Chinese gadget maker Xiaomi is getting into the content business. On Nov. 4, the company announced on its official Weibo account its plans to invest $1 billion in creating original video content.
While Xiaomi is best known for its popular and affordable smartphones,
the company is also trying to stoke demand for its Mi TV line of smart
televisions, which were launched in September 2013. Like its phones, the
TVs run MIUI, a customized version of the Android operating system.Xiaomi sells high-end hardware at low prices: Mi TV, for instance, retails for about $500. The aim is to create an ecosystem of users who hopefully will
shell out more for accessories, online content, and related products.
To lead its video content effort, the company has tapped Chen Tong, who was until last month the news editor for popular Web portal Sina.com.
By 2020, 206 million households in China will be watching digital TV, up from about 66 million households today, according to a November 2014 report (pdf) by U.K.-based Digital TV Research. The firm also estimates that China has accounted for 27.5 percent of the world’s digital TV sales to date.
No comments:
Post a Comment