Alibaba just gave Chinese youth another reason to never leave their desk-TechCrunch
What happened: Alibaba-backed food delivery giant Ele.me and ACG (anime, comics, and games) video streaming service Bilibili have jointly launched a membership promotion program that targets China’s young anime fans who adopt a sedentary lifestyle. The joint membership is priced at RMB 25 ($3.63), RMB 15 lower than subscribing for the services separately.
Why it’s important: Joint membership is an increasingly popular means for Chinese tech giants to tap into a wider or more niche user base. Similar to Ele.me and Bilibili’s tie-up, Alibaba announced its all-in-one 88VIP paid membership plan to include all of its major platforms—Tmall, Youku, Ele.me, Xiami Music, and ticket service Taopiaopiao. Bilibili has been making headlines in 2018. In addition to its IPO in March, the video streaming announced plans to buy the comic assets of Netease, one of its major rivals in the ACG vertical. A series of partnerships were inked with Tencent, Taobao, and Ele.me to integrate more services in its ecosystem.