Recently, Chinese actor Wang Yibo filed a lawsuit against the core producer of “The Untamed”, Xinpai Media, and four other companies, citing a dispute over his image rights. The case has been accepted by the Zengdu District Court in Suizhou City, Hubei Province, and is scheduled to be publicly heard on October 8, 2026.
According to mainland media “Daily Economic News”, Wang Yibo’s side has included all related parties involved in the development, publication, and sales of “The Untamed” IP derivative products as co-defendants. Apart from Xinpai Media Group Limited, the other defendants include China Digital Culture Group Limited, Beijing Zimu Audible Culture Development Limited, Colosseum (Beijing) Culture Development Limited, and the individual business entity Xincun Ci Electronic Commerce Store in Zengdu District, Suizhou City. Among them, China Digital Culture Group is the publisher of the physical CD of “The Untamed National Style Music Album”; Colosseum specializes in the production and sales of derivative products such as collectible cards and small cards related to “The Untamed”.
The lawsuit alleges that Xinpai Media extensively engaged in unauthorized covert filming during the shooting period, capturing private moments including artists changing clothes, and later distributed distorted videos through malicious editing and manipulation techniques to bind artists and create buzz.
The most significant accusation is that after the collaboration ended, the defendants continued to use Wang Yibo’s image without authorization, turning behind-the-scenes footage into DVDs, merchandise, collectible cards, and selling them at high prices, even using his likeness for profit in Otome games development.
As the main defendant, New Wave Media’s current business status is poor. Business records show that New Wave Media Group Limited was established in 2015, primarily engaged in TV program production, owned by Wang Xin, with investments from Tencent. The information further reveals that New Wave Media has several records of debtors, restrictions on high consumption orders, and dishonest execution (deadbeat) records, involving amounts exceeding tens of millions of Chinese yuan, with well-known companies like Tencent Music and NetEase Daode having been involved as relevant restriction application parties.
“The Untamed”, a costume fantasy web series starring Wang Yibo and Xiao Zhan in 2019, sparked a phenomenon domestically and internationally, propelling Wang Yibo to the pinnacle of stardom. After airing on platforms like Tencent Video, the series quickly garnered billions of views online. It not only became a sensation domestically but was also picked up by Netflix and Asian TV stations, gaining significant popularity overseas. The series even led to the commercial innovation of “prepaid premiere viewings”, with a total prepaid amount of 156 million Chinese yuan.
Following the success of “The Untamed”, Wang Yibo went on to star in TV dramas such as “Legend of Fei,” “Falling Into Your Smile,” and “Fire and Rain,” before shifting his focus entirely to films like “Nameless,” “The King of the Long Sky,” and “Fervent.”
After wrapping up filming for the movie “Human-in-Fish” in April 2024, Wang Yibo entered a “gap period” of nearly two years without new film projects. During this time, he focused on exploring personal interests like outdoor adventure program filming, motorcycle racing, attending fashion weeks, and business events.
In March 2026, his former agency, “Lohas Entertainment,” announced in a high-profile manner the conditional renewal of an exclusive artist management contract with Wang Yibo, offering a stock incentive package worth millions of Hong Kong dollars. Previous financial reports revealed that over sixty percent of “Lohas Entertainment” revenue long-term came from Wang Yibo alone, making him the main revenue generator for the company.
Hong Kong director Wang Jing criticized the mainland entertainment industry’s “one-star companies” chaos on a personal live show, citing the falling out between Zhao Lusi and her talent agency, and highlighted “Lohas Entertainment” solely relying on Wang Yibo, with his individual contribution income accounting for over sixty percent of the company’s total revenue in recent years.