The three websites – sina.com, NetEase’s 163.com, and Tencent’s QQ.com, will combine media resources such as news, blogs, podcasts, IM and email to cover the Games. However, Sohu Olympic division VP and GM Luming Chen dismissed the move and said: “Only the weak parties need alliances. Their alliances would not have any effect on Sohu at all.”
“Sohu is the official online media partner for the Beijing Olympics since November 2005, we have strong media power and advertising sponsors from both global Beijing Olympics sponsors as well as the Beijing Olympic’s partners and suppliers, we have the first hand official Olympic information, blogs of the key athletes of the Chinese team, and 300 millions of page viewers per day, it is very difficult for them to compete with us,” added Chen.
A research note from Citigroup, meanwhile claimed that the alliance was a “vote of confidence in Sohu”, given the Olympic adspend that the portal is expected to attract.
