LeTV or Leshi Internet Information and Technology Corp., a Beijing-based online video provider, and China Unicom have signed a strategic partnership on June 9, Tuesday, aimed at promoting the sales of LeTV’s newly released smartphones.
The Global Times reported that the cooperation between the two firms began on June 9, Tuesday, after LeTV's 4G contracted Le 1 smartphone was sold in China Unicom's online and 4,800 offline channels.
Feng Xing, president of Le Mobile & Information Technology (Beijing) Co., LeTV's smartphone arm, said during a press conference in Beijing that smart televisions and smart cars will also be gradually introduced into China Unicom's physical stores.
The report said that LeTV continues to actively expand its businesses into other smart devices, following the sales of 1.5 million Super TVs in 2014, which is seen as a move to enhance consumers' loyalty to its contents that could raise the membership income.
Feng said that they intend to add more consumers to their ecosystem services and do not aim to make a fortune from selling hardware.
A statement released after the signing said that LeTV is set to sell a total of one million contracted Le 1 smartphones through China Unicom; each unit costs 1,899 yuan ($306) and includes monthly 6GB data traffic and free LeTV video premium membership for one year.
"Despite these efforts, it will not be easy for LeTV, a latecomer, to achieve its sales target in the maturing Chinese smartphone industry," Wang Jun, an industry analyst with Beijing-based market research firm Analysys International, told the Global Times Tuesday.
According to a report released by IDC in May, China shipped 98.8 million smartphones in the first quarter of 2015, which decreased by 4 percent from the same period in the previous year.