Alibaba and Lions Gate launch streaming content subscription service in China

The service, which will be marketed as Lionsgate Entertainment World and will begin service next August, will be exclusive to Internet television with Alibaba decoders.

E-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding has partnered with Lions Gate Entertainment (producer of The hunger games, among other titles) to launch a streaming subscription service in China.

The service, which will be marketed as Lionsgate Entertainment World and will begin service next August, will be exclusive to Internet television with Alibaba decoders.

Among other titles, users will be able to access the extensive Lions Gate catalogue, with productions such as the saga Dusk one to the series Mad Men.

The content industry is one of the targets on which Alibaba has set its objectives, investing more than $3 billion so far this year in this area of ​​business development. The Hangzhou-based Chinese multinational is trying to go beyond traditional e-commerce, offering more digital products such as movies, games and television.

Last March, Alibaba bought a controlling stake in the content production company Chinavision Media Group, in a transaction valued at $804 million.

Just a month later, it acquired 18.5% in the Chinese online video streaming portal Youku Tudou, with the help of the Yunfeng capital fund, whose co-founder was Jack Ma, one of the 'fathers' of Alibaba. The e-commerce multinational also invested in acquiring 20% ​​of Wasu Media Holding, at the same time that both companies closed a cooperation agreement for the development of online content and Internet TV.

Patrick Liu, president of Alibaba, admits that the cooperation between Alibaba and Lions Gate “demonstrates our continued commitment to advance our vision of making digital entertainment available to our customers anywhere, anytime.”

Alibaba is preparing its large-scale landing in the US at the end of this year in an operation in which it has invested more than $7.5 billion so far this year alone.