Vancouver-based Lionsgate Entertainment and China-based Alibaba Group have formed a partnership to provide a new online streaming service for the latter's customers.
The service, called Lionsgate Entertainment World (LGEW), will offer access to a variety of titles from the Lionsgate catalogue, which includes films like Divergent and the Twilight franchise, according to World Screen.
TV series from Lionsgate, such as Mad Men, Weeds, Nashville, Rosemary's Baby, and The Royals, will also be available on the new service. Customers will also have access to exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, features and other premium content.
"We're pleased to collaborate with Alibaba, a world-class brand that is well known and respected among consumers through China," said Jon Feltheimer, CEO of Lionsgate. "Alibaba is the kind of entrepreneurial company with whom we like to be in business, and the launch of our streaming service in China underscores our commitment to innovation and leadership in delivering premium content to digital platforms around the world."
As part of the deal, Lionsgate will gain access to China's growing film industry, CBC News reported.
Major studios in North America have started to focus on appealing to the Chinese market, with the Chinese version of Iron Man 3 including cameos by Asian celebrities and Paramount Pictures filming parts of Transformers: Age of Extinction in China.
"The combination of Alibaba's tremendous knowledge of the Chinese market and Lionsgate's content leadership provide [this new partnership] with unique competitive advantages, and we look forward to continuing our close collaboration with the Alibaba team," said Brian Goldsmith, COO of Lionsgate.
The new deal also received praise from Patrick Liu, president of digital entertainment at Alibaba, World Screen reported.
"We are committing to expanding our ecosystem where our users can meet, work and live, and this cooperation signals our ongoing commitment to advance our vision of making digital media entertainment available to our customers anywhere anytime," he said.
