Youku Discusses Original Content Strategy and Upcoming Productions

SHANGHAI, June 17, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Youku.com Inc. (NYSE: YOKU), China's leading Internet television company, laid out its plan to grow Youku Original into a full-fledged platform for producing, distributing, and monetizing compelling original content in a press conference for two upcoming productions at the Shanghai International Film Festival today. Youku was named one of the most valuable new media platforms at the Shanghai International Film Festival two days before the press conference.

Youku was one of the first Chinese Internet companies to begin producing video content in-house. The Internet serial drama, "Hip-Hop Office Quartet," was created in 2008. The series continued for three years and received approximately 100 million views in its third season in 2010. Its popularity led to several new Internet serial dramas in 2010, including "All Crazy About Love" and "Natural Born Jock." Almost every episode of these Internet serial dramas received over one million views.

The success of these initial forays into self-produced content spawned the official launch of the Youku Original strategy last April. The "11 Degrees New Media Film Project," a joint production of Youku Original and the China Film Group, lifted a generation of new media film directors to prominence for the films' more than 76 million viewers to date. The runaway success of "11 Degrees" pointed the way for Youku Original to become a launchpad for ambitious projects in video production and distribution.

Alumni of the "11 Degrees" project returned this year with new, more mature productions. Director Xiao Yang, whose "Old Boys" was the big hit of "11 Degrees," broke the record for single-day views of a video with "The Ultimate Winner," which premiered exclusively on Youku. Beijing-based animator Pi San, whose "Miss Puff's Goldfish Bowl" was the most retweeted video from "11 Degrees," brought his character back to Youku for a long-running animated series, "Miss Puff." Zhang Yadong, director of "L.I.," will return to Youku later this year with the series "One Step Away."

"We see Youku Original as a way of building a full-fledged creative ecosystem," said Frank Ming Wei, Youku's senior vice president of operations. "Our success over the past year tells us that Youku Original can serve as a platform for young creatives and established talents alike. Moving forward, Youku Original will continue to be more closely integrated with the entire value chain, encompassing the production, distribution, and monetization of original content."

Among the new programs from Youku Original will be "Travel With Me," an online reality travel show that will take three teams to Taiwan when it begins filming next month. Nearly 1,500 users have applied to be considered for the program since Youku announced open applications for the show on June 8, 2011; the top submission has been viewed more than a million times so far.

Youku Original will also present "One Step Away," a series of six short films produced by opinion leaders from across the Chinese Internet, including famous bloggers and educators, discussing what "happiness" means in today's China. Youku Original will also continue to partner with major entertainment companies on its ongoing variety series "Live Your Dreams."

The En Awards, which named Youku one of the most valuable new media platforms of 2010 - 2011, are overseen by EntGroup, China's leading entertainment research and consulting provider. The "Most Valuable New Media Platform" award is based on a combination of factors, including rights holdings, outlay on rights acquisitions, and viewer satisfaction, as well as iResearch survey findings on user behavior and industry influence.

Youku Original is a key part of Youku's content strategy, which pursues a combination of licensed professionally produced content, in-house productions from Youku Original, and user-generated content.

About Youku:

Youku.com Inc. is China's leading Internet television company. Our Internet television platform enables users to search, view and share high-quality video content quickly and easily across multiple devices. Youku, which stands for "what's best and what's cool" in Chinese, is the most recognized online video brand in China. Youku's American depositary shares, each representing 18 of our Class A ordinary shares, are traded on NYSE under the symbol "YOKU."