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Tag Archives: Baidu
Baidu Company News Baidu 百度, Inc. incorporated on January 2000, is classifed as web services company established by Robin Li and Eric Xu.
Overview of the Chinese high Tech Market by former Chief Editor of Reuters (Doug Young).
Baidu offers many services, including a search engine for websites, audio files and images.
Baidu in Figures
– Ranked 4th overall in the Alexa rankings
– In 2015, Baidu had over 1 billion visits / month
– Baidu offers 57 community services (Chinese encyclopedia, questions/Answers , forums … )
Bottom line: Baidu’s rapid expansion of its global mapping services is mostly targeted at Chinese traveling abroad, and is unlikely to attract many local users because better services are already available in most markets.
Baidu maps South America
Still suffering from a spate of negative news at home, leading search engine Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) is trying to draw attention to the more upbeat subject of its global expansion that is slowly inching forward. The company has squarely focused its global drive on emerging markets, and is continuing that trend with word that it’s launching new editions of its mapping services for most of South America. Baidu has already launched a version of its core search business in Brazil, and many will probably view this move to launch mapping services in 13 countries as a prelude to future launches for search service in those markets. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and news reports about China companies were carried on July 23-25. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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MasterCard (NYSE: MA) May Apply for China Payment License This Year (English article)
Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) Maps Enters 13 South American Countries as Olympics Nears (Chinese article)
Samsung (Seoul: 005930) Countersues Huawei in Lawsuit Tug-of-War (Chinese article)
Giant Interactive Said to Lead Group Bidding for Caesars Online Game Unit (English article)
Private Car Service Provider UCar Lists on China OTC, Valued at 40 Bln Yuan (Chinese article)
The following press releases and news reports about China companies were carried on July 22. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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Uber, Didi Chuxing Want to End Rivalry, Discuss Possible Merger – Source (Chinese article)
Bottom line: Baidu will raise the valuation of iQiyi as it sells the unit to outside investors, in a bid to avoid insider dealing accusations, while it will also suffer a revenue hit as it evicts advertisers who operate illegal gambling sites.
Baidu under fire for low iQiyi valuation
Internet search giant Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) can’t seem to catch a break over the past week. First the company was hit by reports of a major rejection in Hollywood, and then an investigative report revealed it was hosting links to illegal gambling sites. Now the company is being rejected again by US investors, who are complaining that Baidu is grossly undervaluing its iQiyi online video service as it prepares to sell the unit to a group led by company chief Robin Li. At the same time, the earlier gambling site scandal is taking a new twist, with the Internet regulator reportedly opening an investigation into the matter. Read Full Post…
Bottom line: Zhou Hongyi should be commended for completing his privatization of Qihoo in the face of numerous obstacles, though his plans to re-list his company in China might take at least 1-2 years.
Qihoo completes de-listing
I haven’t always been a fan of security software specialist Qihoo 360 (NYSE: QIHU) over the years due to some of the overly aggressive and often ethically questionable business practices of chief Zhou Hongyi. But I have to admire the outspoken Zhou today, following word that he has reportedly just completed the biggest buyout of a US-listed Chinese company in history despite facing numerous obstacles that seems unsurmountable at times.
Far smaller US-listed Chinese companies have abandoned their plans to privatize due to choppy markets and the difficulty of completing such deals. But Zhou remained steadfast throughout in his desire to privatize his company, with the result that Qihoo’s shares will officially de-list with the start of trade on Monday, July 18, according to new Chinese media reports. (Chinese article) Read Full Post…
The following press releases and news reports about China companies were carried on July 20. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) Criticized Over Proposed Valuation for iQiyi Sale (English article)
China Revenue From iOS Games Passes US for First Time (Chinese article)
Babytree Completes 3 Bln Yuan Funding, Casts off VIE Structure (Chinese article)
Chinese Venture Fundraising at Three-Year Low as Startups Hurt (English article)
Ballard (Nasdaq: BLDP) Surges on Deal to Build Fuel Cell Factory in China (English article)
Bottom line: Baidu could suffer more lost business after purging stealth advertisers engaged in gambling and sex services, while its new credit-scoring tie-up looks like a smart way to take advantage of its huge volumes of user data.
Baidu purges search results of online gambling sites
A day after appearing in 2 major global entertainment stories, online search leader Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) is back in the headlines at home in a new scandal involving online gambling sites that used stealth methods to promote themselves on Baidu’s search service. Normally I would say this particular scandal looks relatively minor and wouldn’t have a major impact on Baidu. But such scandals have suddenly become much bigger news following one back in May, which was centered on Baidu’s longtime practice of combining paid search results with organic ones without disclosing that mixture. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and news reports about China companies were carried on July 19. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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Chinese $1.2 Bln Takeover of Norway’s Opera Fails, Pursues Alternative Deal (English article)
Didi Chuxing Raises Prices in Multiple Markets to Slow Cash Burning (Chinese article)
Hot Pot Chain Haidilao Makes IPO for Yihai International (HKEx: 1579) Unit (Chinese article)
Bottom line: Baidu’s Robin Li could announce a deal later this week to buy 40 percent of soccer club AC Milan, while his company’s pursuit of Paramount was likely killed by internal fighting at the Hollywood studio.
Paramount spurns Baidu, Wanda
Internet search leader Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) is in a couple of major entertainment headlines as the new week begins, led by word that it could finally announce a highly anticipated deal that would see it buy a major stake of European football club AC Milan. At the same time, separate new reports are saying that the company was rejected in a recent bid for a strategic stake in Hollywood giant Paramount, the studio arm of Viacom (NYSE: VIAb). Those same reports are saying Wanda Group, another Chinese entertainment aspirant, was also rejected in pursuit of a similar deal. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and news reports about China companies were carried on July 16-18. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) Aims to Buy AC Milan Soccer Club for $437 Mln – CCTV (Chinese article)
WeChat International Team Leader Defects to Facebook (Nasdaq: FB) (Chinese article)
Samsung Seeks Stake in China Electric Carmaker BYD (HKEx: 1211) (English article)
China Telecom (HKEx: 728) to End Domestic Roaming Fees, Focus on Internet of Things (Chinese article)
LeEco (Shenzhen: 300104) Denies Plans to Acquire Low-Cost TV Maker Vizio (Chinese article)
Bottom line: Autohome’s shares will come under pressure after a mass defection of its middle management, most likely to start a rival company, while Ku6 is likely to close shop within the next 2 years following its de-listing from New York.
Mid-level managers leave Autohome en masse
A couple of new twists are bubbling through the headlines in a wave of buyout offers for US-listed Chinese companies, led by the latest signs that a privatization for online car site Autohome (NYSE: ATHM) is effectively dead. Those signs are coming in reports of a wave of resignations by mid-level company executives, following a failed management-led buyout bid. Meantime, online media site Ku6 Media (Nasdaq: KUTV) has formally completed its own buyout offer, meaning this insignificant player that was once a leader in China’s new media space will probably de-list very soon and could disappear completely within the next 2 years. Read Full Post…
