CBS Studios International and China’s leading online video streaming service, PPTV, have reached an exclusive, multi-year licensing agreement, the companies announced Thursday.
The deal covers the streaming rights to CBS and Showtime series in China. It will provide PPTV’s 400 million users will also receive the exclusive premiere in China of selected new Showtime series and CBS’s new event series. These shows will be available to stream through PPTV’s interactive online media platform.
“China has the largest number of online video viewers in the world, so we are thrilled to partner with PPTV to bring CBS and Showtime content to this exciting market,” Armando Nuñez, president and CEO of CBS Global Distribution Group, said. “This agreement forges a new relationship with PPTV and represents another opportunity to expand our licensing business and audience reach in an important and growing international territory.”
CBS Studios participates in international channel ventures, currently comprised of 18 channels in 24 languages across over 100 territories, reaching more than 70 million households worldwide.
“PPTV is excited to bring content from CBS and Showtime to viewers in China. As the leading supplier of U.S. programming, CBS Studios International has an abundance of premium content and extensive experience in the international television marketplace, helping PPTV to reach new heights in the online video streaming market in China,” Fan Zhijun, PPTV’s management committee chairman, said.
The news comes after CBS announced that they will launch a new “Star Trek” series from executive producer Alex Kurtzman exclusively on their CBS All Access streaming service.
CBS CEO Leslie Moonves believes the international sales of the show on the streaming service will provide the studio with serious revenue.
“Our international distribution guy is going crazy,” he said during a call about CBS’ Q3 earnings. “He can’t wait to get out to the marketplace and sell that. So right away, we’re going to be more than half way home just on the cost of the show just on international alone.”