Disney Cartoons Added to Alibaba’s Youku

Alibaba’s entertainment division has inked a multiyear licensing deal with The Walt Disney Company for animated series and movies.

Youku subs will have access to 1,000-plus episodes of animated shows. Around 30 million homes with Alibaba’s set-top boxes and partnering smart TV platforms will be able to view up to 1,000 episodes of animated series as well as hundreds of films such as Frozen.

“The addition of Disney content greatly enriches the library of quality international content on Alibaba’s media and entertainment ecosystem, giving us a leading edge in foreign-content distribution in China,” said Yang Weidong, the president of Youku. “We look forward to further cooperation with global entertainment companies, which will help increase our penetration in the family-entertainment segment and strengthen Youku’s position as a leading multi-screen entertainment and media platform in China.”