Snapshot of Game of Thrones

Apr. 16 (NBD) -- With the tear-jerking reunions of the Starks, the long-anticipated epic series Game of Thrones (GOT) finally made a comeback on Monday, thrilling the whole world.

The wide popularity of GOT has not only guaranteed its producer HBO a big fortune but presented huge opportunities to Chinese companies.

Tencent Video, the exclusive platform in China with the right to stream GOT, is expected to reap fat profits from the partnership with HBO.

The former seven seasons of GOT have been watched for 1.8 billion times in total. Paid members of the platform now can enjoy the latest episode synchronously with U.S. counterparts. As of press time, the first episode has collected over 66 million views on Tencent Video, hotter than the dragon fire. 

Apart from video platforms, Chinese game developers are also tapping the opportunity to develop the giant IP into games.

Video game company Yoozoo Games, which clinched the right to adapt the hit TV series into game in 2017, created a buzz with a browser game dubbed Game of Thrones Winter is Coming in August last year, with Tencent responsible for its distribution in China.

Xu Shan, an investment analyst, held that the authorization for GOT-based game adaption means the work can be distributed globally since the TV series have won fandom not only in China and the U.S. but also worldwide. 

The adaptation between TV series and games is frequently seen now, which matches with current developing direction of game firms at home, Xu Shan added.

Tencent and Yoozoo Games' hankering for GOT copyrights, on the other hand, is essentially a reflection of the scarcity of high-quality contents on the market.

The quality of contents has already become a critical criterion for users on video platforms to decide whether to pay for the membership. As a result, top Chinese video providers have rushed for more copyrights in recent years to boost their own advantages. 

As early as 2014, Tencent Video partnered with HBO, exclusively acquiring the copyrights of TV series like GOT, The Newsroom and True Detective. It's worth noting that the Chinese video platform also worked with BBC to bring documentaries to China.

In 2015, Youku teamed up with Disney to promote Marvel films and series such as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. domestically. At the end of 2017, it entered a partnership with NBCUniversal and Sony Pictures on copyright licensing. 

In 2018, iQiyi signed an exclusive cooperation agreement with Film Nation which distributed Blue Jasmine, Room, The Big Sick and Arrival. 

In addition, it secured the copyrights of many Oscar-winning films. Upon the release of the 2019 Oscar Winners list, it won the right to stream seven blockbusters including Black Panther, Bohemian Rhapsody and Roma online.

According to Zhang Zhiyi, deputy director of the science and art research center of the Institute of Automation of Chinese Academy of Sciences, the copyright transaction of overseas film and television contents is standardized and transparent. 

Through deals with foreign firms, large video platforms not only can secure premium content resources but also pave a way for future cooperation, which is obviously more meaningful and could produce more market values, Zhang observed.

Email: lansuying@nbd.com.cn