Chinese fans first to see new 'Sherlock' season outside Britain
Thanks to a broadcasting deal, subtitled episodes of the show appear on Youku Tudou mere hours after being shown on BBC
New episodes of Sherlock are being offered to mainlanders before anyone outside Britain, as the BBC tries to satisfy Chinese demand for the popular series and thwart internet piracy.
The first episode of the show's third season was made available for free streaming on Youku – China’s version of YouTube – only a few hours after its BBC premiere on Wednesday night (British time). The episodes come complete with official Chinese subtitles.
Sherlock, a modern day re-imagining of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s popular Sherlock Holmes character, commands legions of Chinese fans, many of whom applaud the series for its sharp writing and the charisma of its lead star, English actor Benedict Cumberbatch.
As of Thursday morning, the new episode had garnered more than two million views and 30,000 “likes”. The show will not air until mid-January in most other regions.
The near-simultaneous broadcast is the result of Youku Tudou’s decision to spend more than a billion yuan (HK$ 1.3 billion) to acquire licences of overseas television programmes. This practice helps meet Chinese demand for high-quality versions of popular shows while combating widespread internet piracy, where bootleg recordings can appear online hours after originals are broadcast.
Watch: BBC's Sherlock Holmes season 3 trailer