CHINA TOPIX

03/28/2024 09:25:32 am

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Chinese Internet Company Tencent Gets James Bond Films Online Distribution Rights

James Bond Movies, Tencent, China,

(Photo : Photo by Adam Berry/Getty Images for Sony Pictures) Actor Daniel Craig, producer Barbara Broccoli, actress Naomie Harris and actor Christoph Waltz attend the German premiere of the new James Bond movie 'Spectre'. Tencent has become an official distributor of James Bong movies in China following an agreement between the company and MGM.

Chinese internet company Tencent announced on Friday  that it has successfully negotiated for the online distribution rights to the whole James Bond series in China. Both Tencent and James Bond Franchise owner Metro Goldwyn Mayer are yet to divulge the amount involved in the deal.

This will make Tencent the first and only company that can offer the whole movie series of the British secret agent 007 to Chinese netizens. However, the online rights granted by MGM is not an exclusive agreement, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

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The latest in the James Bond installment Specter is scheduled to be shown in China by November 13, a week after its debut in the United States. Daniel Craig returns once again to play the leading role of the British spy.

Tencent is planning to make the James Bond film collection accessible to subscribers via transaction or subscription basis. The video collection ranging from the first franchise film Dr. No up to Skyfall can be obtained through Tencent's channels as well as its video app.

James Bond fans in China will also get access to an online site dedicated to film franchise. The site will feature interviews with the former actors as well as the current one who assumed the role of 007 through the years.

The James Bond franchise rights deal is just several major agreements that Tencent has managed to secure from major foreign film companies.

Chinese fans will have the chance to watch the Star Wars Saga online as the internet giant managed to secure a deal from both Walt Disney and 20th Century Fox two months ago.

Paramount Films has also agreed to give Tencent exclusive online distributorship in China for its new films after they have already been released in movie theaters. The deal, which will last for one year, came ino effect in April.

Online movie viewers in China can expect to watch upcoming Paramount films such as latest installment of Star Trek and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the near future.

Tencent's aggressive purchase of movie rights is spurred by the growing local demand and its bid to fend off increasing competition from other Chinese companies such as Alibaba, according to The Wall Street Journal.

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