China Tech Talk 19: China’s $20 billion news app with Dannie Li

This week Matt and John talk with Dannie Li, an analyst at China Tech Insights about Jinri Toutiao, a Chinese content aggregator recently valued at $20 billion, including:

• Why Jinri Toutiao is so popular
• How it is so sticky
• Its business model and why its valuation is high
• Why advertisers love it so much
• Risks to the app and business model
• Conflicts between Toutiao and content producers
• Challenges as Toutiao expands inside and outside China

Links

• Dannie Li: Why would a news app potentially worth as much as USD 22b set off alarm bells for China’s BATs?
• Masha Borak: Toutiao’s rise (and Baidu’s decline) reflects China’s changing marketing trends
• Rita Liao: China’s content war heats up: Toutiao poaches talent from Zhihu
• Masha Borak: Toutiao said to raise $2 billion in new funding round
• Sheila Yu: News reading app Toutiao allegedly places illegal medical ads
• Steve Yang: How Jinri Toutiao can help you grow your business
• How to leave an iTunes review

Hosts

• John Artman, @knowsnothing, TechNode
• Matthew Brennan, @MattyBGoooner, ChinaChannel

Podcast information

• iTunes
• RSS feed
• Music: “Theme from Penguins on Parade” by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3