This article originally appeared on ABACUS Disney won’t let you watch some of its most popular films on Netflix after next year -- but in China, they’ve just partnered with one of the country’s biggest streaming sites to host its content. Disney signed a multi-year licensing deal with Alibaba , delivering more than 1,000 animated classics and live-action movies to Chinese households through streaming website Youku and Alibaba’s set-top boxes. (Abacus is a unit of the South China Morning Post, which is owned by Alibaba.) It’s a sharp contrast to what Disney is doing in the US. The company is pulling content from Netflix and others to build up a library for its own streaming service , set to launch next year. Disney actually tried that approach before -- in China. In 2016, the DisneyLife streaming service (also in partnership with Alibaba) was scrapped just a few months after launch following a crackdown by Chinese internet regulators. Many Western companies are relying on local partners to break into the tightly-controlled Chinese market. Warner Bros., Paramount, Fox, NBCUniversal and others have all signed similar broadcast deals with Alibaba. For more insights into China tech, sign up for our tech newsletters , subscribe to our Inside China Tech podcast , and download the comprehensive 2019 China Internet Report . Also roam China Tech City , an award-winning interactive digital map at our sister site Abacus .
