Chinese video giant Youku Tudou now has deals in place with all of the major Hollywood film studios after reaching a five-year agreement to bring Sony Pictures Television titles to its Youku Premium service.
The deal, which was announced on Monday, will see 300 new and classic titles, such as Men in Black 3, The Amazing Spiderman and Groundhog Day, brought to the Chinese video platform.
Youku Tudou was formed earlier this year from a merger of former competitors Youku and Tudou. It already has agreements with WB, DreamWorks, Paramount, Twentieth Century Fox, Disney, NBC Universal, and Lionsgate.
The video giant is putting a big push into its premium plan, expecting to have more than 3,000 film titles, including 450 from major Hollywood studios, available by the end of this year.
“We’re delighted to be working with Sony Pictures Television to enrich our film library,” said Huilong Zhu, Youku Tudou’s vice president of movie operations and corporate development. “Since launching Youku Premium in 2010, Youku Tudou has been committed to building the best platform for viewers and copyright holders alike, and our strong working relationships with all eight major Hollywood studios allow us to offer our viewers a wealth of licensed content.”
Monday’s announcement is a minor milestone for Youku Tudou, since it represents the completion of a transition away from pirated and unlicensed content. Youku says its premium service, the first of its kind in China, has “exceeded expectations.” The service has about 2 million users.
Youku and Tudou completed their merger in August after receiving shareholder approval. In September, Tudou kicked off a 100 day campaign as part of a redesign.
Other recent news in the Chinese Internet video space includes Baidu’s recent agreement to buy out investor Providence’s stake in iQiyi, thereby gaining a significant majority stake in the venture.
Image credit: Ed Jones / AFP / Getty Images
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