SHANGHAI, Nov. 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.
Safe Harbor: Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements made
under the "safe harbor" provisions of Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements
can be identified by terms such as "may", "will," "expects,"
"anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "aims",
"estimates," "confident," "likely to" and similar statements.
Among other things, the Company's strategic and operational
plans and the description of the Agreement above contain
forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements
involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors
could cause actual results to differ materially from those
contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not
limited to the following: the Company's business strategies,
initiatives and plans; the Company's future business development,
results of operations and financial condition; changes in the
Company's revenues and certain cost or expense items; the Company's
expectations with respect to increased revenue growth and its
ability to sustain profitability; the Company's services under
development or planning; the Company's ability to attract users and
advertisers and enhance its brand recognition; the success of the
Company's cooperation agreement and other agreements with Disney
and other entities, including the Agreement described above; and
the ability of the online video and advertising industry in
China to grow at rates projected
by market data, or at all. Any of the foregoing risks may
materially adversely affect the Company's business and the market
price of its ADSs. In addition, the rapidly changing nature
of the online video and advertising industry in China subjects any projections or estimates
relating to the growth prospects or future condition of the
Company's market to significant uncertainties. If any one or
more of the assumptions underlying the market data turns out to be
incorrect, actual results may differ from the projections based on
these assumptions. You should not place undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements. Further information regarding
these and other risks is included in the Company's registration
statement on Form F-1 filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. All information provided in this press release is
current as of the date of the press release, and the Company
undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required
under applicable law.
SOURCE Tudou.com