SHANGHAI, November 28, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Tudou Holdings Limited (NASDAQ: TUDO) ("Tudou" or the "Company"), a leading online video company in China, announced today that it has entered into a program license agreement (the "Agreement") for the exclusive license of Japanese anime produced by TV Tokyo Corporation and TY Tokyo Medianet, Inc. (collectively, "TV Tokyo").
Under the Agreement, Tudou has the rights to initially simulcast over 60 Japanese anime series in Mainland China, marking the first time that Japanese anime will be simulcast through an online video website in Mainland China. Beginning in December 2011, Tudou's animation channel will rebroadcast a number of popular Japanese anime, such as Naruto, Bleach and Gintama, one hour after they air in Japan. Tudou will provide Chinese subtitles while retaining the original soundtrack, ensuring the original essence of the animation shows. The Agreement has an initial term of two years, and TV Tokyo has the option to renew the Agreement for an additional two years.
Evelyn Wang, Chief Operating Officer of Tudou, stated, "Tudou's exclusive license agreement and alliance with TV Tokyo allows China's millions of Japanese anime enthusiasts to watch popular anime content, nearly in real time with their Japanese counterparts. In addition to premium licensed movies and TV series, animation has become a popular area for licensed content. We expect that our partnership with leading Japanese animation producers and distributors will provide Tudou with a sustainable source of high-quality animation content, strengthening Tudou's leading position in the animation market in China."
Shimada Masayuki, President of TV Tokyo commented, "This unprecedented, large-scale cooperation with China's leading online video company, Tudou, takes a groundbreaking approach to meeting the needs of the Chinese audience and providing an online video platform in China with high-quality Japanese anime content."
Tudou's animation channel combines a large number of Chinese and foreign animation series targeting China's large demographic of 14-30 year-old online animation enthusiasts. Tudou's cartoon channel broadcasts over 1,000 animation series, providing thousands of daily uploads and generating more than 10 million views per day.
TV Tokyo is a leading Japanese TV broadcaster specializing in anime production. TV Tokyo's productions include global hits such as Pokemon, E.V.A., Hamtaro and Naruto. These hits were tremendously influential in the development of the Japanese anime industry, which has become famous worldwide.
About Tudou.com:
Tudou.com is a leading online video company in China, where users can upload, view and share videos. The Company's comprehensive video content library includes user generated videos, premium licensed content and made-for-Internet, in-house produced original series. The Company is also a key supporter of aspiring artists through various initiatives including Warehouse No. 6, its independent talent incubator; "Orange Box," its in-house production program; and its annual Tudou Video Festival. Tudou's vision is to build an online community of video enthusiasts where people can find what they want to watch, share what they create and connect with like-minded people.