BEIJING, April 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Youku Tudou Inc.
(NYSE: YOKU), China's leading
Internet television company, announces that it has inked strategic
partnerships with most of China's
leading smart TV and OTT manufacturers, 8 of which are an exclusive
integration of the pre-installed Youku Tudou App.
In April, Youku announces four new partnerships with OTT
companies. All four partnerships include the exclusively
pre-installed Youku Tudou TV app. Partners include: Huawei
Technologies, China's leading
set-top box provider to the telecom operator market that is
projected to distribute 1.5 million set-top boxes this year; ZTE 9
Network Technology's Fun Box, China's first Android-based games box; and
Goldweb Technologies and Jiuzhou Electronic Technology, which, with
projected sales of 800,000 boxes this year, are China's leading OTT makers.
The four additional partnerships bring Youku Tudou into
strategic alliances with all top 10 major OTT manufacturers,
including Coship Electronics. Youku Tudou is also in partnership
with China's top six smart TV
players, with Changhong, Haier and Konka all choosing to
exclusively preinstall Youku Tudou App. Youku Tudou's applications
are available on smart TV and OTT hardware created by dozens of
smaller smart TV companies and OTT manufacturers.
Youku began implementing its smart TV and OTT strategy in 2nd
half 2013. Youku has obtained its position as a market leader
by adopting an open partnership model, and working closely with
partners to develop Youku Tudou TV App in order to maximize user
experience. Different from standard TV apps, Youku Tudou App is a
highly customized application that can be embedded in multiple
smart TV and OTT devices. Youku Tudou App comes pre-installed on
smart TV and OTT hardware.
Youku Tudou TV App includes a media player, customized channels,
social features and search capabilities among other
features. All OTT users will be able to access more than
7,000 titles of licensed TV dramas, films and other programming as
well as hundreds of in-house productions created by Youku.com and
Tudou.com, as well as over 100 million user generated content.
In the smart TV application market, Youku TV App comes in at
number one in terms of downloads across major markets. According to
7po.com data in March 2014, Youku
Android TV was downloaded close to 6 million times, whereas the No.
2 and No. 3 apps were downloaded 3.5 million and 2.2 million times
respectively.
"We are very pleased to see the early success of our OTT
strategy, which proves that Youku Tudou's brand, content and
technology is well respected by our partners," Yao Jian, Chief Technology Officer of Youku
Tudou Inc., said. "This area is key to our own multi-screen
strategy as more Chinese viewers opt to consume entertainment on a
myriad of devices, ranging from televisions to smartphones. Our
adaptation to this trend positions Youku Tudou as a stronger leader
in a multiscreen world."
The global smart TV market tripled in the past five years,
according to Digital TV Research, and will more than double in the
next five years to reach nearly 800 million sets by 2018.
China has now become the largest
smart TV and OTT market worldwide with around 20-30 million sets
sold annually.
About Youku Tudou Inc.
Youku Tudou Inc. (NYSE: YOKU) is China's leading Internet television company.
Its Youku and Tudou Internet television platforms enable users to
search, view, and share high-quality video content quickly and
easily across multiple devices. Its Youku brand and Tudou brand are
among the most recognized online video brands in China. Youku Tudou's American depositary
shares, each representing 18 of Youku Tudou's Class A ordinary
shares, are traded on the NYSE under the symbol "YOKU."
Contact Information:
Jean Shao
Director of International Communications, Youku Tudou Inc.
Phone: +86.21.3325.3575
Email: shaodan@youku.com
Ryan Cheung
Corporate Finance Director, Youku Tudou Inc.
Tel: (+8610) 5885-1881 x6090
Email: ryan.cheung@youku.com
SOURCE Youku Tudou Inc.