Youku forges ESG China pact

Chinese streaming giant Youku Tudou has agreed a co-development deal with Endemol Shine Group (ESG), with two new unscripted series planned for later this year.

William Tan

The arrangement will see Alibaba-owned Youku and Endemol Shine China co-create ‘’big-budget, high-quality non-scripted shows’’ together.

Creative talent from ESG will work with Youku across development, pilot and production of the shows. ESG’s sales arm will sell the formats outside of China.

Details of the series planned for later in 2018 are yet to be revealed, but expected to be entertainment series.

Nicola Bamford, CEO of international operations at ESG, described the deal as a ‘’great opportunity to partner with Youku to create original, authentic stories that will resonate in China, and have the potential to reach global audiences through ESG’s international network and distribution.”

Weidong Yang, president of Alibaba-backed Youku, said the shows would not be reboots of linear TV formats but instead fresh IP targeted specifically for online.

“Gone are the days where digital entertainment shows rely on imitating traditional linear channel shows,” he said. “Digital entertainment shows will be the new engines of industry creativity.”

Endemol Shine China was founded in 2015 and is headed by MD William Tan.

“At Endemol Shine China, we have very skilled talent developing new and original content, and our co-developments allow us to create locally relevant and engaging shows for audiences in China.

‘’The additional support from ESG’s creative talent and network resources is critical in enabling us to supercharge our content and export our shows around the world.”