Analysis of Sponsorship Competition Between DeepRobot and Unitree for the Spring Festival Gala

Based on the searched information, I will provide a detailed analysis of the competitive situation in the humanoid robot industry reflected by this event.

As an emerging enterprise in China’s humanoid robot field, Unitree sent its robots to perform a dynamic dance on the CCTV Spring Festival Gala stage in January 2025, causing a sensation across the entire network [1]. Founded in 2016 in Hangzhou, this company has risen rapidly in the past two years relying on technological innovation. At the first World Humanoid Robot Games held in Beijing this year, Unitree won championships in almost all racing events including the 100m hurdles, 4×100m relay, and 1500m long-distance run, and also became the exclusive equipment supplier for boxing events [1].

Competition in the humanoid robot field has become extremely fierce. According to reports, DeepRobot and Unitree are competing for the Spring Festival Gala sponsorship at high prices, reflecting that industry competition has entered a critical stage [1]. Currently, the number of Chinese humanoid robot enterprises has exceeded 1,000, with representative companies including DeepRobot, Songyan Power, etc. Internet giants like Alibaba and BYD, as well as leading enterprises in various fields, are either entering the market directly or investing in layout [1].

Since its establishment, Unitree has completed 10 rounds of financing, attracting well-known local institutions such as Shunwei Capital, Chuxin Capital, CITIC Securities, Shenzhen Venture Capital, and Sequoia China [1]. The company’s current valuation is approximately 10-15 billion yuan, which is still far from its target valuation of 6 billion US dollars. The company plans to enter the capital market and intends to submit an IPO application to an undisclosed stock exchange by the end of the year [1].

Pricing of humanoid robots continues to decline:

• Unitree’s H1 robot has dropped from its initial launch price to 99,000 yuan
• The entry price of the newly launched R1 model in July 2024 is only 39,000 yuan
• The price of the rapidly evolving K1 humanoid robot is 88,000 yuan [1]

This is in sharp contrast to the cost of about 200,000 US dollars for top European and American humanoid robots [1]. Like the development trajectory of many overheated tracks in China, the humanoid robot field is falling into an involutionary battle with continuous price declines.

The competition for Spring Festival Gala sponsorship is essentially a competition for brand exposure and public awareness. Unitree has gained huge brand effect through its Spring Festival Gala performance, becoming the first humanoid robot enterprise in the industry to appear on the Spring Festival Gala [1]. This kind of scene marketing is crucial for the humanoid robot industry which is still in the market education stage.

The government provides strong support for the humanoid robot field. According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s guiding opinions on innovative development, by 2025, the humanoid robot innovation system will be initially established,整机 products will be mass-produced, and demonstration applications will be realized in special, manufacturing, people’s livelihood services and other scenarios [2]. The National Development and Reform Commission and other departments jointly issued the “Implementation Plan for Promoting High-Quality Development of the Robot Industry”, and it is expected that the scale of China’s robot industry will exceed 2000 billion yuan by 2027 [2].

• In 2024, 65% of Unitree’s revenue came from quadruped robots, 30% from humanoid robots, and 5% from component products [1]
• The company’s annual revenue has exceeded 1 billion yuan [1]
• About 20% of quadruped robots are used in industrial scenarios such as inspection and fire protection [1]

The robot sector in Hong Kong stocks is rising rapidly:

• UBtech (9880.HK) currently has a price-to-sales ratio of 30 times
• Yuejiang Technology (2432.HK) even reaches 47 times [1]

This shows that investors are extremely optimistic about the prospects of robot companies.

The event of DeepRobot and Unitree competing for the Spring Festival Gala sponsorship reflects the following competitive situations in the humanoid robot industry:

1. Capital-intensive
   : The industry’s development requires a lot of capital investment, and enterprises are seeking IPO financing one after another
2. Scene is king
   : Brand exposure and public awareness have become the focus of competition, and high-exposure scenes like the Spring Festival Gala have become a battleground
3. Price wars intensify
   : Domestic enterprises achieve low-cost competition relying on manufacturing advantages, but the industry faces the risk of involution
4. Equal emphasis on technological breakthroughs and commercialization
   : Enterprises need to find a balance between technological innovation and practical applications

For investors, they need to pay attention to enterprises with core technical advantages, clear commercialization paths, and the ability to maintain differentiated positioning in fierce competition. At the same time, they should also be alert to the risk of valuation bubbles caused by overheating in the industry.

[1] Yahoo Hong Kong Finance - “Robots Dance into the Future at Spring Festival Gala, Unitree Plans IPO by End of Year” (https://hk.finance.yahoo.com/news/机器人春晚舞出未来-宇树科技拟年底上市-025904035.html)

[2] Yahoo Hong Kong Finance - “Artificial Intelligence Accelerates the Arrival of the Robot Era, First Travel Holding (0697.HK) Precisely Positions for Industrial Upgrade” (https://hk.finance.yahoo.com/news/人工智能加速促进机器人时代到来-首程控股精准卡位产业升级-092600362.html)