Youku Tudou plays Korean comedy

Chinese online video firm Youku Tudou will show a Korean romantic comedy as the first foreign series approved under new rules from China’s media regulator.

SBS programme Hyde, Jekyll and Me will be made available on July 13 to all Youku Tudou users, with a new episode of the series being added daily thereafter. Paid Youku Tudou subscribers will be able to access the show in its entirety from July 16.

The move follows new rules issued in March by China’s State Administration of Press Publication Radio Film & Television to strengthen censorship of both foreign and domestic entertainment.

Under the new regulation, US- and UK-produced TV series cannot be aired online until they have been vetted.

“China is shifting towards a consumer-driven economy and online consumption is becoming mainstream,” said Youku Tudou chairman and CEO Victor Koo, claiming that the site now attracts more than 500 million unique visitors per month.

“By partnering with top players and continually enhancing our services, we are able to create a premium experience for our paid subscribers and further drive subscription-based revenue.”

The company is jostling for position in a crowded Chinese VoD marketplace against rivals such as LeTV, Tencent and Sohu.com, with e-commerce giant Alibaba also moving into the space.

Earlier this year, Youku Tudou created a TV drama production unit and appointed a new chief operating officer, Edward Su, having begun 2015 with the launch of its own version of Endemol’s Big Brother.

Chinese internet giants have lately become home to a string of Western TV formats, with Sohu ordering an adaptation of MTV’s Lip Sync Battle and Tencent launching a local version of Talpa’s Utopia.

But with the Chinese stock market in the midst of a major meltdown, such companies are at the sharp end of the collapse, with Youku Tudou having seen its share price plummet by more than 37% in the past month. However, it climbed 13.3% yesterday amid signs the situation could be stabilising.