
Gross profit | 2,769,592 | 2,681,512 | ||
Operating profit | 1,621,952 | 1,170,847 | ||
Profit before income tax | 2,067,738 | 1,570,255 | ||
Profit for the year (1) | 2,745,828 | 1,565,369 | ||
Non-IFRS Measure (2 ): | ||||
Adjusted operating profit | 1,733,749 | 1,309,418 | ||
Adjusted net profit | 2,860,007 | 1,700,078 | ||
Note:
(1)During the year ended 31 December 2025, the Group recognised a deferred income tax credit of RMB746.7 million which primarily arose from the recognition of deferred tax assets in respect of cumulative tax losses incurred by a wholly-owned subsidiary. These tax losses are available to be carried forward against future taxable income. Deferred tax assets relating to tax losses and temporary differences are recognised to the extent that it is probable that future taxable profit will be available against which the temporary differences or tax losses can be utilised.
(2)Adjusted operating profit and adjusted net profit are non-IFRS measures and are defined as operating profit and profit for the year attributable to the equity holders of the Company adjusted by adding back equity-settled share-based payments as appropriate. For details of the reconciliation of the profit for the year attributable to the equity holders of the Company to the adjusted net profit of our Group, see the section headed "Financial Review" below.
Fiscal Year 2025 Key Financial Highlights
- Revenue was RMB7.8 billion, a slight decrease of 2.4% compared with RMB8.0 billion in 2024.
- Online music services:
- Revenue from online music services was RMB6.0 billion, an increase of 12.0% compared with RMB5.4 billion in 2024.
- Revenue from sales of membership subscriptions increased to RMB5.1 billion from RMB4.5 billion in 2024, driven by continuous growth in monthly paying users of online music services with enhanced user experience, expanded membership benefits and enriched music community content.
- Social entertainment services and others:
- Revenue from social entertainment services and others was RMB1.8 billion, compared with RMB2.6 billion in 2024. The decrease was primarily attributed to a more prudent operational strategy in the social entertainment services. At the same time, we continued to focus on our core music business, with the intention of supporting long-term growth.
- Online music services:
- Gross profit was RMB2,769.6 million, a slight increase of 3.3% compared with RMB2,681.5 million in 2024. This was primarily due to increased revenue from our online music services and continued improvement in operating efficiency, despite a decrease in revenue from our social entertainment services.
- Gross margin improved to 35.7% from 33.7% in 2024.
- Operating profit was RMB1,622.0 million, an increase of 38.5% compared with RMB1,170.8 million in 2024, which was primarily due to the decrease in promotion and advertising expenses and the increase in government grants.
- Adjusted operating profit was RMB1,733.7 million, an increase of 32.4% compared with RMB1,309.4 million for the same period of 2024.
- Net profit reached RMB2,745.8 million, compared with net profit of RMB1,565.4 million in 2024.
- Adjusted net profit reached RMB2,860.0 million, compared with adjusted net profit of RMB1,700.1 million in 2024.
Business Overview
Throughout 2025, we remained focused on driving high-quality development across our core music ecosystem. By continuously improving premium music experiences, we enhanced our appeal to a broad base of music lovers and deepened users' recognition and affinity for our platform. We also enhanced our differentiated content offerings and made further progress in developing original music. Guided by user needs, we continued to enrich the content ecosystem, refine personalized recommendations, innovate product features, and strengthen the community. These initiatives further boosted our appeal to users and engagement. Paired with upgraded membership benefits, they also supported growth in subscription-based memberships, reflecting our platform's sustainable development and long-term value.
We continued to expand and deepen our music-oriented community ecosystem. In 2025, we achieved steady year-over-year growth in both active user base and overall engagement by improving user experience and enhancing brand awareness. Meanwhile, our DAU /MAU ratio (daily active user/monthly active user ratio) improved year over year, remaining above 30%, and average daily mobile music listening time continued to increase. Notably, our efforts to deliver premium content and experiences, along with the platform's trendsetting aesthetics and design, strongly resonated with young music enthusiasts, who are gradually becoming loyal users of our platform.
We have built a diverse and distinctive content library by expanding our copyrighted music collection while actively promoting original Chinese music. In 2025, we introduced content from Korean labels, supplemented our Chinese music catalogue, added OST and variety show music, and further strengthened our signature genres, including hip-hop and Western music. We also deepened collaboration with labels in content promotion and artist-centric campaigns. Our unique independent artist ecosystem continued to grow, and our in-house works such as "Liang Nan" gained broad recognition both on and off the platform.
From a product perspective, we continued to prioritize user needs and remained committed to innovation and excellence in music discovery and listening experience. In 2025, we further upgraded our core product framework to enhance its visual appeal and better support users' diverse music discovery preferences. We advanced personalized content distribution and introduced Climber, our self-developed AI-powered generative recommendation model. Our innovative features, such as Automix, "Magic Light Player" (?????) and landscape mode, deliver a more immersive audio-visual journey. We also expanded and enhanced community scenarios to encourage more active user participation and interactions.
Our music-centric monetisation capabilities continued to deliver healthy growth. In 2025, subscription-based membership revenue increased by 13.3% year on year, driven by growth in the subscriber base, though slightly offset by a dilution in monthly ARPPU (average revenue per paying user) due to changes in subscriber mix. Importantly, our fast-growing subscriber base also demonstrated stronger stickiness, with higher retention and activity levels. By continuously enhancing membership benefits across content, features and customization, we strengthened users' willingness to pay for premium experiences.
Alongside our growth in monetisation, we also further improved our profitability in 2025. Our gross margins reached 35.7%, representing a notable increase from 33.7% in 2024. In 2025, our operating profit increased by 38.5% year on year, which mainly benefited from the growth in our business scale, stronger online music monetisation, disciplined cost management and operating leverage.
Looking ahead, we remain committed to enhancing the music experience and deepening user engagement across our platform by expanding our high-quality content offering, advancing product and feature innovation, and further strengthening our community. Our strategic priorities include the following measures:
- further diversifying and enhancing our differentiated content offerings with greater efficiency. We plan to deepen our collaboration with copyright holders and strengthen our capabilities in independent artist incubation and in-house music production, focusing on our signature music genres;
- fulfilling user needs by optimising the music listening experience and recommendation features to deliver the ultimate music experience;
- nurturing our music-oriented community ecosystem and exploring innovative inter-person interaction through enhancing our comprehensive product offerings, including broadening communicative scenarios and ecology;
- cultivating our users' willingness to pay and subscribe to premium offerings by improving user experience, deepening user engagement, enhancing membership privileges and broadening consumption scenarios; and
- improving profitability through continued cost optimisation, operating efficiency enhancement and disciplined cost control.
Diverse and differentiated content ecosystem
We are committed to expanding our distinctive content library by further diversifying our content mix across both licensed tracks and original music. We actively promote original Chinese music through continued support for independent artists and developing in-house music. At the same time, we continue to advance music genres that strongly resonate with our users, including hip-hop and Western music.
Enhancing partnerships with copyright holders
Throughout the Reporting Period, we maintained a disciplined and collaborative approach, further growing our partnerships and deepening our collaborations with copyright holders in ways that support both parties' long-term interests.
- Expansive catalogue of music labels. In 2025, we further supplemented our copyright music library by introducing new content from K-Pop labels, including RBW, StarShip and Shofar Music. We also added popular tracks from popular Chinese artists such as Li Jian, Chen Chusheng, Xin Liu. In addition, we actively enriched our OST library by introducing content from TVB and added popular OSTs such as «???»and«????».
- Amplifying offerings in signature music genres. We further enriched our music library with high-quality selections across our signature genres, such as hip-hop, Japanese ACG and Western music. This included the latest releases from popular rappers and rock bands such as KeyNG, MC HotDog and Reflector (???). We also partnered with Kadokawa and U/M/A/A, and collaborated closely with Deco*27 to bring more high-quality J-Pop and ACG music to our platform.
- In-depth collaborations with copyright partners. We strengthened cooperation with music labels to facilitate the promotion of high-quality releases. We played an instrumental role in the launches of Mariah Carey and Taylor Swift's new albums in China, both of which saw outstanding streaming performance on the NetEase Cloud Music platform. Through our enhanced partnerships, the new digital albums from Hua Chenyu, Allen Ren all delivered impressive sales results on our platform. We also executed a tailored campaign for JENNIE's digital album, featuring exclusive virtual and physical music cards, driving the sales performance.
- Online and offline artist-centric activities. We worked closely with labels and artists to deliver artist-centric campaigns across online and offline channels, effectively engaging young audiences and fan communities. These initiatives included online retrospective campaign paired with a large-scale offline activation for Hua Chenyu's 12th debut anniversary, flash mob events in four cities for BLACKPINK's 9th debut anniversary, as well as a series of online programs to celebrate i-dle and Mayday's anniversaries, the new partnerships with Jackson Yee and Lay Zhang, among other initiatives.
Strengthening our leading independent artists' ecosystem
Beyond licensed content, we continued to strengthen our unique independent artist ecosystem by providing end-to-end support across content creation, promotion and monetisation. By the end of 2025, more than 1,000,000 independent artists had contributed more than 5.6 million tracks to our platform.
- Expanding exposure for musicians and their work. We launched the "Original Sound Promoters" and BYD, offline brand activities with Honor Music and Chanel's limited-edition perfume space, and pitching original songs for inclusion in shows such as "Singer 2025" and "The Rap of China 2025."
- Enhancing commercial resources for musicians. We connected musicians with brands and game partners to grow their commercial reach. We provided brands such as Audi, Chanel, Honor, China Mobile, TCL, Taobao and JD.com with access to musicians' performance and songwriting capabilities. We also collaborated with our musicians to supply customized songs or original tracks for games, including "Fantasy Westward Journey," "Where Winds Meet," "Identity V" and "Eggy Party," partnering with 13 popular games.
Developing and promoting differentiated in-house music
Our in-house studios focus on producing original, high-quality music to enrich our content offerings. In 2025, our in-house studios have successfully produced and popularised multiple hit songs across our community and external platforms. We continued to build on our signature genres and received favourable reception for multiple in-house hip-hop releases, including "Liang Nan"(«??»), "Mo Chou Xiang", "You", have gradually reached a broader audience and gained wider recognition. We also worked extensively with emerging artists to co- create popular songs, including«???»and«????». Additionally, our original project - the collaboration between MIYEON and Jike Juyi (????), titled "Glow Up" - has garnered widespread attention and sparked discussion internationally.
Diversified audio-based content offerings
In addition to music, we expanded our audio offerings to better serve users' diverse interests and listening needs. In 2025, our growing audio content library drove higher user consumption, resulting in a steady increase in average listening time per user.
- PGC - audiobooks & radio dramas. We continued to enrich our audiobook offerings with disciplined cost management. In 2025, we gained favourable reception with our in-house- produced audiobooks, such as«???»and«???». We also introduced more content for young audience and more ACG titles to meet user demand, including«???»,«?????»and«???». Furthermore, we co-developed the original radio drama«Eggy Party», which tapped into gamers' nostalgia while broaden the audience for audio content.
- PUGC/UGC - podcast. Our podcast offerings focus on music-themed audio content and cultural podcast IPs. Our co-produced series, "Dear Music - The Season of New Voices," explored the stories behind classic hit songs, and our music-inspired podcast "Music Neighbour Program", physicist Li Miao, Terry Lin and Fan Fan, Feng Tang and Xu Zhiyuan (???).
- Enhancing the podcast host ecosystem. In 2025, we introduced eight prominent podcast hosts, including Fan Deng, a former CCTV host, and Guo Degang (???), a crosstalk performer. Among them, Guo Degang's supernatural-themed podcast series«?????»became a breakout hit on our platform, generating nearly 10 million listens.
Product innovation and community ecosystem
During the Reporting Period, we further enhanced users' premium music experience by driving product innovation and revitalizing our community ecosystem. In 2025, the NetEase Cloud Music App underwent continuous main updates, improving its visual appeal and better supporting users' diverse music consumption preferences. Our efforts have yielded improved user engagement, reflected in higher activity ratio and increased in-app music listening time. Our unique and evolving community continues to foster deeper music-driven resonance, inspiring greater user participation in both creating and engaging with community content.
Optimising users' music discovery and listening experience
We keenly focused on advancing personalised recommendations and innovative features which deliver a more intuitive and immersive music experience. In 2025, we made meaningful progress in both music discovery and listening experience for users, strengthening their engagement and enhancing the platform's overall value.
- Optimizing music content discovery and distribution. We are dedicated to providing users with a personalised music discovery journey. In 2025, we continued to enhance our product and recommendation capabilities, including: 1) rolling out continuous core product upgrades to better meet users' diverse music discovery preferences, such as the new "Heartbeat Mode" feature that allows users to filter songs by genre, artist, language, and more, supported by AI to uncover niche categories; 4) optimizing the "New Songs and New Albums" channel by streamlining new content delivery and improving the display of professional information. Additionally, we introduced Climber, our self-developed AI-powered generative recommendation model, which utilizes self-attention mechanisms to accurately capture user preferences.
- Enhancing the music consumption experience. We improved the music experience and addressed a wider range of audio-visual needs through innovative features. We launched the "Magic Light Player" Player, which syncs music spectra with dynamic visual effects for a more immersive experience. Our newly added Automix feature enables intelligent, seamless playback with smooth transitions between songs. We also introduced a horizontal mode for the Vinyl Player, which significantly increased users' screen-on time. In addition, we launched a range of AI-powered features, including "AI Singing Assistant 2.0" for one-click MV creation, "AI Magic Player" for personalized player backgrounds, and "AI Song-writing" to instantly turn ideas into songs, further enriching the music experience with added creativity and convenience.
Expanding music consumption scenarios
In 2025, we advanced our multi-terminal ecosystem to better address users' daily needs across a wide range of touchpoints. We extended in-car coverage to additional brands and models through new partnerships with Jetour, LYNK & CO, and more. Meanwhile, we continued to enhance multi- device functionality to enhance user engagement. For in-vehicle use, we added features such as "Heartbeat Mode", "Magic Light Mode," "Sing at Will" (???) and AudioVivid. For TV terminals, we introduced the new "Heartbeat" homepage interface and improved large-screen viewing aesthetics with innovative features such as "Record Wall," "Full Screen Cover" and "Sing at Will."
Conference Call
The Company's management will host an earnings conference call at 7:00 p.m. Beijing/Hong Kong Time on Wednesday, February 11, 2026 (6:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time on the same day). Details for the conference call are as follows:
Event Title: NetEase Cloud Music Inc. Fiscal Year 2025 Earnings Conference Call
Registration Link: https://s1.c-conf.com/diamondpass/10052762-ref312.html
All participants must use the link provided above to complete the online registration process in advance of the conference call. Upon registering, each participant will receive a set of dial-in numbers, an event passcode, and a personal access PIN, which will be used to join the conference call.
A replay of the call will be accessible by phone at the following numbers and entering PIN: 10052762. The replay will be available through February 18, 2026.
Chinese Mainland: | 400-120-9216 |
Hong Kong: | 800-930-639 |
United States: | 1-855-883-1031 |
Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company's investor relations website at http://ir.music.163.com for 12 months following the call.
About NetEase Cloud Music Inc.
Launched in 2013 by NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES; HKEX: 9999), NetEase Cloud Music Inc. (HKEX: 9899) is a well-known online music platform featuring a vibrant content community. Dedicated to providing an elevated user experience, NetEase Cloud Music Inc. provides precise, personalised recommendations, promotes user interaction and creates a strong social community. Its focus on discovering and promoting emerging musicians has made NetEase Cloud Music Inc. a destination of choice for exploring new and independent music among music enthusiasts in China. The platform has been recognised as the most popular entertainment app among China's vibrant Generation Z community.
Please see http://ir.music.163.com/ for more information.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements relating to the business outlook, estimates of financial performance, forecast business plans and growth strategies of the Company. These forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to the Company and are stated herein on the basis of the outlook at the time of this press release. They are based on certain expectations, assumptions and premises, some of which are subjective or beyond our control. These forward-looking statements may prove to be incorrect and may not be realised in the future. Underlying these forward-looking statements are a lot of risks and uncertainties. In light of the risks and uncertainties, the inclusion of forward-looking statements in this press release should not be regarded as representations by the Board or the Company that the plans and objectives will be achieved, and investors should not place undue reliance on such statements.
Non-IFRS Measure
To supplement our consolidated results, which are prepared and presented in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"), our Company uses adjusted operating profit and adjusted net profit as additional financial measures, which are not required by, or presented in accordance with IFRS. We believe that these measures facilitate comparisons of operating performance from period to period and company to company by eliminating the potential impact of items that our management does not consider to be indicative of our Group's operating performance, such as certain non-cash items. The use of these non-IFRS measures has limitations as an analytical tool, and shareholders and potential investors of our Company should not consider them in isolation from, as a substitute for, as an analysis of, or superior to, our Group's results of operations or financial condition as reported under IFRS. In addition, these non-IFRS financial measures may be defined differently from similar terms used by other companies, and may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures used by other companies. Our presentation of these non-IFRS measures should not be construed as an implication that our future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items.
Investor Enquiries:
Angela Xu
NetEase Cloud Music Inc.
[email protected]
SOURCE NetEase Cloud Music
