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Youku.com Ranks No.1 in Chinese Video Sharing Sector

2007-07-16 16:49 1785


BEIJING, July 16 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- A press conference for the China Internet Conference 2007 and the release of China's Internet market data for the first half of 2007 was held in Beijing on July 9, 2007. A study released by the Data Center of the China Internet (DCCI), a subsidiary of the Internet Society of China, shows that http://www.youku.com , a leading video website in China, has steadily gained market share over other domestic competitors in three key areas: brand awareness, content popularity and user demographics. In this study, which aims at identifying the top video sharing brands favored by Internet users, 25.65% of the Internet users surveyed prefer Youku.com, a proportion higher than that of any other video website in China.

Online video sharing market is consolidating quickly; brand awareness is becoming increasingly important in this sector

China's online video sharing industry began to heat up in 2006 and the market has changed rapidly last year. From a relatively fragmented market in 2006, the market has quickly shifted as a small number of players with superior user experience and brand awareness, among them Youku.com, which has built leadership positions in this emerging sector. As a renowned Chinese online video brand, Youku.com is committed to build "China's No.1 video website" in 2007 and beyond.

Mr. Victor Koo, CEO of Youku.com, said, "The online video sector will continue to consolidate in 2007. There may be no more than five operators in the market by the second half of 2007 and no more than three players by next year. We are starting to see the turning point in this space." Research data indicates that the number of online video users in China has already reached 76 million this year. With monthly unique user base already exceeding 30 million, Youku.com continues to demonstrate its strong user base advantage.

Building a sustainable competitive advantage and exploring new revenue models

The study released by the Internet Society of China (ISC) also examines the age of Internet users in China and survey findings show that Youku.com has a higher proportion of users with purchasing power. According to the ISC survey, 44.1 percent of Youku.com users are over 30, the highest among the top three video sharing websites in China. By comparison, other online video sharing sites have less than 40 percent of their users aged over 30.

This age difference is reflected in the differences in content positioning between the various online video sites. Youku.com focuses on hot topics and current events in society, entertainment etc. and continues to attract a more mainstream audience, a user demographic welcomed by advertisers, agencies and partners alike. The diversified content and highly active user base create more potential business opportunities for the company. In the second half of 2007, this market is expected to become even more defined, with further product and content differentiation to come. In addition, leading online video sharing websites are also exploring new revenue models in their path to profitability.

Who can take the lead in this new market? Youku is confident that the website will continue its strong growth momentum and blaze a successful trail in the Chinese online video sharing market.

About Youku.com:

Youku ( http://www.youku.com ) is a leading video sharing site and premier online video brand in China. It is one of the top destinations for people to watch and share short-form videos in Greater China. Youku was founded by Victor Koo, former President of Sohu.com (Nasdaq: SOHU), a leading Internet portal in China.

Youku is the fastest growing online video site in China since its beta launch in June 2006. It features the fastest video streaming speed, fastest video upload response and search for Internet users in China.

As of December 2006, Youku.com has successfully completed 2 rounds of venture financing of US$15 million in total, including financing from three world-class investment institutions: Sutter Hill Ventures, Farallon Capital and Chengwei Ventures.

About DCCI

Uniform Market Monitor and Audience Measurement

China's independent market monitoring and audience measurement platform serving the Internet industry

The Data Center of the China Internet (DCCI) is an independent third-party market monitoring and audience measurement platform as well as professional data gathering and research data organization serving China's Internet industry. DCCI is committed to providing real-time and accurate monitoring, measurement, statistics, analysis, research and forecasting to both the industry as well as its consumers. Professional researchers, through the application of advanced technology, use both online and offline channels to carry out the necessary work. The Internet Society of China (ISC) has commissioned DCCI to conduct the research. ISC is jointly set up by network operators, service providers, equipment manufacturers, system integrators as well as more than 70 science and research institutions and educational organizations engaged in various activities related to the Internet. ISC has more than 200 members and its oversight organization is the Ministry of Information Industry.

For more information, please contact:

Chu Meng

Tel: +86-13910072156

Email: chumeng@youku.com

Source: Youku.com
Keywords: Advertising
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