Youku to Produce a Local Version of Saturday Night Live in China

NBCUniversal has struck up a deal with Youku for a localized version of the long-running sketch comedy Saturday Night Live in China.

Youku, a unit of Alibaba Digital Media & Entertainment Group, will produce the local treatment and will run the show as its new flagship entertainment program starting this fall/winter. Saturday Night Live debuted in the U.S. on NBC in 1975, and over the last few years, ten international versions of the series have been licensed around the world.

Michael Edelstein, the president of NBCUniversal International Studios, commented, “Lorne Michaels has created a timeless format that taps into the prevailing cultural zeitgeist and instantaneously responds with whip-smart humor to national affairs and social trends. In the U.S., Saturday Night Live is a perennial number one late-night show that consistently outperforms prime time and we’ve seen similar debuts in other countries such as France, where SNL has instantly become a top-rated show. We’re excited to partner with Youku in China where we are confident SNL will be a big hit with audiences.”