Tudou
Tudou is a Chinese short video streaming platform founded in 2005, now operating as a subsidiary of Alibaba Group. It aggregates user-generated short-form video content across news, sports, entertainment, and lifestyle categories, serving Chinese consumers via iPhone and Android apps integrated with Alibaba's Youku ecosystem.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersShanghai, China
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Tudou does
Tudou (土豆) is a Chinese short video streaming platform that was founded in 2005 as an independent video sharing website. The platform aggregates and curates short-form video content from creators globally, organized across categories including news, sports, food, lifestyle, animals, and entertainment. Tudou is accessible via its website at tudou.com and through dedicated mobile applications for both iPhone (App Store ID 395898626) and Android devices, with features including hot search rankings (integrated with Youku's trending system at acz.youku.com) and historical search functionality for content discovery.
The company underwent a transformative corporate history: in August 2012, Tudou merged with Youku to form Youku Tudou Inc., which subsequently became publicly traded on the NYSE under ticker YOKU. In April 2016, Alibaba Group completed the acquisition of Youku Tudou Inc. for approximately $3.6 billion, leading to the entity's delisting. Since the acquisition, Tudou has operated as a private subsidiary within Alibaba's digital media and entertainment segment, positioned as a differentiated short-form video offering alongside the longer-form Youku platform. The platform's technical infrastructure leverages Alibaba's CDN (img.alicdn.com) and shares backend services with Youku.
Tudou's business model and revenue mechanics are not publicly disclosed. The platform serves general consumers in China seeking short video content through a horizontal segmentation approach, with mobile applications as the primary distribution channel. The platform does not charge subscription fees or reveal advertising revenue; as part of Alibaba's broader digital media operations, Tudou's commercial contribution is embedded within the parent group's financial reporting rather than broken out separately. Leadership includes Deng Wei as VP of Product & Resource Operation. The current standalone headcount is 51-100 employees, reflecting Tudou's role as a specialized product surface within Alibaba's larger entertainment ecosystem.
Tudou firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tudou
- Legal name
- Tudou
- Website
- https://tudou.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Tudou is a Chinese short video streaming platform founded in 2005, now operating as a subsidiary of Alibaba Group. It aggregates user-generated short-form video content across news, sports, entertainment, and lifestyle categories, serving Chinese consumers via iPhone and Android apps integrated with Alibaba's Youku ecosystem.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tudou industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Video Streaming
- NAICS
- Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Short-Form Video Discovery, Curation & Aggregation Platforms (MPACAHAG)
Keywords
Where Tudou is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Shanghai
- HQ country
- China
- HQ region
- Asia
Markets served
Tudou business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
Tudou product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tudou (土豆) is a Chinese short video streaming platform that aggregates and curates short video content from global creators, organized into categories such as news, sports, food, lifestyle, animals, and entertainment. The platform features a hot search ranking list, historical search functionality, and dedicated iPhone and Android mobile applications for content consumption. It operates as part of Alibaba Group's digital media and entertainment segment, integrated with the Youku service.
Product overview
Tudou (土豆) is a unified short video streaming platform that aggregates short video content from global creators. The platform features a single core offering with mobile applications for iPhone and Android, organized around content categories including news, sports, food, lifestyle, animals, and entertainment. The product also includes a hot search ranking feature and historical search functionality.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Tudou (土豆) Short Video Streaming Platform A unified short video streaming platform that aggregates short video content from global creators, featuring content categories including news, sports, food, lifestyle, animals, and entertainment. Includes a hot search ranking feature and historical search functionality, accessible via web and dedicated iPhone and Android mobile applications. Targeted at general consumers seeking short-form video content in China.
Companies that use Tudou
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Tudou technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Tudou partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Tudou competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Xigua Video: ByteDance's mid-to-long-form video platform offering short clips alongside extended content. Direct competitor in the Chinese short-video aggregation and discovery space.
- Douyin: ByteDance's flagship Chinese short-form video platform and Tudou's primary direct competitor. Both target young Chinese consumers with short video content, though Douyin dominates with vastly superior creator ecosystem and recommendation algorithms.
- Youku: Tudou's sibling platform following the 2012 merger, now jointly operated under Alibaba Group. Both are video streaming services within the same corporate parent serving Chinese consumers, with overlapping long-form and short-form content.
- Kuaishou: Leading Chinese short-form video and live-streaming platform. Directly competes with Tudou for user attention and creator content in the same horizontal short-video category.
- Bilibili: Chinese video platform popular with younger demographics, including short-form content. Comparable target audience and content discovery model, though distinguished by strong anime/gaming verticals and community features.
Broad incumbents
- iQIYI: Major Chinese long-form video streaming platform backed by Baidu. Competes with Tudou for video advertising budgets and viewer attention but specializes in premium episodic content rather than short-form aggregation.
- Mango TV: Hunan Broadcasting System's online video platform offering streaming content. Competes for viewer engagement and advertising dollars in adjacent Chinese video categories.
- Tencent Video: Established Chinese long-form video streaming service operated by Tencent. Overlaps with Tudou in sports and entertainment content categories but is part of a much broader entertainment portfolio.
Emerging players
- Xiaohongshu (RED): Chinese lifestyle content platform integrating short-form video with social commerce. Increasingly competes with Tudou for lifestyle, food, and entertainment short-form video viewership among young Chinese consumers.
- WeChat Channels: Tencent's short-form video feature embedded within WeChat. Represents an emerging competitive threat with structural distribution advantages via the WeChat super-app ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Tudou social profiles
Digital presenceTudou financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tudou leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Tudou funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors11 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tudou M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Tudou
What does Tudou do?
Tudou (土豆) is a Chinese short video streaming platform that aggregates and curates short video content from global creators, organized into categories such as news, sports, food, lifestyle, animals, and entertainment. The platform features a hot search ranking list, historical search functionality, and dedicated iPhone and Android mobile applications for content consumption. It operates as part of Alibaba Group's digital media and entertainment segment, integrated with the Youku service.
Is Tudou a public or private company?
Tudou is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Tudou founded?
Tudou was founded in 2005. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Tudou based?
Tudou is headquartered in Shanghai, China, in the Asia region.
Who are Tudou's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Xigua Video, Douyin, Youku, Kuaishou and Bilibili. Broad incumbents are iQIYI, Mango TV and Tencent Video. Emerging players are Xiaohongshu (RED) and WeChat Channels.
Does Tudou have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tudou.
What industry is Tudou in?
Tudou's product category is Online Video Streaming. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACAHAG, Short-Form Video Discovery, Curation & Aggregation Platforms. Its NAICS code is 5162 and its SIC code is 7990.