Hu Zhengrong, president of the Communication University of China, attends the 16th China Internet Conference on July 11 in Beijing. [Photo by Tian Ameng/chinadaily.com.cn]

Increasing investment in and quantities of online videos, and developing the professional competence of video producers, is of urgent importance, said a media expert on July 11 at an internet conference.

Hu Zhengrong, president of the Communication University of China, made the remarks at the 16th China Internet Conference.

"Videos and live-streaming are undoubtedly the future of media as people enjoy seeing real scenes and pictures and words alone are incomplete," said Hu, "From the perspective of consumers and users, videos are preferable."

The video industry should follow the "survival of the fittest" principle in the competitive market under certain regulations, said Hu.

He said the problem with the industry is too much disordered content.

The hardware and service providers need an industrial regulation, without which the industry cannot grow healthily, according to Hu.

Technologically, everyone can be a live-streamer in the 5G era with mobile phones or other devices. However, whether one can become a competent content producer or not is never only a technological issue.

Not everyone can do the high-quality live-streaming because it needs professionalism, explained Hu.

When asked about the new methods of media reporting, such as big data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence, Hu said that AI can help to match the match the supply of content with the demand of media consumers and thus increase effectiveness while lowering costs.

The Internet has a huge impact on media, said Hu, adding that people should have a more open, cross-sectoral and interconnected perspective towards it.