The blossoming war between Internet search leader Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) and challenger Qihoo 360 (NYSE: QIHU) is becoming more colorful each day, with Baidu resorting to some interesting new tactics to defend its market dominance. In the latest wrinkle of this fast-developing story, Baidu appears to be asking many of its corporate clients to cut their ties to Qihoo, in what is looking like an increasingly dirty war where either side will do anything to attack the other.
Tag Archives: Baidu
SARFT Comments: Media Clampdown Coming? 中国传媒业对外开放要放缓？
I’ve been writing about China’s media industry long enough now to know that a blossoming love affair with Hollywood might be too much too quickly, and new comments from the TV and film regulator appear to hint that a crackdown or at least a slowdown could be looming for this fast emerging relationship. If it comes, such a crackdown would hardly be a new thing, as China has twice before signaled it was preparing to open its media to foreign investment, only to quickly slam on the brakes after the big foreign players got too aggressive.
News Digest: August 29, 2012 报摘： 2012年8月29日
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on August 29. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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- Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) Returns Fire in Qihoo (NYSE: QIHU) Search Battle (Chinese article)
- SARFT Tightens Rules on Sino-US Film Co-Productions (English article)
- Tencent (HKEx: 700) to Issue Senior Notes (HKEx announcement)
- Ford (NYSE: F) Readies Lincoln Launch in China by 2014 (English article)
- Soufun (NYSE: SFUN) Declares Cash Dividends To Shareholders (PRNewswire)
- Latest calendar for Q2 earnings reports (Earnings calendar)
Qihoo Takes on Baidu in Search 奇虎360搜索低调上线 或挑战百度龙头地位
I’ve been watching with interest these last couple of weeks as Internet software security specialist Qihoo 360 (NYSE: QIHU) takes an uncharacteristically low-profile approach to its new online search service, in a clear and interesting challenge to industry titan Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU). Qihoo’s controversial founder Zhou Hongwei has been mostly quiet since the service’s recent debut, even as media reported the company quietly severed its long-standing relationship with Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) in launching its own technology. Now it seems that Zhou, who seems to thrive on controversy, is challenging Baidu itself, though not in the way that most people might think.
News Digest: August 24, 2012 报摘： 2012年8月24日
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on August 24. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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- Bank of China (HKEx: 3988) Posts Weakest Quarterly Profits Growth in 3 Years (English article)
- Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) Probes Legality of Qihoo (NYSE: QIHU) Search Aggregator (English article)
- Youku (NYSE: YOUK), Tudou Announce Completion of Merger (PRNewswire)
- China Mobile Internet Technology Lags – Deputy MIIT Minister (Chinese article)
- Motorola Signs Severance Deals With 500 Nanjing Employees (Chinese article)
- Latest calendar for Q2 earnings reports (Earnings calendar)
Focus Media Privatizes, Sale in Sight? 分众私有化，出售在即？
The headlines have been buzzing this week with news of a management-led privatization offer for leading outdoor advertising firm Focus Media (Nasdaq: FMCN), marking the latest in a recent string of developments that I suspect will end with a sale of this colorful but faded company. The buyout is the latest in a series of similar plans by US-listed Chinese firms in recent months, following a series of accounting scandals that have caused shares of the entire sector to tumble.
E-Commerce: Big Spenders Keep Spending 大型电子商务企业继续挥金如土
News from e-commerce giant Suning (Shenzhen: 002024) and web portal Phoenix New Media (NYSE: FENG) indicate a long-awaited consolidation in e-commerce has begun at the bottom of the Internet food chain, where many smaller players are quietly closing up shop as big names continue their aggressive fight for market share.
Ctrip Travels Overseas With Priceline 携程网与外国公司价格线合作
Ctrip (Nasdaq: CTRP) has just announced a new tie-up with US travel services giant Priceline (Nasdaq: PCLN), marking the latest partnership with an overseas partner by Chinese firms looking to tap growing demand from increasingly wealthy Chinese travelers. These tie-ups are also being driven by intense competition that has recently emerged in the travel space, as up-and-coming younger firms with names like Qunar and TravelSky and new sites opened by big Internet names like Jingdong Mall look to steal market share from older established players like Ctrip and eLong (Nasdaq: LONG).
News Digest: July 24, 2012 报摘： 2012年7月24日
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on July 24. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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- Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) Announces Q2 Results (PRNewswire)
- CNOOC (HKEx: 883) to buy Nexen for $15.1 billion in China’s largest foreign deal (English article)
- Huawei Releases 2012 H1 Results; Sales Revenue of 102.7 Billion Yuan (company announcement)
- Nearly 10,000 Taobao Merchants Closing Each Day: Report (Chinese article)
- New Oriental Education (NYSE: EDU) Sued by Investors Over SEC Investigation (English article)
- Latest calendar for Q2 earnings reports (Earnings calendar)
Mobile Internet Passes the Desktop 手机成中国网民最大上网终端
A government agency has just released data showing that mobile Internet users in China have passed traditional desktop users for the first time, posing an interesting challenge for all players that have typically designed their products for people who surf the web from fixed-line PCs at home and in Internet cafes. This move reminds me of a similar shift to mobile from desktop computing now taking place worldwide that is dealing a blow to former PC giants Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) and Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT), which have long dominated the desktop computing arena but are having trouble in the mobile space.
Portals Shun Olympics, Baidu’s New JV 门户网站避开奥运，百度新设合资企业
Second-quarter earnings season and the London Olympics won’t begin until next week, but we’re already seeing signs that an ad slowdown is hitting profits at many Chinese Internet companies as they get set to report their latest results. Specifically, media are reporting China’s top 4 portals have decided to skip expensive rights for live coverage of Olympic events, and instead are opting to provide less pricey video-on-demand (VOD) rights that allow Internet users to watch recordings of their favorite sports after the events. (English article)
