Youku Tudou said the first foreign TV series approved by China’s SAPPRFT (State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television), under the new 2015 regulations for streaming foreign TV series and movies, will debut on its platform.
The first episode of the Korean romantic comedy entitled "Hyde, Jekyll, and Me," originally airing on SBS, was made available on July 13 for all Youku Tudou users, with one new episode made available each day after.
Since July 16, paid subscribers have been given exclusive full season access while regular users continue to have one new episode made available every subsequent weekday.
Youku Tudou said that by improving user experience and adding exclusive content similar to "Hyde, Jekyll, and Me," it has substantially grown its subscription base.
Youku Tudou's subscription service currently offers a wide selection of movies from primarily Hollywood and domestic Chinese studios. Going forward, Youku Tudou will further enhance the value proposition of its subscription services and add exclusive TV series into the subscription package.
These new additions will include TV shows from the United States, Korea and Hong Kong as well as Youku Tudou's in-house productions.