Existing studies have extensively explored the impact of digital divide on economic development, yet research focusing on its influence on the high-quality development of the cultural industry remains limited. This gap primarily stems from the cultural industry’s involvement of numerous indicators—currently, there is no unified definition for the indicator system and measurement methods used to assess the high-quality development of the cultural industry. Most existing studies only remain at the stage of qualitative analysis; without quantitative research, it is difficult to determine the extent to which each factor affects the high-quality development of the cultural industry.In this study, the entropy weight method is first used to assign weights to the factors influencing the high-quality development of the cultural industry, which are then integrated into a high-quality development index of the cultural industry and used as the explained variable. Digital divide is categorized into three primary indicators: access divide, usage divide, and benefit divide. If these three primary indicators are directly used as explanatory variables to construct a multiple linear regression model, severe multicollinearity would occur—leading to significant biases in parameter estimation and inaccurate inference of population characteristics from sample data. Therefore, the entropy weight method is also applied to assign weights to both primary and secondary indicators of the digital divide, generating comprehensive indices for the access divide, usage divide, and benefit divide. These indices are further integrated into an overall digital divide index. A regression model is then established using the high-quality development index of the cultural industry and the comprehensive digital divide index, effectively eliminating multicollinearity. This model exhibited high comprehensiveness but weak interpretability. To identify the impact of each explanatory variable on the high-quality development of the cultural industry, the composite formula of the digital divide index is substituted into the regression model, resulting in a multiple linear regression model that directly links the high-quality development of the cultural industry to the access divide, usage divide, and benefit divide. This method is used to fit data from 2021 and 2022, and the fitting results show a high degree of consistency with actual conditions. The findings indicate that regional differences in digital divide exacerbate the imbalance in cultural industry development: the digital divide is generally smaller in developed eastern coastal regions, where advantages in digital infrastructure, digital consumption levels, and digital industrial chains have formed a positive cycle between digital dividends and cultural industry prosperity. In contrast, provinces with a larger digital divide face prominent issues such as inadequate network infrastructure, insufficient digital skills training, and low matching between physical and digital resources—these factors significantly restrict the innovation of cultural enterprises, the popularization of digital cultural services, and the growth potential of cultural consumption.Notably, the three dimensions of digital divide (access, usage, and benefit) are not completely independent but interrelated. Even if the access divide is narrowed, insufficient support in areas such as digital literacy, quality of digital content, and digital application scenarios will prevent the full conversion of the potential economic and social benefits of digitalization, ultimately leading to the formation of a benefit divide. The regression model established in this study enables dynamic tracking and inter-temporal comparison, allowing for monitoring of digital divide’s structure and the development direction of the cultural industry. The model’s results suggest that to ensure the high-quality development of the cultural industry, the state should strengthen the balanced layout of digital infrastructure and public services. While continuing to optimize digital facilities in core eastern cities and economic belts, efforts should be focused on shifting development priorities to central, western, and remote regions. This can be achieved through measures such as establishing special funds, promoting inter-provincial cooperation, and encouraging government-enterprise joint investments to bridge gaps in network coverage and bandwidth. Additionally, targeted subsidies and preferential policies for urban and rural grassroots areas should be provided, encouraging network operators, digital technology enterprises, and local governments to share costs and improve service coverage in rural and underdeveloped regions—thereby laying an inclusive foundation for the digital upgrading of the cultural industry.