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The service, to be known as Lionsgate
Entertainment World, will be exclusive to Alibaba's Internet
television set-top boxes and is expected to launch in August.
It will give users access to Lions Gate content, including
several titles from the 'Twilight Saga' and 'The Hunger Games'
series, as well as television series 'Mad Men'.
Alibaba and its affiliates have aggressively pushed into the
entertainment industry since the beginning of the year, with
more than $3 billion invested since March. The Hangzhou-based
firm is looking to move beyond traditional e-commerce, offering
more digital products like films, games and television.
"This cooperation signals our ongoing commitment to advance our
vision of making digital media entertainment available to our
customers anywhere, anytime," Patrick Liu, Alibaba's president
of digital entertainment, said in Tuesday's statement.
Alibaba is preparing for its U.S. listing later this year,
potentially the biggest ever tech offering, even as it maintains
a steady stream of investments that has seen the firm and its
affiliates invest more than $7.5 billion since the beginning of
the year.
In March, Alibaba bought a controlling stake in ChinaVision
Media Group, a film and television content producer, for $804
million.
It followed this up in April by buying an 18.5 percent stake in
Chinese online video streaming site Youku Tudou Inc in
partnership with affiliated private equity company Yunfeng
Capital. Among Yunfeng Capital's founders is Jack Ma, co-founder
of Alibaba.
Also in April, Ma and other partners paid $1.05 billion for a 20
percent stake in Wasu Media Holding Co, mostly funded with a
loan from Alibaba. At the same time, Alibaba and Wasu Digital TV
Media Group signed a cooperation agreement for online content
and Internet TV.
Lionsgate Entertainment World will also offer premium content
and subscriber benefits such as invitations to screenings,
Tuesday's statement said.
(Reporting by Paul Carsten; Editing by Ryan Woo and Kenneth
Maxwell)
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