Youku BD to Launch DreamWorks Animation Content

SHANGHAI: Youku Business Division (Youku BD) has inked a three-year licensing deal with Oriental DreamWorks for the release of a DreamWorks Animation family-entertainment bundle in China.

The new content will become available exclusively to users of Youku, Tudou and Tmall Box. The first release, set for January 2017, will feature the Kung Fu Panda, Shrek and How to Train Your Dragon franchises. The bundle will also include the upcoming movies Boss Baby, Captain Underpants and How to Train Your Dragon 3, as well as the television shows Blackstar, Casper’s and the upcoming Troll Hunters.

Yang Weidong, the president of Youku BD, remarked: “The agreement is our largest in the family-entertainment category to date, building on our leadership in animation—one of the most popular categories on our platforms. Through providing quality content, Youku BD continues to grow in terms of reach and services delivered. The newly acquired family content will enable our platform to play a more important and integrated role and add the benefit of enhancing our business within the OTT (over-the-top) space.”

Frank Zhu, the CEO of Oriental DreamWorks, added: “We value the long and successful collaboration with Youku Business Division on content including [the] Kung Fu Panda franchise, and we are delighted to enrich the family entertainment content for Chinese audiences through this landmark partnership.”