Alibaba diversifies with TV platform

Alibaba Group has taken a major step forward on online entertainment, unveiling its home entertainment platform as the Chinese e-commerce giant bids to gain a foothold in a new sector outside of Internet business.

Alibaba said yesterday it is joining hands with a number of gaming and digital entertainment partners to offer viewers wider access to digital content and service.

The new platform will offer online gaming, music and video streaming as well as online education services through Alibaba's set-top boxes based on its cloud computing capabilities.

The popularity of smart television sets and set-top boxes has revived Chinese audience's interest in home entertainment. And Alibaba has been making efforts to build a platform that brings together digital content and service providers as it seeks growth avenues in sectors other than online shopping.

Earlier this week, the Hangzhou-based firm entered into a partnership with United States studio Lions Gate Entertainment Corp to provide a subscription streaming service through Alibaba's Internet television set-top boxes for home audiences.

Alibaba's first generation set-top box was released in September in collaboration with Wasu Media. Last month, Alibaba bought a 60 percent stake in Hong Kong-listed ChinaVision Media Group.