Netflix and Youku in ‘groundbreaking’ distribution deal

Youku, the Chinese online video hub owned by Alibaba Group, has inked an exclusive deal with Netflix involving its drama series Day and Night.

Netflix, in its first ever tie-up with Youku, will distribute the 32-episode thriller to audiences outside of China for the first time. “We are proud to partner with Netflix in this groundbreaking distribution agreement,” says Weidong Yang, President of Youku and Alibaba’s digital media and entertainment arm, who adds that China’s creative industry is undergoing “robust growth” at the moment.

Day and Night follows a police detective involved in a murder investigation where his twin brother is the top suspect. The series has drawn more than four billion viewers since its debut in August this year, while Youku says that it saw a quarterly average daily subscriber increase of over 180% year-over-year as of September.