Originally published at VideoInk.
Chinese streamer iQiyi will have four times the amount of Nickelodeon content than it did last month. The additional programming comes from an expanded multi-year content deal between the streamer and Viacom-owned Nickelodeon.
Under the agreement, iQiyi will take streaming rights of the Nickelodeon shows “SpongeBob SquarePants,” “Shimmer and Shine,” “Blaze and the Monster Machines,” “Top Wing,” “Rusty Rivets” and “Rise of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” Those shows will be made available to the company’s 421 million monthly active users in both Mandarin and English versions.
The increased content helps solidify iQiyi’s position as one of the most dominant streaming services in China with over 121 million daily active users at the end of 2017. It also builds on the company’s past content partnerships with companies like Netflix, Lionsgate, Jukin Media and Paramount.
According to a report released by eMarketer, by the end of 2018, 22 percent of digital video viewers in China will subscribe to the Baidu-owned company, making it second only to Tencent Video which will control 24 percent of digital viewers. In 2018, eMarketer estimates that close to 229 million people in China will watch video via a subscription streaming service that bypasses traditional distribution and, by 2022, more than a quarter of the population will use an OTT service.