China’s Baidu, which is often compared to Alphabet’s Google, is showing no signs of slowing down its pace of betting on video content as its core advertising unit feels the squeeze from rivals. The company’s latest financial results show its video streaming business iQiyi posted a net loss of 9.1 billion yuan or $1.3 billion in 2018, […]
View More Baidu’s video site iQiyi adds 37M subscribers in 2018 amid mounting lossesCategory: Tencent
Alibaba hits the gas on mobility as its bike sharing service adds carpooling
Carpooling is heralded to be environmentally friendly and money-saving, but in smog-stricken China, the transportation option became a source of public concerns after two female passengers got murdered during their lifts with Didi Chuxing drivers. The ride-hailing app has suspended its Hitch service to this date under government command, and its peers were also directed […]
View More Alibaba hits the gas on mobility as its bike sharing service adds carpoolingSelfie app maker Meitu eyes overseas gaming market with $340 million deal
China’s largest selfie app maker Meitu has been busy working to diversify itself beyond the beauty arena in China. On Wednesday, the Hong Kong-listed company announced in a filing that it has agreed to pay about HK$2.7 billion ($340 million) for a 31 percent stake in game publishing company Dreamscape Horizon. Dreamscape Horizon, a subsidiary of […]
View More Selfie app maker Meitu eyes overseas gaming market with $340 million dealAmazon is reportedly merging its China import unit with NetEase
You’d be forgiven for not knowing Amazon has operated in China for more than a decade, but perhaps not for much longer. The company is reportedly in talks to merge its China-based import business with local peer Kaola, the cross-border shopping platform run by Chinese internet behemoth NetEase, Caijing reported (link in Chinese) on Tuesday. The deal, […]
View More Amazon is reportedly merging its China import unit with NetEaseChina tells teachers to quit assigning homework through WeChat
China’s education authorities are about to take some burden off parents with school-aged children. A proposal posted last week by the Department of Education in China’s eastern province of Zhejiang said teachers should be banned from using WeChat, QQ or other mobile apps to assign homework or ask parents to grade students’ assignments. As mobile internet […]
View More China tells teachers to quit assigning homework through WeChatAlibaba takes an 8% stake in Tencent-backed anime streaming site Bilibili
Ecommerce giant Alibaba is continuing its push into the world of youth culture after it scooped up an 8 percent stake in anime streaming and game publishing company Bilibili. According to a securities filing on Thursday, Alibaba’s Taobao marketplace has acquired about 24 million shares in Bilibili, the Shanghai-based firm that has captured 93 million monthly users […]
View More Alibaba takes an 8% stake in Tencent-backed anime streaming site BilibiliChina’s Alipay digital wallet is entering 7,000 Walgreens stores
China’s payments heavyweights have been following tourists abroad as their home market gets crowded. Ant Financial, Alibaba’s financial affiliate with a said valuation of $100 billion, now sees its virtual wallet Alipay handling transactions at 3,000 Walgreens stores in the U.S. and is eyeing to reach a roster of 7,000 locations by April. The alliance will […]
View More China’s Alipay digital wallet is entering 7,000 Walgreens storesReddit says government data requests more than doubled in 2018
Reddit has said the number of government requests for user data has more than doubled in 2018 than on the previous year. The news and content sharing site said in its latest transparency report, posted Wednesday, it received a 752 requests from governments during the year, up from 310 requests a year earlier. Broken down, […]
View More Reddit says government data requests more than doubled in 2018It isn’t just apps. China’s cinemas broke records during Lunar New Year
China celebrated Lunar New Year last week as hundreds of millions of people travelled to their hometowns. While many had longed to see their separated loved ones, others dreaded the weeklong holiday as relatives awkwardly caught up with them with questions like: “Why are you not married? How much do you earn?” Luckily, there are […]
View More It isn’t just apps. China’s cinemas broke records during Lunar New YearNo, Tencent isn’t about to burn Reddit down
Ahoy, it’s doom and gloom for Reddit after the company welcomed investment from Chinese censorship overlord Tencent. Well, not quite. The reality is, in fact, it’s quite the opposite. In recruiting the company behind one of the internet’s largest and vibrant social networks — chat app WeChat — and countless blockbuster games, Reddit has pulled off […]
View More No, Tencent isn’t about to burn Reddit downIndia’s Swiggy goes beyond food to offer product delivery from local stores
Swiggy, the Indian food delivery service, has made its much anticipated moved into general deliveries today after it announced its new ‘stores’ product. The move has been speculated since as early as 2017, but recent developments have taken the company closer towards the expansion. Last September, Swiggy picked up delivery service SuprDaily in an acquisition […]
View More India’s Swiggy goes beyond food to offer product delivery from local storesReddit confirms $300M Series D led by China’s Tencent at $3B value
Last week TechCrunch reported that Reddit was raising $150 million from Chinese tech giant Tencent and up to $150 million more in a Series D that would value the company at $2.7 billion pre-money or $3 billion post-money. After no-commenting on our scoop, today Reddit confirmed it’s raised $300 million at $3 billion post-money, with […]
View More Reddit confirms $300M Series D led by China’s Tencent at $3B value