Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings Ltd
launched its first overseas video streaming service in Thailand on
Friday, as it ramps up its presence outside China.
Tencent is diversifying from its core Chinese gaming business, which has
been beset by regulatory problems, pushing revenue growth to its
slowest-ever in the first quarter.
Tencent’s existing Thai user base made the country a good first target
for its push into Southeast Asia, said Jeff Han, Senior Vice President
of Tencent Penguin Pictures, which produces original content for the
streaming business.
“This is the market we need to first enter to try to see whether an
overseas launch could be a success for us, so we can continue the
challenge,” Han told reporters in a group interview in Bangkok.
“We have our priority markets… the Chinese-speaking markets, which will be more receptive to our offerings,” he said.
In Thailand, Tencent Video will be called WeTV and feature original
Chinese content from Tencent Penguin Pictures with Thai dubbing, and
content created with local partners, Han said.
He declined to comment how much the company was investing overseas.
WeTV adds to Tencent’s music streaming service JOOX and the mobile version of PUBG games in Thailand.
Tencent’s video streaming subscriptions increased 43% in the first
quarter of 2019 on an annual basis, contributing to a growth in digital
content revenue, according to its latest results.
Tencent Video in China claims over 89 million subscribers and more than 200 million daily active users.
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