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Beijing - Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba and Lions Gate Entertainment, the studio behind the Hunger Games films, will launch a subscription streaming service in China, the firms said in a statement.
The service, to be known as Lionsgate Entertainment World, will be exclusive to Alibaba's internet TV set-top boxes and is expected to launch in August.
It will give users access to Lions Gate content, including several titles from the Twilight Saga and The Hunger Games series, as well as the series Mad Men.
Alibaba and its affiliates have aggressively pushed into the entertainment industry since the beginning of the year, with more than $3bn invested since March. The Hangzhou-based firm is looking to move beyond traditional e-commerce, offering more digital products like films, games and television.
"This co-operation signals our ongoing commitment to advance our vision of making digital media entertainment available to our customers anywhere, anytime," Patrick Liu, Alibaba's president of digital entertainment, said in Tuesday's statement.
Alibaba preparing for US listing this year
Alibaba is preparing for its US listing later this year, potentially the biggest ever tech offering, even as it maintains a steady stream of investments that has seen the firm and its affiliates invest more than $7.5bn since the beginning of the year.
In March, Alibaba bought a controlling stake in ChinaVision Media Group, a film and television content producer, for $804m.
It followed this up in April by buying an 18.5% stake in Chinese online video streaming site Youku Tudou in partnership with affiliated private equity company Yunfeng Capital. Among Yunfeng Capital's founders is Jack Ma, co-founder of Alibaba.
Also in April, Ma and other partners paid $1.05bn for a 20% stake in Wasu Media Holding, mostly funded with a loan from Alibaba. At the same time, Alibaba and Wasu Digital TV Media Group signed a co-operation agreement for online content and internet TV.
Lionsgate Entertainment World will also offer premium content and subscriber benefits such as invitations to screenings.
