HBO Asia partners with iQiyi to launch BabyFirst content in China
HBO Asia has inked a deal with China’s largest streaming platform iQiyi to stream baby and toddler network BabyFirst in China.
HBO Asia has secured a content streaming deal for BabyFirst with iQiyi
The multi-year deal will see the content available on iQiyi Kids, a new children’s video on-demand service. The content will feature both Mandarin and English audio with Chinese subtitles.
BabyFirst features early learning and development content for children under three-years old. The BabyFirst content that appears on iQiyi Kids will be carefully curated from a library of over 4000 episodes to ensure it appeals to Chinese families.
The deal is part of a strategy by BabyFirst owner First Media to expand the company’s global read and follows similar content deals in Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines and Singapore.
First Media’s Blossom and So Yummy channels also recently launched in China via a partnership with digital media distributor Yoola and Chinese platforms such as Youku-Tudou and Weibo.
Guy Oranim, chief executive of BabyFirst, said, “iQiyi is a great partner that truly appreciates the importance of offering quality children’s content for all families and embraces our multicultural approach to babies’ education.”
Jonathan Spink, chief executive of HBO Asia, said the deal was an extension of “the brand promise to bring the best programming to audiences through the biggest operators in the region.”