Rakuten Viki Adds New Chinese Dramas

Rakuten Viki has acquired seven titles from China’s Croton Media that will premiere starting this month.

The deal includes exclusive streaming rights for a collection of recent hits, as well as some titles that will be available to stream for the first time in the U.S., including Princess Weiyoung, a period drama starring Tiffany Tang and Luo Jin, the real-life couple who married in 2018. All 54 45-minute episodes will be available on the platform.

Also joining the roster via the Croton deal are Eternal Love, a popular period drama starring Yang Mi and Mark Chao; Love O2O, one of the most watched modern Chinese dramas of all time; and General and I, led by Angelababy and Wallace Chung. Negotiator, Age of Legends and My Story for You will debut as Viki Originals.

“This partnership with Croton Media solidifies our reputation as a platform of choice for international fans of Asian TV and entertainment,” said Sarah Kim, senior VP of content and partnerships at Rakuten Viki. “Our watch time for Chinese content has grown exponentially in the last few years, so we’re excited to answer our global audiences’ growing appetite for more mega-hits from China”

“We are pleased to be the very first production company to work with Rakuten Viki on distributing Viki Originals in the Chinese drama category on their platform,” said Liu Zhi, CEO of Croton Media. “Croton Media is devoted to disseminating Chinese culture through dramas, and telling the story of China to the world.”