28 March 2024
(This roundup is based on Chinese report https://www.itjuzi.com/addedOrangeArticle/612, by Wu Yue 武玥) Alibaba Data from itjuzi.com showed Alibaba made 14

(This roundup is based on Chinese report https://www.itjuzi.com/addedOrangeArticle/612, by Wu Yue 武玥)

Alibaba

Data from itjuzi.com showed Alibaba made 14 investments in 13 media companies, mainly around 2016. It acquired 20 percent of shares of 21St Century Media in 2014 with an investment of 500 million yuan. Then one year later, it poured 1.2 billion yuan into Yicai (China Business Network) and also launched the Yicai New Media Technology, which changed the name to CBN Data (www.cbndata.com) to make data training, data consulting, and data integrated marketing as the core business. Alibaba also joined Sichuan Daily Group to launch Cover Media in October 2015.

Alibaba pushed into social networking with Sina Weibo investment of 586 million yuan in April 2013 . The e-commerce giant’s investment also reached Z.H.ISLAND(正和岛), a China-based high-end O2O networking platform for entrepreneurs, Huxiu.com(虎嗅网), a Chinese business information and view exchange platform, and Sspai(少数派), a content platform that helps discover quality digital products, in 2011, 2014, and 2016, respectively.  

Tencent

Tencent’s investment into media focused on traditional media outlets before 2016 and then building its own content platform through cooperation with start-up digital media (called zimeiti ). 

It agreed to buy 8% stake in ChinaVision Media Group Limited 文化中国传播集团有限公司), a Chinese TV and film producer and distributor in 2011. The Internet giant launched its own content platform called Qi E Hao, offering incentives to attract professional content creators.

After 2016, Tencent poured investment into overseas  and Internet media platforms, such as Ximalaya(喜马拉雅the Chinese online podcast and radio services startup), Zhihu (知乎Chinese question-and-answer website), Yiketalks(TED-like ideas promoter), NewsDog, WeChat account Xinshixiang(新世相, The Fair) , Reddit, Sanook, Ookbee, and Pratilipi.

ByteDance

Unlike Alibaba or Tencent, tech giant ByteDance analyses users’ interests to distribute personalized news and information. It has introduce a series of incentives to host professional content creators including 1 billion yuan in 2016 to support short-video production. 

ByteDance also invested in 36kr.com, Baike.com, Jiqizhixin.com (professional information service platform of Artificial Intelligence), Xinzhiyuan (新智元AI era), Dailyhunt and News Republic. 

Baidu has made investment in Zhihu, Taboola, 36kr.com, YOKA fashion network( later purchased by Spearhead Group 华谊嘉信) and LEFTBRAIN(莱富特佰).

36kr.com received investment from Alibaba, Bytedance and Baidu.

Editor: WeChat@ukingsun

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