Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Entertainment
  3. News

Alibaba and Disney strike a deal to bring shows and movies to China

Lulu Chang
By
Disney to launch new streaming service
Image used with permission by copyright holder

You may not be able to access Facebook, WhatsApp, or Twitter in China, but really, who needs mass communication when you have mass entertainment, courtesy of Disney? Thanks to a new licensing deal between Alibaba Group’s entertainment unit and every child’s favorite film studio, viewers throughout China will be able to watch a wide range of Disney’s animated shows and movies. More than 1,000 episodes from Disney series are covered under the agreement, as are many of the studio’s most popular films.

The deal makes Alibaba the largest distributor of Disney animated content in China.

Recommended Videos

The films and shows will be available for viewing on Alibaba’s streaming video service Youku, as well as a number of other distribution channels. The new partnership between the two conglomerates arrives nearly two years after Disney’s own streaming video service, DisneyLife, ceased operations in China where it was live for just five months. Apparently, Chinese regulators ordered that the service be shut down. But now that a Chinese company is distributing Disney content, it looks like all systems are go this time around.

Series like DuckTales and My Friends Tigger and Pooh are included under the deal, and around 600 episodes will be made exclusive to Alibaba’s distribution channels for two years after the agreement is enacted. Alibaba can also show more than 100 live-action and animated Disney films, including hits like Beauty and the Beast, Mulan, Frozen, and Pirates of the Caribbean. 

In total, Alibaba expects that the distribution agreement will allow around 30 million households to enjoy Disney content. In a press release, Youku president Yang Weidong said, “The addition of Disney content greatly enriches the library of quality international content on Alibaba’s media and entertainment ecosystem, giving us a leading edge in foreign content distribution in China.”

As it stands, Youku already reaches around 580 million devices and sees around 1.2 billion views each day, as per Alibaba’s news website Alizila. The platform is also said to have comparable licensing deals with other major studios like Warner Bros., Paramount, Fox, NBCUniversal, and Sony Pictures Television.

So if you’re planning a trip to China, you won’t be able to post photos of your travels to Instagram. But you’ll sure be able to watch all your favorite western movies.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Lulu Chang
Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Disney will bring Andor’s first two episodes to Hulu and ABC
Diego Luna looks behind him while walking down a street in a scene from Andor.

There are certain advantages that come with owning one of the top streaming services, multiple cable channels, and one of the primary broadcast networks. And later this month, Disney is bringing all of its resources to bear for its latest Star Wars series, Andor. To coincide with the first season finale on Wednesday, November 23, Disney will premiere the first two episodes of Andor on Hulu on the same day. The episodes will remain on Hulu through December 7.

ABC is also premiering the first two episodes of Andor on Wednesday, November 23. They will air from 9 p.m. PT/ET to 10:30 pm PT/ET. The Andor tour continues the next day, Thursday, November 24, on FX, in the same time slot. Finally, Freeform will air the episodes on Friday, November 25, and they will once again be showing at the same time.

Read more
Werewolf by Night: All the Marvel Easter eggs in the Disney+ show
Gael Garcia Bernal stares upwards in a scene from Werewolf By Night.

Marvel Studios' scary-good television special Werewolf by Night has finally premiered on Disney+, giving audiences a frightening and fresh addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In less than an hour, the filmmakers pay homage to many classic horror movies and reference comic book lore with a bevy of Easter eggs. Now that this film is out, here's a list of the Easter eggs found in Werewolf by Night.
Vampires exist in the MCU

As a family of monster hunters, the Bloodstones have come across various creatures throughout the ages. This history is displayed in the film's opening sequence, which features a drawing of what looks like a vampire. There also appears to be a vampire's head on display along with the other mounted monster heads in the main hall of Bloodstone Manor.

Read more
All the movie and TV news from Day 1 of Disney’s D23 Expo
Promo art for Disney's Wish.

It appears that Disney has been holding out on us. For the first D23 Expo in three years, Walt Disney Pictures unveiled its ambitious plans to kick off the 100th anniversary of the studio with an array of original films (for both theatrical releases and Disney+) and new TV series. And Disney hasn't even gotten around to making its Marvel or Star Wars announcements yet!

The first day of D23 began with a look at the sequel to a classic flick that is coming to Disney+ on September 30: Hocus Pocus 2. Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker are all reprising their roles as the evil Sanderson Sisters from the original film. In the sequel, Becca (Whitney Peak) and Izzy (Belissa Escobedo) are two teenage girls who are tricked into resurrecting the Sandersons, and the witches are out for revenge on all of Salem. The trailer also briefly introduces Doug Jones' Billy Butcherson, a good zombie who was cursed by the sisters.

Read more