- Chinese regulators have granted Youku (NYSE:YOKU +2.5%) a license to provide mobile services as an MVNO. A reseller deal has been reached with #2 local carrier China Unicom (CHU +3.7%).
- Youku asserts becoming an MVNO will allow it to "add more customer behavioral data to its existing big data of users' content consumption behavior, and expand its reach beyond its current mix of customers as an online video service provider."
- Youku now gets over 60% of its video traffic from mobile. However, mobile's share of ad revenue is still only about half that figure.
- Youku and Unicom have joined many other Chinese companies in opening sharply higher.