Youku.com, the mainland's leading online video-services provider, and Hong Kong-listed Focus Media Network are widening their partnership to cover advertising sales opportunities in more international markets.
Focus Media Network, which operates the largest network of flat-panel displays used for advertising inside commercial buildings in Hong Kong and Singapore, expects to tap greater media-sales opportunities for Youku across the Asia-Pacific region and in other key locations, where advertisers are keen to catch mainland Chinese consumers' attention.
The digital outdoors-media company has about 1,100 venues located in lift lobbies of offices in the prime business districts of its two home markets. But the international network of Shanghai-based parent firm Focus Media provides resources that will help it to extend its reach to sites in Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, India and Australia as well as countries in the Middle East.
Those efforts could also extend to locations in South America and Russia, where its United States-listed parent firm has interests.
'Youku gave us the perfect reason to further invest to promote its platform,' said Eric Tam, an executive director at Focus Media Network. 'We have plans to play a greater role than just a media-sales partner for Youku.'
Financial terms between Youku and Focus Media Network were not given.
