In a licensing deal with local video streaming service iQiyi.com, Netflix will introduce original content in China and will try and keep the content as near to International schedules as possible.
Netflix has struggled to break into the Chinese market, where foreign films and television are routinely censored and streaming services are subject to strict data storage regulations. Last October, CEO, Reed Hastings believed that prospects for a direct streaming service in China were slim, and no progress had been made on approvals with the Chinese government.
iQiyi.com is one of China’s largest streaming services and is backed by search giant Baidu. The company raised $1.53 billion in February this year to take on local rivals in the crowded Chinese market.
