China’s Sohu Video has negotiated a deal with Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution for the rights to The Simpsons, making it the first time in the show’s 25-year history that the series will officially be available in China.
Sohu Video is a subsidiary of Sohu - China's leading online media, search, gaming, community and mobile service group—and is a leading provider of online video.
In addition to The Simpsons, it offers a number of other American shows
This multi-year deal includes the Chinese premiere of season 26, which begins in the U.S. on Sept. 28. The series will be subtitled in Mandarin.
Over the past two decades, the series has been licensed to over 180 countries, reaching over 190 million weekly viewers.
“Sohu is the pioneer in the industry that offers premium and licensed video programs to our audience in China,” said Dr. Charles Zhang, chairman and CEO of Sohu.com in a statement. “The introduction of The Simpsons, a household name in the U.S., will further enrich our users’ choice of the best American content when they come to our platform. This deal once again demonstrated our commitment in bringing the best experience to our users and tireless efforts to enhance our competitive edges in the industry.”
Mark Kaner, president of Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution, added in a statement that “we are excited to expand our existing and long standing partnership with Sohu to allow audiences in China to watch one of the greatest TV shows ever made.”
