BBC Studios Sells Shows To Chinese Streamer Owned By TikTok’s Parent Company

BBC Studios has signed a content deal with Xigua Video, the Chinese streaming service owned by TikTok’s parent company ByteDance.

Under the agreement, Xigua will get exclusive rights to carry BBC and PBS’s three-part natural history co-production Primates, as well as science documentary Hubble: The Wonders of Space Revealed. Another ByteDance platform, Toutiao, will also have access to the shows.

Major BBC natural history documentaries Blue Planet, Planet Earth and Frozen Planet are included in the Xigua deal, as well as children’s programs Bluey and Hey Duggee, and drama Orphan Black.

Phil Hardman, BBC Studios’ acting general manager for Greater China, said: “This content deal with Xigua Video in China takes our partnership to a new level and we’re delighted that our bold, British and creative content will have such a strong presence. It achieves a balanced all-genre presence on Xigua Video, and we will also be adapting short-form content to meet the needs of users and the platform.”