BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese online video firm Youku Tudou Inc named Edward Su as its Chief Operating Officer, and it also created a TV drama production unit.
Su, formerly of Havas Worldwide, a subsidiary of French advertising holding company Havas SA, will oversee Youku Tudou's sales team, the company said.
Youku Tudou is backed by e-commerce behemoth Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) Group Holding and smartphone upstart Xiaomi Inc (XTC.UL).
Along with domestic rivals Tencent Holdings Ltd, Sohu.com Inc and iQiyi, controlled by Baidu Inc (NASDAQ:BIDU), Youku Tudou is investing in original content such as films.
These companies say the move into media production can draw in more viewers with unique content. It also provides a way to cheaply obtain more Chinese entertainment, so as to get around restrictions limiting the ratio of foreign to domestic TV and film online streaming sites can publish.