IQiyi secures distribution rights for 20th Century Fox films

Poster of The Martian. [Photo/Weibo]

Online streaming site iQiyi has signed a deal with 20th Century Fox that will give the company exclusive rights to the studio's blockbusters to serve China's online movie viewing market.

A brief statement posted on the verified account of 20th Century Fox on Weibo, a Twitter-like platform, said that subscribers to iQiyi will be able to stream the likes of The Martian and Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, which have already been screened in China, as well films set for release including X-Men: Apocalypse.

The financial terms of the deal was not disclosed.

China's online streaming players have been gradually moving away from the ad-based business model and, instead, buying exclusive content from foreign studios, which they charge users to view.

Alibaba signed a deal with Lionsgate in 2014 to distribute the studio's films through set-top boxes. Tencent also exclusively streams HBO series such as True Detective and Game of Thrones.

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