Youku, TV and Record Labels to Co-Promote an Online Music Talent Launchpad Through "Legendary Me"

BEIJING, April 18, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- China's leading satellite TV stations and record labels joined Youku Inc. (NYSE: YOKU), China's leading Internet television company ("Youku"), in Beijing today to announce the launch of "Legendary Me," a Youku-produced online music talent show that is scheduled to debut next month. Since early March, demo videos uploaded by Youku users for the show have been viewed more than 15 million times.

Youku kicked off online campaign for "Legendary Me" (http://niuren.youku.com/) last month, nearly three years after the site launched its first online search for grassroots talents in 2009. The first spotlighted video for "Legendary Me" came from Liu Meilin, a 17-year-old high school student, who recorded herself in a hallway covering the song "With Love." (The song came to the attention of the public this January when Faye Wong, one of the leading pop singers in China, performed it on the CCTV Chinese New Year Gala.) Liu's video was viewed more than a million times within two hours of being featured on Youku.

To complement its online selection of aspiring stars, Youku is also conducting on-the-ground scouting campaigns in the cities of Guangzhou, Beijing, Chengdu, Xi'an, Kunming, Changsha and Shenyang. Selected performances will be presented on six episodes of "Legendary Me" starting in late May. The show will also feature representatives from ten leading Chinese satellite TV stations (including Hunan Satellite, Dragon, Anhui Satellite, Tianjin Satellite and Liaoning Satellite) and ten top record labels (including Warner Music Group, Rock Records and Tapes, Sony Music, Typhoon Group and Enlight Media). These record labels will be present during the show to offer television performance opportunities or recording contracts to promising singers on spot.

"The 'Legendary Me' campaign illustrates the ways in which traditional media and new media can work together and compliment one another's strengths," said Victor Koo, Youku's chief executive officer. "We have always advocated constructive partnerships between media outlets and media platforms, and are excited by this new opportunity to leverage the scale of our platform and our relationships with traditional media to bring our talented viewers to the attention of the public. Youku viewers have got talent -- and we are eager to help them share it with the world."

The "Legendary Me" campaign is the latest in a long string of successful efforts by Youku to promote grassroots talents. Since 2009, Youku has helped bring many "grassroots talents," such as the street artist "Xidan Girl," the toddler Michael Jackson impersonator "Xiao Bao," and the migrant worker duo "Xuri Yanggang" the fame and public attention that their talents deserve. Last year, CCTV Chinese New Year Gala -- the most-watched TV program in China -- invited some grassroots talents to perform live on stage, and all of these talented rising stars were originally promoted on Youku's platform.

"Legendary Me" is sponsored by food and beverage company Yinlu.

About Youku

Youku Inc. is China's leading Internet television company. Our Internet television platform enables users to search, view and share high-quality video content quickly and easily across multiple devices. Youku, which stands for "what's best and what's cool" in Chinese, is the most recognized online video brand in China. Youku's American depositary shares, each representing 18 of our Class A ordinary shares, are traded on NYSE under the symbol "YOKU."

SOURCE Youku Inc.