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'Search Fox' Monetizing Content on New Distribution Platform
BEIJING, CHINA, May 16, 2001 - SOHU.COM (Nasdaq: SOHU),
China's leading Internet portal and online media services provider, today
announced the 'Search Fox' will be selling real-time content to Shenzhen
Blueflame Information Technology Company (www.lanhuo.com.cn), a Chinese
manufacturer of Personal Digital Assistants (PDA). Under the agreement SOHU will
provide Blueflame with aggregated information that will be fired onto China's
first national PDA network through the company's range of digital devices
operating in fifty major cities throughout the Mainland.
In a clear strategy to take market-share, Blueflame is promoting its new
generation wireless technology by giving every PDA customer a free six-month
value-added offering that provides access to SOHU.COM's timely news updates,
email alerts, travel reports, entertainment guides, e-learning programs, weather
forecasts, and stock quotes. After this promotional period, consumers can
subscribe to SOHU's standard content service or a combination of its
comprehensive news and lifestyle features.
"China's lucrative PDA market has approximately one hundred manufacturers who
sell over two million hand-held devices per year. Blueflame's light-weight,
easy-to-use gadgets are the only PDA units that can communicate information
nationally," said Hu Gang, CEO of Shenzhen Blueflame Information Technology
Company. By purchasing SOHU's popular content products we are giving our
customers an unmatched level of service, as well as gaining a huge competitive
advantage over our rivals. With more than forty PhD engineers in our Shenzhen
research and development lab, Blueflame is at the forefront of hand-held
wireless communication in China."
Through this collaboration with Blueflame SOHU is extending its wireless
development strategy into the PDA sector, following the launch of its SMS
subscription service for mobile phones in December 2000. As a result, both
enterprises are taking their technology applications to higher levels of
connectivity. In the past, PDA consumers used their e-portable PCs for storing
digital information. Under the terms of today's agreement, Blueflame's PDA units
are becoming communication platforms that people can connect to almost anywhere
in China, and which allow over 500,000 Chinese characters to be downloaded per
hour.
"The wireless Web holds enormous potential for advancing the Internet's role
in helping Chinese people communicate. This strategic initiative with Blueflame
will potentially propel SOHU into the lives of hundreds of thousands of PDA
users," said Victor Koo, Senior Vice-president of Business Development at
SOHU.COM. "The benefits of this relationship for both companies are tremendous.
SOHU has secured another source of revenue while expanding its loyalty base.
Blueflame can leverage its technology leadership against SOHU's positive
front-of-mind brand position to sell more units."
According to Charles Zhang, CEO and president of SOHU.COM, "This is the just
the beginning of a stay-in-touch technology culture that will become infinitely
more advanced, and more ubiquitous, over the next five years. Mobile
entertainment, voice browsers, movie and music downloading, digital imaging and
m-commerce will soon become standard components of every wireless Internet
gizmo. SOHU.COM will not be left behind as technology moves forward. We will
continue to promote product innovation that will take China's 300 million strong
urban consumers to unprecedented levels of connectivity."
About SOHU.com
SOHU.com is the leading Internet portal in
Mainland China with current daily page views exceeding 12 million. It provides
navigation/search, news, sports, business and finance, real estate channel,
entertainment, chat, email and e-commerce activities for a solid and wide base
of visitors. Dr. Charles Zhang founded SOHU.com in 1997. Its investors include
Intel, Dow Jones, IDG, the Morningside China Group, PCCW, Legend and Hikari. Its
content partners include CNET, DOW Jones and dozens of local media organizations
in China.
For further information:
Dahlia Wei
SOHU Investor
Relations and Communications
Tel: +86 10 6272 6598
E-mail:
ir@sohu-inc.com
http://www.sohu.com/about/English/ |
