Chinese mobile application market is thriving, and it has witnessed new growth opportunities amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, global business intelligence firm App Annie said in a new report.

According to App Annie, 11 Chinese companies figured in its annual Top 52 Publishers list. Among the Chinese companies, nine are gaming app publishers.

Tencent Holdings Ltd, China's top gaming and social media operator, retained its top spot in App Annie's Top 52 Publishers list. Chinese leading gaming outfit NetEase was placed second in the ranking, followed by US-based gaming firm Activision Blizzard.

Chen Duan, executive director of the Zhongjing Digital Economy Research Center, said China's booming mobile application market is being driven by the country's huge user base.

"The future looks bright for gaming apps," Chen said. "As the restrictions on physical gathering continue amid the novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak, those who find themselves stuck at home will spend more time on online games."

Due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, average mobile usage has risen by 30 percent to five hours a day in China from a year ago during February, the App Annie report said. Business and education apps were among the most widely used as many chose to work and study from home.

"With people spending more time indoors, they are turning to mobiles for entertainment," the report said.

"Apart from gaming, consumers also turned to social media and video streaming apps for entertainment and for keeping in touch with loved ones."

Other apps that saw strong growth in usage included food and grocery delivery apps, finance apps and medical and health and fitness apps.

Experts said the Chinese mobile applications market has been thriving and growing despite the epidemic.

Qiao Wei, senior director of the Industry Research Institute at China Fortune Land Development Co Ltd, said the digital sector has been one of the major beneficiaries during the outbreak, with entertainment, healthcare, social media and online education being the main gainers.

Ouyang Rihui, assistant dean of the China Center for Internet Economy Research at Central University of Finance and Economics, said: "The epidemic has triggered demand in emerging sectors such as telecommuting, online education, fresh food e-commerce, entertainment and health and fitness apps."

China's mobile app market will continue to grow as the coronavirus epidemic prevention and control work gradually becomes part of people's daily life, he said.

According to him, many people will continue to study and work from home and spend more time indoors.

"A growing number of consumers have experienced new digital services, and they will maintain the new consumption habits after the epidemic ends," Ouyang said. "It will also accelerate the digital transformation of traditional industries, which will help inject new impetus for the growth of the app market in China."