China is gradually turning into a mecca for massive promotion of Hollywood movies. Today, Youku Tudou, the country's leading Internet television company, announced its partnership with Disney, perhaps the world's biggest entertainment giant. Youku Tudou Chairman and CEO Victor Koo made the deal public in Beijing.

Like Us on Facebook

In an article on Forbes entitled "Can China Save Disney's 'Tomorrowland'?" author Rob Cain remarked on the country's voracious appetite for Hollywood films. The Chinese's love for big screen pictures has become the launching pad for "redeeming budget flops." Such eager market expected to pour in the estimated 26,000 cinema houses in the Mainland is projected to cut losses on "Tomorrowland's" $140 million investment.

Under the agreement, Youku Tudou has the sole right for online marketing of Marvel movies and TV series. This includes trailers, online ticketing, live events, and original programming. In a report published by Entgroup, the agreement highlights the increasing power of China's online video platforms in movie pre-release marketing and distribution. With 500 million unique monthly users to boot, Youku Tudou offers a lucrative platform that encompasses movies, TV series, trailers, and user-generated content.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the online TV company also takes pride in its impressive marketing that resulted in the RMB 800 million ($130 million) revenue of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier." Figures also show that "Guardians of the Galaxy" achieved more than 41 cumulative views on the site alone. Trailers and Youku original productions of the recent "Avengers: Age of Ultron" hit more than 15.7 million views.

Koo noted that having ties with "strong partners" such as Disney is a significant move for his company. "[This will] give Youku Tudou the opportunity to use its strengths to further its business model and drive future revenue streams through high-quality content, innovative marketing efforts, and merchandising channels," Koo said in a statement quoted by Entgroup.

The expansion appears to be a welcome decision for a country of viewers who are "heavily reliant on the Internet for entertainment options." However, this seems to be a cause of concern among traditional industry players and offline advertising. One research quoted by Deadline yielded the possibility that online platforms may soon take over traditional promotion and distribution. 

TagsDisney, Youku Tudou, Marvel China