Although YouTube is blocked in China, leading multi channel network Machinima is entering the market through an exclusive licensing agreement with Sohu.
Under the deal, Machinima programming will be available on Sohu’s Online Video PGC (professionally generated content) platform.
Merged with 56.com in January 2016, Sohu’s free, ad-supported PGC platform has more than 3,000 producers and generates around 100 million daily views.
Machinima productions to stream on the platform include Street Fighter: Resurrection, The Bacca Chronicles, eSports reality show Training Camp and the upcoming Transformers: Combiner Wars, based on the Hasbro toy franchise.
“China is the largest market in the world for eSports and gaming, and is crucial for Machinima,” said Machinima CEO Chad Gutstein in a statement.
Sohu video product director Tao Zheng added: “Our audience is dominated by millennials who love gaming and pop culture and Machinima is synonymous with both of these things.”
Machinima also recently signed a deal with AMC Networks International Iberia to launch an SVOD service in Spain and Portugal.
According to Machinima, around 60% of its 3.8 billion monthly video views come from outside the country where the content was originally produced.