Internet giants in new spat

Tencent, Beijing Bytedance contact police over defamation allegations

Two of China's leading internet companies have contacted the police over each other's alleged "malicious public relations maneuvers", taking the duo's monthlong friction to new heights.

The spiraling spat between WeChat app operator Tencent Holdings Ltd and Beijing Bytedance Technology Co Ltd, which owns mobile news aggregator Toutiao and shortvideo app Douyin, reflects the cutthroat fight for user attention as China's mobile internet market becomes saturated, experts said.