The July 2015 merger of Studio71 and Collective Digital Studios united a Germany-based multi-channel network with a US-based one to form a single global entity, currently known as Studio71. Now, that network is making another intercontinental journey; it has announced a deal with Beijing-based tech company ByteDance that will bring the videos of Studio71’s creative partners to top Chinese platforms like Toutiao.
Creators who will bring their videos to Chinese audiences as part of the deal include Vitaly Zdorovetskiy, Epic Meal Time, Matthew Santoro, Tana Mongeau, and Logan Paul, all of whom have millions of subscribers across the social web. The featured content will be subtitled in Mandarin, allowing local viewers to follow along with Western pranks, vlogs, and sketches.
Toutiao may be an unfamiliar app for American readers, but it’s huge in China. The content aggregation portal has been downloaded more than 600 million times, and it has more than 66 million daily active users. The terms of the deal will also bring Studio71 videos to other ByteDance properties, including the TopBuzz app.
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“China is a very important market for our creators, so the ability to extend their reach via China’s leading news and entertainment content app, Toutiao, and global app TopBuzz is an exciting opportunity,” said Adam Boorstin, Studio71’s EVP of Global Digital Distribution, in a press release. “It will enable them to reach both the domestic Chinese audience as well as the millions who live abroad.”
ByteDance has more than 2,500 employees. Beyond Beijing, it also has offices in several other international cities, including Los Angeles and New York.
