Joost launches in China

Joost, the Internet television service, and TOM Group Limited, one of the leading Chinese media conglomerates in Greater China, today launched a joint venture to bring a full Joost offering to the region of Greater China.

Joost and TOM Group’s internet arm, TOM Online, also launched a new Chinese version of Joost today, which is available at http://joost.tom.com.

“Joost has always been a global service, and our partnership with TOM is a perfect example of the regionalized offerings we are able to bring to the market,” said Mike Volpi, chief executive officer, Joost. “There’s a great market opportunity in China –content producers who are making high-quality content, advertisers eager to reach consumers online, and an active online community. Collaborating with TOM, which operates one of the most popular online portals in China, positions us strongly in the region.”

Ken Yeung, chief executive officer and executive director of TOM Group said, "TOM Group has a strong foothold in the Greater China media scene ranging from Internet and wireless to traditional TV broadcasting. We are the pioneer in widgetizing and modulizing our portal, www.tom.com, in the region to create a personalized and interactive user experience. 

The alliance with Joost will further enhance and increase our range of Internet service offerings. We are set to bring in a whole new high-quality video viewing experience with interactivity to our huge base of local Internet users and at the same time, provide targeted and innovative advertising solutions that add value to our clients. Riding on the established and diversified media platform covering Internet, TV, publishing and outdoor advertising, TOM is leading the way in the avenue where traditional and new media converge.”

As a result of the joint venture, Joost and TOM will bring Chinese-language programming to people throughout Greater China. Both Joost and TOM will primarily source programming from within China, and distribute this programming within and outside of China. 

To date, TOM has sourced about 16,000 hours of Chinese programming for Joost and has already lined up with several established content providers such as science and education studio of CCTV, China Record Corporation, BTV Media, Huayi Brothers Media Group, Taihe Rye Music, CAV Warner Home Entertainment. TOM will secure advertising for the localized version of Joost, and Joost will provide the underlying technology.