Tencent-backed video app Kuaishou in overseas push amid increased China scrutiny
Kuaishou app ranked No 1 in App Stores in Russia and Belarus in late April and recently became the most downloaded app in a day in South Korea, App Annie Data shows.
A major Chinese social video site, known for clips of stunts and pranks by users in small Chinese towns along the lines of those featured in US reality television show Jackass, has gained a new legion of fans in overseas markets.
Beijing-based Kuaishou, a video-sharing and live-streaming platform backed by Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings, has recently gone from a relative unknown to a rock star in overseas markets, climbing to the top of Apple’s App Stores in eight countries outside mainland China by number of downloads since mid-March.
It became the most downloaded app among iPhone users in Vietnam on March 15, before achieving the same feat in Indonesia, Ukraine, Turkey and Taiwan, according to data from analytics company App Annie. The app then topped the rankings in App Stores in Russia and Belarus in late April and became the most downloaded app in South Korea on May 1, App Annie Data shows.
Kuaishou said in an e-mailed reply to questions on Wednesday that it has started to test the water in markets outside China since August 2017, prioritising countries along the route of the country’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative. It said it has more than 10 million daily active users from overseas markets. “We want to provide users with a social platform that not only records their daily lives but also gives them a chance to perform,”said the company. For example, Russian people are very good at singing and dancing, which makes them ideal Kuaishou users, it said.