Global EditionASIA 中文双语Français
Lifestyle
Home / Lifestyle / News

Gala to entertain shoppers for Singles Day

By Wang Kaihao | China Daily | Updated: 2018-07-18 09:06
Share
Share - WeChat
Yang Weidong, head of Youku, announces that the video streaming platform is to produce the Tmall gala on Singles Day eve at a recent event in Hangzhou. [Photo provided to China Daily]

When you mention Singles Day (Nov 11) now, perhaps few people will first associate it with bachelors in spite of the fact the day was originally "celebrated" by them.

This is all thanks to Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce titan, that first launched its online version of Black Friday with comprehensive discounts for Singles Day in 2009.

Then, the turnover on its online shopping platform, Tmall, was 50 million yuan ($7.5 million). Last year, however, the number ballooned to 168.2 billion yuan, more than 3,000 times that of 2009.

Now, as the 10th edition of that cyber splurge approaches, Alibaba wants to lure young shoppers with even more entertainment than usual.

This year, Youku, the video streaming platform of Alibaba, is set to produce "the gala of Tmall", colloquially known in Chinese as Maowan, to usher in the shopping event.

The first three Maowan - an annual event launched in 2015 - were done solely by Tmall's own team - and last year's Maowan attracted 45 million online views. However, Youku has bigger plans, as its head, Yang Weidong, says: "This year, I hope to make this gala more an 'opening whistle' for a shopping day. It will be a dazzling show which is unprecedented for TV."

So, this year Youku will work with Zhejiang TV and Shanghai-based Dragon TV, two leading provincial satellite TV stations in China, on the program. The TV stations will not only join the production team, but also broadcast the gala live on Nov 10.

Traditional TV galas in China are still about singing, dancing, and short melodramas. So, this probably explains why the two TV stations want to link up with Youku and try something more, making full use of their established programs.

For instance, Zhejiang TV has a reality show called Running Man and Dragon TV has Go Fighting, both of which will join the upcoming gala.

Youku also has an impressive resume, and has made quite a few widely-acclaimed programs in recent years.

Its Day and Night (2017), which got 9 points out of 10 on the Chinese film and TV critic website, Douban.com, is one of the highest rated Chinese online dramas, and its talent show, Street Dance of China, got 8.5 points.

Yang believes the marriage between Youku and the TV stations could work, saying: "Maowan has seen in the past few years how users watch the show and are encouraged to buy."

It is probably hoping that even better entertainment can further improve the sales numbers.

The production team has global ambitions as well, but they are more than just featuring A-list global celebrities. Hollywood stars Scarlett Johansson and Nicole Kidman, as well as sports idols Maria Sharapova and David Beckham were invited to previous galas.

Cui Yanning, a content manager at Youku, says: "Earlier, we used to buy only domestic products, but now we can also buy things from abroad very conveniently.

"In this process, we will share individual stories of such globalization."

This year's Maowan will be staged in Shanghai, also as a finale of the six-day inaugural China International Import Expo in the city.

So, prepare yourself for more than just shopping as Singles Day approaches.

"We want to make the day feel like a real holiday by creating a fun and festive mood," says Cui.

Most Popular
Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US