Youku Tudou to invest heavily in shows and dramas to boost viewership
Youku Tudou plans to invest heavily on entertainment shows, short-term videos and online dramas to boost its viewership in the booming Chinese online video market in order to tap the immense possibilities for integrating services like e-commerce, the Alibaba-invested online video service provider said today in Shanghai.
Youku Tudou announced the release of about 100 new programs in Shanghai today. Some of these programs have drawn huge investment of up to 200 million yuan (US$30.3 million) for a single show that features celebrities and stars. The new programs cover music, education and fashion, whose viewers like purchasing products online, according to industry insiders.
In the next three years, the online video market has not only “audience” but also “users” who can be tapped on to launch various services, said Yang Weidong, president of Youku Tudou.
China had about 75 million paid online users by 2016, who paid about 100 to 150 yuan annually for the service. The top three in the market are Youku Tudou, iQiyi and Tencent Video, according to researchers.
In 2015, Alibaba invested US$4.5 billion in Youku Tudou to become its controlling shareholder.
Yang Weidong, Youku Tudou's president, reveals the launch of 100 programs during a conference in Shanghai today.
