New deal brings iQiyi TV shows to Douyin
Image Credit: Douyin
Douyin, TikTok’s Chinese version, is now licensed to distribute short clips of shows from video streaming platform iQiyi.
Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, has agreed a new deal with iQiyi, a video streamer similar to Netflix. The new partnership means long content like television shows on iQiyi can be recreated as short-form video, and edited and distributed on Douyin.
Douyin, owned by ByteDance, also said it will be cooperate with iQiyi in other areas, although further details of what that might look like were not revealed. The partnership is significant as the two platforms have formally had a frosty relationship, and could mark a truce in a war in which the two sides have thrown claims of copyright violations at each other.
The deal also stretches to Toutiao and Xigua Video, Douyin’s sister platforms, which will be licensed for iQiyi content.
Mr. Yu Gong, Founder, Director and Chief Executive Officer of iQIYI, said: “This is a milestone that showcases the mutual respect and collective efforts in protecting intellectual property. We believe our cooperation will unlock new opportunities that will enrich the online video ecosystem, increase the value of our existing intellectual property, broaden monetization opportunities, and create win-wins for both platforms, content creators, and our users.”
The partnership between iQiyi and Douyin is a significant improvement for licensing in the video content industry. In 2021 the China Netcasting Services Association put a stop to creators sharing extracts from film and TV, banning short-form video platforms like Douyin from sharing them.