What’s new: Tencent’s blockbuster game Honor of Kings and ByteDance’s short video platform Douyin have come to terms on a livestreaming deal that marks a further de-escalation between the two tussling tech titans.
Under the agreement, Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, will allow the popular battle arena game to be streamed on its platform starting from Jan. 21, according to a Saturday post on the game’s official Weibo account.
In late 2018, Tencent Holdings Ltd. sued Douyin and another of ByteDance Ltd.’s short video platforms for livestreaming its games, including Honor of Kings, without its permission.
The background: Tencent had long accused Douyin users of infringing on its intellectual property and violating online distribution rights when they post videos online made using Tencent games and other content.
In August 2021, Douyin removed thousands of user-generated videos that it determined had violated the copyright of a TV crime drama streamed on Tencent Video, after the latter filed an intellectual property lawsuit against the company.
In April 2023, however, the companies reached a detente, signing a deal that allowed them to explore cooperation in areas such as the joint promotion of videos and the generation of secondary content.
The move could be a response to Chinese regulators’ call for internet companies to tear down their “walled gardens” that stymie rivals’ growth and prevent users from spending their cash elsewhere.
Related: Cover Story: The Clash of China’s Social Media Titans
Contact reporter Ding Yi (yiding@caixin.com) and editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com)
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