The BBC logo is seen at the company's offices in west London in this Dec. 7, 2004 photo. (Photo : Reuters)
U.K.-based broadcasting company BBC Worldwide announced Monday that it has entered a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Mango TV, the online video platform unit of Chinese television station Hunan TV.
Under the agreement, BBC Worldwide and Mango TV will explore opportunities to collaborate on co-productions and formats, "particularly in iconic BBC documentaries, factual entertainment programs, dramas and films targeting the Chinese and global market," according to a statement acquired by the Hollywood Reporter on Monday.
The MOU was signed by Ding Cheng, chief executive of Mango TV, and Paul Dempsey, president of global markets of BBC Worldwide, at the Mango TV headquarters in Changsha City, the capital of southern China's Hunan Province.
"We are delighted to be cementing our relationship with Mango TV by announcing this exciting new phase of our long-term alliance," Dempsey said, adding that the BBC is looking forward to work with Hunan by exchanging expertise and creation of new business models across media spaces in both China and globally.
Cheng said that the strategic partnership will help Hunan TV grow in both in the domestic and overseas markets.
"We hope to achieve a win-win situation in both China and global content markets for both Mango TV and BBC Worldwide," he said.
According to the BBC, the deal will entail "exploring opportunities that capitalize on the strengths of each party in terms of talent, creativity, production and distribution channels."
No further details were disclosed regarding the deal.
Owned by the Hunan provincial government, Hunan TV is the second-most-watched channel in China, surpassed only by the state-owned CCTV-1.
Earlier in March, the company entered a distribution agreement worth $1.5 billion with North American film studio Lionsgate Films.
