Chinese video streaming website Youku Tudou to invest 300 million yuan on content

Chinese video streaming website Youku Tudou will invest 300 million yuan in boosting content on its site next year, said Chief Content Officer Sunny Zhu. -- PHOTOS: SCREENGRABS OF YOUKU & TUDOU WEBSITES
Chinese video streaming website Youku Tudou will invest 300 million yuan in boosting content on its site next year, said Chief Content Officer Sunny Zhu. -- PHOTOS: SCREENGRABS OF YOUKU & TUDOU WEBSITES

Chinese video streaming website Youku Tudou will invest 300 million yuan in boosting content on its site next year, said Chief Content Officer Sunny Zhu.

Mr Zhu was speaking to an international audience at the pre-market conference of the Asia Television Forum, held at the Marina Bay Sands till Dec 6. Most of this money will go towards producing Youku Tudou's exclusive content including dramas and comedies that have been a hit with the Chinese audience. "We will create more and better content that supports our brands," Mr Zhu said.

Youku appeals to an older audience with more mainstream values while Tudou has offerings like Korean dramas that appeal to younger viewers. Youku Tudou will also explore the possibility of co-producing content with international studios. However, Mr Zhu declined to reveal who he was interested in working with.

Youku Tudou will also continue to support grassroots content producers who contribute to its site and earn a portion of the ad revenue for their videos. "We want to be an avenue for creative expression," he said.

Currently, the website has self-created content, content contributed by viewers and licensed drama serials such as BBC's Sherlock on its site. Singapore viewers can watch some, but not all of Youku Tudou's content due to license restrictions.

Moving on, Youku Tudou will focus on the Chinese market and battle pirates who infringe its copyrights. It will also ensure that its content is fit for mobile phones as the market is growing rapidly in China.

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