Netflix has reached an agreement with a unit of internet giant Baidu that could see the US-based video-on-demand leader break into the massive China market, its Chinese partner has confirmed.

The Baidu-run video platform iQiyi.com said it reached a content-licensing deal on Tuesday with Netflix, whose service is currently blocked in China but whose programmes are widely pirated.

Popular Netflix shows such as "Black Mirror" and "Stranger Things" could potentially be available for viewing by subscribers in China at the same time they are released in the United States, iQiyi said in a statement.

Earlier reports of the deal had caused Netflix stock to close 5.8 percent higher on the Nasdaq market on Tuesday.

"As iQiyi's content partner, Baidu and Netflix will both pay attention to the trend of global content creation and the development of high-quality content," iQiyi senior vice president Yang Xianghua was quoted as saying in the statement.

The statement, however, appeared to indicate that the content would be subject to Chinese censorship.

"Meanwhile, for all cooperation between iQiyi and its overseas partners, we will strictly follow relevant regulations... concerning overseas content," it said.

The iQiyi statement said the partnership would help to curb "pirating" and would provide licensed and high-definition online streaming content for Chinese users.

No other details were given.

The pact is a licensing deal with multiple shows, a Netflix spokeswoman said in an email to Bloomberg News.

Netflix calls itself the world's leading internet television network, with more than 98 million members in over 190 countries.

It had previously reached deals to distribute individual shows on Chinese platforms but failed to establish a sustained presence in China, the last major market where it is absent.

Tweet

For Chinese fans, popular teen band are mama's boys
Beijing (AFP) April 24, 2017
Liang Shanshan considers herself a mother of two: one child is her biological son, the other is a 16-year-old Chinese teen pop star she has never met. She is a "mother fan" and part of a group of women in their mid-20s to 60s whose maternal instincts are set off by China's boy band sensation TFBoys("The Fighting Boys"). The band has won millions of Chinese followers since their 2013 deb ... read more

Related Links
China News from SinoDaily.com

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only