Lionsgate Signs Chinese Streaming Deal with iQiyi

Lionsgate has signed a deal to distribute many of its high-profile films on iQiyi, China’s largest streaming platform.

The deal covers both subscription and transactional VOD for Lionsgate titles including: “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2”; “Allegiant,” the next film in the Divergent franchise; “Now You See Me 2”; action film “Deepwater Horizon”; ‘Sicario”; the teen thriller “Nerve”; “The Shack,” starring Sam Worthington and Octavia Spencer; and the Emma Stone musical “LaLa Land.”

iQiyi, controlled by Baidu, runs video platforms that have more than 500 million unique users. Under the deal, it will have an exclusive SVOD and TVOD window for the Lionsgate titles and make a major promotional commitment on their platform for those movies.

“We’re thrilled to partner with iQiyi, a major game changer and one of the largest and fastest-growing digital platforms in China,” said Lionsgate Executive VP of International Sales Wendy Reeds. “They will provide a quality showcase for our slate of high-profile event movies, and our agreement underscores our commitment to innovation and leadership in delivering premium content to online audiences around the world.”

Yang Xianghua, senior VP of iQiyi, said: “In China, more and more people are paying to watch movies online. iQiyi has the largest online movie library in China and we have been actively purchasing premium movie content and building in-depth partnerships with industry players. We have enjoyed a positive long-term relationship with Lionsgate and with this agreement we are delighted to extend and deepen our cooperation to areas including broadcast, promotion and distribution.”

“We hope that this cooperation between Lionsgate and iQiyi will not only bring Chinese users an even better selection of premium movies but will also promote more innovative partnerships in China’s online video industry,” Xianghua added.

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