Youku Tudou Scores Sony Deal

BEIJING: China’s Youku Tudou has secured a five-year deal with Sony Pictures Television that brings some 300 new titles to the premium online video platform, which already has agreements in place with studios such as Twentieth Century Fox, NBCUniversal, Warner Bros. and more.

Three hundred titles from the Sony Pictures catalogue—including Groundhog Day, The Fisher King, Men in Black 3, The Amazing Spider-Man and 21 Jump Street—will be available for on-demand viewing. They will be part of the Youku Premium platform.

Youku Tudou, which combines two of China’s largest online video platforms, already has agreements in place with DreamWorks, Paramount, Disney, Lionsgate and others.

"We’re delighted to be working with Sony Pictures Television to enrich our film library," said Huilong Zhu, Youku Tudou’s VP 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. Subscriber growth for Youku Premium has exceeded our expectations, and we see it as a sign that Chinese audiences are willing and eager to pay for quality content. By providing a wide range of payment and subscription options, Youku Tudou has made it as simple as possible for them to do so."