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Tencent, Bytedance war heats up; Discovery channels may go dark on StarHub

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Tencent, Bytedance war heats up; Discovery channels may go dark on StarHub

In this biweekly Asia video spotlight feature, S&P Global Market Intelligence provides a roundup of news related to over-the-top, video-on-demand and other online video initiatives in different Asian markets.

Top news

* Tencent Holdings Ltd. filed a lawsuit against Beijing-based Bytedance, maker of short-video app Douyin, for defamation, Reuters reported, citing a Wechat post. Tencent said it is taking the company to a Beijing court for defaming it with negative news and damaging its reputation repeatedly over the last month. Further, the Chinese social media giant said that Bytedance's news app Toutiao had altered, unfavorably, the headline of its state media report and its sources in a push alert published May 30. As a result, Tencent is halting all partnerships with Bytedance and its affiliated company. Bytedance reportedly responded by filing lawsuits against Tencent for blocking its content, allegedly resulting in unfair competition. The lawsuits are the latest in an ongoing battle between the two companies.

* Discovery Communications LLC's portfolio of 11 channels may be dropped from StarHub Ltd.'s platforms following a payment row between the two companies. After June 30, subscribers of the Singaporean telecom operator will no longer be able to watch Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, TLC, Discovery Science, Discovery Asia, Eurosport and Setanta on both StarHub TV and streaming service StarHub Go. Discovery's expanded lifestyle offering, which includes recent additions HGTV, Asian Food Channel, Food Network, and Travel Channel, will also no longer be available on StarHub platforms after Aug. 31.

* YY Inc. became the biggest shareholder of BIGO Technology Pte. Ltd. after investing another US$272 million in the series D preferred shares of the Singaporean video-based social media platform. YY also obtained a right, exercisable after the first anniversary of the closing date, to purchase additional shares at the then fair market price to exceed 50.1% of the voting power in Bigo.

Content and carriage deals

* Australian streaming service Stan expanded its licensing agreement with Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. The deal will bring a slate of upcoming Starz (US) original series and hundreds of hours of additional Lions Gate and Starz premium programming to Stan.

* Malaysia's Media Prima Bhd. joined forces with Samsung Group to make its over-the-top service, tonton, available on Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.'s 2017 to 2018 smart TV models, the New Straits Times reports.

* Netflix Inc. partnered with cable operator J:COM as the streaming giant grows its footprint in Japan, The Hollywood Reporter said. J:COM will reportedly offer Netflix on its cable systems in the fall of 2019.

* Tiara Sugiyono, iflix Sdn. Bhd. Indonesia's head of marketing, said the company is partnering with local studios in Malaysia and Indonesia to produce short-form content, Telset reports.

Service launches

* Indonesia's Telkomsel introduced a video-on-demand app called MAXstream, Kompas.com reports.

* Japan's KDDI Corp. launched a mobile package that includes Netflix on its au mobile phone brand. Au is offering a ¥7,500 monthly plan, which includes unlimited Netflix access on smartphones, as well as voice and data.

* As expected, Lego Group and Tencent launched the Lego Video Zone on the Tencent Video Children Channel and the Little Penguin Paradise app, allowing children to watch over 500 videos provided by Lego.

Other news

* Kuaishou, a video streaming site backed by Tencent, confirmed that it has acquired its rival AcFun, without disclosing financial details, Caijing reports. Kuaishou said AcFun will retain its operational independence and maintain its branding, with Kuaishou to provide capital and tech support.

* D'Live said it has sold more than 200,000 units of its set-top box D'Live Plus since its launch in July 2016. The South Korean over-the-top streaming box offers Netflix original programming and more than 20,000 titles of free content.

* Beijing-based video-streaming company Baofeng Group Co. Ltd. plans to raise 50 million yuan for business development.

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