Bottom line: Tencent's sudden pulling of a popular game just days after its release shows no one is exempt from Beijing's recent online entertainment clampdown, which could weigh on stocks of related company for the next few months.
A new statement from leading online game operator Tencent (HKEx: 700) is dripping with contrition, following the sudden yanking of a new hit game from its platform that apparently didn't pass muster with the regulator. This latest Tencent news, combined with some ...
.Bottom line: iQiyi's establishment of a new sports joint venture and the venture's subsequent 500 million yuan in funding point to a measured expansion for its premium content business, which will be key to its future success.
I'm being just a bit coy with today's headline by suggesting that a new sports programming joint venture by online video site iQiyi (Nasdaq: IQ) resembles a similar expansion by disgraced former rival LeEco (Shenzhen: 300104). But the fact of the matter is that these t...
.Bottom line: The departure of Lu Qi from Baidu could deal a setback to some of the company's less advanced and more ambitious efforts in artificial intelligence.
Just a year after being named as the man who would lead search leader Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) into a future filled with artificial intelligence (AI), Lu Qi has abruptly abandoned his post as the company's COO. Investors were clearly spooked by the move, dumping Baidu's stock on Friday to the tune of a nearly 10 percent drop, the kind o...
.Bottom line: A tussle that resulted in injuries to a Tencent worker by a Youku peer at an industry event reflects the big tensions that exist in China's online video sector due to years of stiff competition that shows no signs of easing.
Stiff competition in a wide range of online industries is pretty much par for the course in China, but a scuffle between employees of Tencent (HKEx: 700) and Youku at an industry even...
Bottom line: Baidu's sale of its mobile game unit represents a broader shedding of non-search assets as it moves into artificial intelligence, though it's far from clear how AI will provide a future business model.
Search giant Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) is in yet another headline today that reflects its latest attempt at transformation from its original search business to an artificial intelligence (AI) specialist. This time the development is rel...
Bottom line: Baidu's opening of a new artificial intelligence lab in Silicon Valley is the latest move in its AI obsession, which is likely to end in failure and a quiet pullback in around two years due to mediocre execution.
I'm officially dubbing Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) chief executive Robin Li the "two-year attention span man", with word that the company is setting up a new Silicon Valley office in the rush to build up its artificial i...
Bottom line: Baidu could soon make big cuts at Nuomi and sell or spin off the unit by year end, while it will also put its takeout dining unit on a strict diet that forces it to show a clear path to profitability by year end.
After years of hemorrhaging money from its newer online-to-offline (O2O) businesses, leading search engine Baidu (Nasdaq: BIUD) may finally be saying enough is enough. That seems to be the message coming from new repor...