CBeebies Content to Launch on China’s iQIYI

LONDON: BBC Worldwide has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with iQIYI that will see nearly 300 hours of CBeebies preschool programming become available on the Chinese online video platform.

CBeebies content will premiere on the iQIYI platform and app. The programming will be branded under 思贝斯 (sī bèi sī) and is set to launch on iQIYI by this summer. Titles, which will be offered in English and/or Mandarin, include Go Jetters, Sarah and Duck and Hey Duggee. The MOU was signed by David Weiland, the executive VP for Asia at BBC Worldwide, and Wang Xiaohui, the chief content officer at iQIYI. It was witnessed by Kelvin Yau, BBC Worldwide’s general manager for Greater China, and Zeng Shangyou, iQIYI’s director of the Copyright Management Centre.

Weiland commented: “This is the first time CBeebies programs will be available as a block on a digital platform in China. We are very pleased that iQIYI is our partner for this ‘first.’ CBeebies has won multiple awards, most recently Children’s Channel of the Year at the BAFTA last year, and now parents and carers in China will have access to its trusted programs to enthrall their preschoolers anytime, anyplace. This partnership is an affirmation of the shared commitment to bring the very best of BBC programs to a wider audience across China.”

Xiaohui added: “We first started working with BBC Worldwide in 2015 when we partnered with them to bring their premium factual content to viewers on iQIYI. We are excited to expand this partnership to include their very popular CBeebies programs for our preschool audience and their parents and carers. We are confident that CBeebies’ programs aimed at encouraging ‘learning through play’ in a consistently safe environment will be very popular with our audience.”