The content and advertising alliance will provide Baidu's users with access to more than 15,000 hours of MTV and Nickelodeon content, and other content licensed by five Chinese and other Asian music companies, for online viewing or downloading. It will also give MTVN China access to more than 120 million users.
The deal, which will essentially see Baidu incorporate an MTV Zone into its site, marks the first time Baidu has run a branded content area.
According to Bill Roedy, MTV Networks International president, MTV Zone will provide four categories of content: MTV China's locally-produced shows such as MTV Music Wire, Tian Lai Cun and MTV China live music events; MTV reality TV shows such as Pimp My Ride, Cribs and Laguna Beach; Nickelodeon productions; and, finally, music videos from Chinese labels.
Roedy said: "With 250 million page views and 63 per cent marketshare, Baidu.com really is prime real estate, it's beachfront property." The network has also signed a deal with China Unicom, giving it access to another 130 million mobile users, following a similar deal with China Mobile.
The network's digital China strategy comes after Roedy announced a sweeping reversal of the network's regional strategy in favour of a more localised approach, which, he said, would bring the company into line with MTV's global business plans. The decentralisation of Singapore will mean more than 80 redundancies across all departments there, spearheaded by the resignation of regional chief Nigel Robbins.
According to Roedy, the decentralisation strategy will give greater autonomy to local markets in terms of driving both their television and digital businesses. Nonetheless, the Singapore management team — to be headed by MTV Networks Asia executive vice-president and chief operating officer Steven Tan — will retain a certain degree of regional oversight.
The move also includes a new unit to be overseen by Viacom Brand Solutions and Southeast Asia EVP Christopher Steward.
