https://www.scmp.com/rss/501752/feed The latest news, analysis and opinion on Toutiao. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Microsoft's former head of artificial intelligence and research Harry Shum has been appointed chairman of the board of News Break, a Silicon Valley-based news aggregator with Chinese venture capital backing, the start-up announced on Wednesday. “As one of the brightest minds in the technology industry, Harry brings a wealth of technical leadership and business savvy to the company that we will leverage to grow News Break into the world's No. 1 Intelligent Local News Platform,” said Jeff Zheng,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/netease-backed-news-app-hires-microsofts-former-head-ai-stepping-competition-against-bytedance/article/3086516?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/netease-backed-news-app-hires-microsofts-former-head-ai-stepping-competition-against-bytedance/article/3086516?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 May 2020 21:00:13 +0000 China’s ByteDance, the world’s most valuable start-up, has scored a video game hit in Japan with martial arts-themed Combat of Hero, as the owner of popular app TikTok sharpens its rivalry with Tencent Holdings. The casual mobile game, which was published by ByteDance-owned Ohayoo studio in Japan last December, has been the most downloaded free iOS title in the market for four consecutive days since March 7, according to data from apps analytics firm App Annie. Combat of Hero, developed by... https://www.scmp.com/games/tiktok-maker-finds-gaming-success-japan-combat-hero/article/3074687?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/games/tiktok-maker-finds-gaming-success-japan-combat-hero/article/3074687?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2020 10:28:10 +0000 In the past 10 days or so since my hometown Wuhan went into lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak, my mum has been outside just once, to take out the trash. Any other year around this time, she would be busy preparing food for Lunar New Year meals or playing mahjong – a tile-based strategic game known as China’s “national pastime” – with family members. But the lockdown, announced on January 23 – two days before the start of the Lunar New Year holiday – has left her to celebrate New Year’s... https://www.scmp.com/tech/how-tech-brings-together-families-separated-during-coronavirus-outbreak/article/3048684?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/how-tech-brings-together-families-separated-during-coronavirus-outbreak/article/3048684?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Feb 2020 07:34:50 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS TikTok maker ByteDance was ordered by Chinese authorities to clean up the search results in its popular news app Toutiao. The Cyberspace Administration of China’s Beijing office said that “harmful information” that “defames” a revolutionary martyr appeared in the search results of Toutiao’s new search engine.  The CAC also asked the company to “prevent information dissemination” that “distorts, defames, blasphemes and denies the deeds and spirits of... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3037416/tiktok-maker-ordered-clean-search-engine-defaming-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3037416/tiktok-maker-ordered-clean-search-engine-defaming-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Nov 2019 10:52:36 +0000 TikTok maker ByteDance was ordered by Chinese authorities to clean up the search results in its popular news app Toutiao. The Cyberspace Administration of China’s Beijing office said that “harmful information” that “defames” a revolutionary martyr appeared in the search results of Toutiao’s new search engine.  The CAC also asked the company to “prevent information dissemination” that “distorts, defames, blasphemes and denies the deeds and spirits of heroes and martyrs.” Toutiao told the CAC that... https://www.scmp.com/china-tech-city/tiktok-maker-ordered-clean-search-engine-defaming-chinese-revolutionary-martyr/article/3037382?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/china-tech-city/tiktok-maker-ordered-clean-search-engine-defaming-chinese-revolutionary-martyr/article/3037382?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Nov 2019 10:52:34 +0000 ByteDance has a reason for the reported sale of its news aggregation app TopBuzz: it is losing out to a much smaller rival with Chinese roots – Particle Media’s News Break – which is being downloaded more than CNN and Reddit, according to current US app store rankings. The Chinese owner of global hit TikTok might have earned its entertainment spurs in the US with the short video app’s burgeoning popularity there, but the more mature news business is proving to be a totally different... https://www.scmp.com/tech/netease-backed-news-app-beating-bytedances-topbuzz/article/3035554?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/netease-backed-news-app-beating-bytedances-topbuzz/article/3035554?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Oct 2019 00:10:35 +0000 ByteDance, the world’s most valuable start-up, is ramping up recruitment for its video games business, months after acquiring a Shanghai-based developer, in a move that could intensify its rivalry with Tencent Holdings.   There were more than 210 gaming-related jobs posted by ByteDance on the career page of its website as of Friday, according to a search conducted by the South China Morning Post on the same day. Openings for another 31 positions were found to be targeted at qualified college... https://www.scmp.com/tech/bytedances-increased-presence-gaming-heightens-rivalry-tencent/article/3032800?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/bytedances-increased-presence-gaming-heightens-rivalry-tencent/article/3032800?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Oct 2019 07:27:11 +0000 China’s ByteDance, famous for its short video hit app TikTok, is in talks with potential buyers to sell its Toutiao-like overseas newsfeed app TopBuzz, including with some US-based media companies, technology title The Information reported this week.   The app, which is similar to the domestic news aggregating app Toutiao which uses algorithms to tailor news for users, has not proven as popular with overseas customers as TikToK, which ranks first on the US iOS app store in the entertainment... https://www.scmp.com/tech/bytedance-looking-sell-topbuzz-its-less-popular-international-news-app-report-says/article/3030641?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/bytedance-looking-sell-topbuzz-its-less-popular-international-news-app-report-says/article/3030641?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Sep 2019 09:00:08 +0000 You might find it jarring to open up your favorite news app and find a story from a professional news agency next to a user-made video slamming a politician. That’s exactly what I saw on the news app TopBuzz, where a Reuters article introducing Israeli politician Benny Gantz sat alongside a user-made video mocking US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez titled “The things coming out of your mouth are absolutely idiotic.” This mixture of reputable news organizations and user-generated content... https://www.scmp.com/culture/topbuzz-based-chinas-hottest-news-app-will-it-work-west/article/3028065?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/topbuzz-based-chinas-hottest-news-app-will-it-work-west/article/3028065?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Sep 2019 14:58:28 +0000 Golden State Warriors continue to be the most popular NBA franchise online in China for a third consecutive year, according to annual report on the teams’ digital performance. The NBA Red Card report, which was released by digital marketing agency Mailman on Thursday, measures online influence using a number of performance metrics including growth in followers and engagement on Chinese social media platforms. Warriors, the 2018 champions, claimed the top spot ahead of the Houston Rockets, Los... https://www.scmp.com/digital-life/nba-leans-weibo-and-toutiao-grow-china/article/3025352?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/digital-life/nba-leans-weibo-and-toutiao-grow-china/article/3025352?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Sep 2019 11:25:14 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Imagine Flipboard rolling out an online shopping platform. That’s happening in China, where popular news aggregator Toutiao recently launched a shopping app called Zhidian, which roughly translates as “value point”. Breaking down China's most popular news app, Toutiao Zhidian markets itself as a destination for budget shoppers, sourcing products directly from factories to lower the prices. For now, it appears to carry a more limited range of products... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3028897/you-can-now-shop-one-chinas-hottest-news-services?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3028897/you-can-now-shop-one-chinas-hottest-news-services?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Oct 2018 11:00:15 +0000 Imagine Flipboard rolling out an online shopping platform. That’s happening in China, where popular news aggregator Toutiao recently launched a shopping app called Zhidian, which roughly translates as “value point”.   Zhidian markets itself as a destination for budget shoppers, sourcing products directly from factories to lower the prices. For now, it appears to carry a more limited range of products than bigger rivals like Pinduoduo. Interestingly, it sells men’s clothing but not women’s. But... https://www.scmp.com/big-guns/you-can-now-shop-one-chinas-hottest-news-services/article/2168803?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/big-guns/you-can-now-shop-one-chinas-hottest-news-services/article/2168803?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Oct 2018 11:00:15 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Toutiao may not be a name familiar in the West, but it’s quickly growing into one of China’s most important apps. It has 120 million daily active users, who spend an average of an hour and 13 minutes on it every day -- more than Facebook. Some believe it could be one of the next generation of Chinese tech giants, challenging the big three of Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent. Toutiao, which means “headlines”, is a news aggregator. Think of it like Facebook’s... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/who-what/what/article/3028243/breaking-down-chinas-most-popular-news-app-toutiao?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/who-what/what/article/3028243/breaking-down-chinas-most-popular-news-app-toutiao?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Oct 2018 10:01:54 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS China’s tech giants Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent are known to have their hands in nearly every tech sector -- artificial intelligence, the sharing economy, autonomous cars, media, gaming and more. Now it looks like another company is moving towards that direction. (Abacus is a unit of the South China Morning Post, which is owned by Alibaba.) Chinese media reported that Jinri Toutiao, the country’s most popular news and content aggregator, has just added a... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3028624/how-toutiao-trying-be-more-just-news-app?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3028624/how-toutiao-trying-be-more-just-news-app?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Jul 2018 10:35:34 +0000 China’s tech giants Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent are known to have their hands in nearly every tech sector -- artificial intelligence, the sharing economy, autonomous cars, media, gaming and more. Now it looks like another company is moving towards that direction. (Abacus is a unit of the South China Morning Post, which is owned by Alibaba.) Chinese media reported that Jinri Toutiao, the country’s most popular news and content aggregator, has just added a personal loan feature in the app for some... https://www.scmp.com/big-guns/how-toutiao-trying-be-more-just-news-app/article/2154983?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/big-guns/how-toutiao-trying-be-more-just-news-app/article/2154983?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Jul 2018 10:35:34 +0000