TCL’s new internet TV to leverage online video arms of Tencent, Alibaba

TCL Corporation, one of China’s largest TV makers, has unveiled a new internet TV brand geared towards younger consumers that will leverage the content pipelines of web giants Tencent Holdings and Alibaba Group Holding.

Shenzhen-listed TCL launched on Wednesday the internet-enabled TV brand Ffalcon. The venture reflects the group’s latest effort to use diversified branding to tap growth opportunities amid fierce competition in China’s TV market.

The Ffalcon brand is designed to integrate with the online video arms of Tencent and Alibaba to create an entertainment ecosystem featuring a wide range of copyright content that includes domestic and foreign movies, television dramas and live sports.

“We want to build up a super team that knows not only television, but also internet and content,” said Guo Tong, the head of Ffalcon Technology, an independent firm set up earlier this year.

The collaboration will allow Ffalcon to sell products on either Alibaba’s Tmall platform or JD.com, in which Tencent has a stake. The two online marketplaces account for more than 80 per cent of China’s business-to-customer market.

The new brand is expected to help TCL tap opportunities in the internet-enabled TV segment and defend its existing market share.