Alibaba OTT nets bag exclusive DreamWorks deal

Alibaba’s over-the-top services in China will get exclusive access to content from Oriental DreamWorks after signing a three-year agreement.

Included in the deal is upcoming SVOD series Trollhunters (pictured), which previously did not have a home in China as Netflix does not have distribution in the territory.

Films such as Kung Fu Panda, Shrek and How to Train Your Dragon, plus series including Blackstar will also be made available on the Youku and Tudou video platforms and the Tmall Box Office SVOD service via the agreement, as will upcoming films such as Boss Baby, Captain Underpants, and How to Train Your Dragon 3.

This comes after Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba acquired on-demand platform Youku Tudou earlier this year, and the launch of Netflix-style service Tmall Box Office.

Youku, Tudou and Tmall sit within Alibaba Digital Media & Entertainment Group’s Youku Business Division arm, which secured the agreement with Oriental DreamWorks, which is a joint venture between China Media Capital, Shanghai Media Group, Shanghai Alliance Investment and Comcast-owned Hollywood studio DreamWorks Animation.

“The agreement is our largest in the family entertainment category to date, building on our leadership in animation – one of the most popular categories on our platforms,” said Yang Weidong, president of Youku Business Division.

“Through providing quality content, Youku BD continues to grow in terms of reach and services delivered. The newly acquired family content will enable our platform to play a more important and integrated role and add the benefit of enhancing our business within the OTT (over-the-top) space.”

The deal is one of the largest DreamWorks has struck since becoming part of Comcast’s Universal Filmed Entertainment Group in a US$3.8 billion deal completed in August.