BBC Worldwide in Chinese VOD Deal

HONG KONG: BBC Worldwide is set to make a slate of factual and drama titles available on a VOD basis to Chinese online platform Sohu.com.

The deal covers, among others, Earthflight, Frozen Planet and The British, as well as Mad Dog, Ripper Street, Sinbad and Silk.

“We are very excited about this deal with Sohu,” said Pierre Cheung, the VP and general manager of BBC Worldwide China. “While BBC’s factual programs have steadily risen in popularity in China, U.K. drama has been experiencing a surge in popularity here, driven by the extreme popularity of U.K. drama series. With this new deal, viewers in China will have access to more highly acclaimed and award-winning BBC dramas, as well as stunning high-definition documentaries.”

“BBC enjoys a reputation of producing programs that are high quality, informative and entertaining,” said Charles Zhang, chairman and CEO of Sohu.com. “We are very happy to be able to provide BBC’s documentaries and dramas to our viewers on our online platform, and are confident that the service will bring in more viewers to Sohu.com."