BEIJING, Jan. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- An annual mobile video contest co-organized by by China Mobile Ltd. (NYSE: CHL; 0941 HK), and Youku Tudou Inc. (NYSE:YOKU), China's leading Internet television company, broke new records in 2013 with 110 million yuan in mobile box office sales and one single title garnering more than 5 million yuan from mobile video-on-demand sales, which is a new record in China.
Since it was launched in 2010, the contest, called "G Ke G Pai," has generated 270 million yuan in shared revenues. More than 70,000 videos, ranging from short films to animations, were submitted this year. In 2010, there were just 10,000 submissions. G Ke G Pai allows self-produced videos to be uploaded from a mobile handset. Viewers can then pay 2 yuan to watch, with the video creator earning up to 20 percent of revenues generated from the sale. Since 2012, the exponential adoption of smartphones in China has fueled the success of the competition.
Daily video views of Youku Tudou content from mobile devices surpassed 300 million from 100 million since the beginning of 2013, representing a 200 percent growth. Youku Tudou has created a number of mobile apps to capitalize on China's smartphone craze, including Youku app, Tudou app and Paike app. These mobile apps allow for convenient smartphone video shooting and sharing.
Youku Tudou, which has the largest user-generated content platform in China, opens up dedicated channels for content submission while offering marketing resources to raise the profile of G Ke G Pai among content creators and viewers. The online video company nurtures burgeoning filmmakers in China, offering revenue sharing opportunities and collaborations with Youku Tudou's in-house production teams. Jiao Shou, also known as "Shouting Beast," who is this year's director of the most-viewed mobile video, also produced a web serial on Youku called "Surprise," which garnered 400 million views in 6 months.
In December, China Mobile and Youku Tudou co-hosted an awards ceremony in Guangzhou for top content creators. Judges included prominent Chinese directors and actors such as Stanley Tong, Ying Da, Feng Xiaoning and Teng Huatao. Seven awards were given, including best feature film, best-animated film, most innovative work and best cinematography. The annual awards ceremony was broadcast live on Youku Tudou video platforms.
China Mobile is the world's largest mobile services provider by network scale and subscriber base, serving over 760 million subscribers and more than 50 percent market share in the domestic mobile market. The telecommunications provider almost monopolizes the market of online video paid services. China Mobile has generated billions of yuan in revenues from its mobile video viewing services.
The aim of G Ke G Pai is to continue to encourage grassroots filmmakers to produce more quality, original content targeting a growing number of Chinese who turn to their smartphones for entertainment. The continued growth of the competition illustrates the potential of this market and the demand for unparalleled content among viewers. "Ultimately, unique video content, both online and for mobile devices, wins," Wei Ming, president of Youku.com, said. "Via our partnership with China Mobile, Youku Tudou is continuing is legacy of creating a unique video ecosystem with unparalleled content that is delivered to end users with the most up-to-date technologies relevant to their daily lives."
About Youku Tudou Inc.
Youku Tudou Inc. is China's leading Internet television company. Through Youku.com and Tudou.com, China's two largest online video platforms, Youku Tudou offers viewers a rich library of premium licensed content, user generated content, and original in-house productions. Our mission is to become the primary source of online video content for Chinese Internet users across all Internet-enabled devices. Youku Tudou's American depositary shares are traded on NYSE under the symbol "YOKU."
Jean Shao, Director of International Communications
T: +86.21.3325.3575 Email: shaodan@youku.com
SOURCE Youku Tudou Inc.