Tencent to shift into movie production

Tencent Pictures, the motion picture business of Tencent Holdings Ltd, is looking to be involved in the production and distribution of around 100 movies and TV series in the next three to five years as the internet giant banks on digital technology to bolster what is soon expected to be the world's top movie market.

Efforts include using big data to depict movie viewers' profiles and predict their viewing requirements, as well as leveraging its wealth of social media platforms to promote titles, said Edward Cheng, Tencent's vice-president.

"Compared with Western markets, the standardization of China's movie industry is still in its infancy. But digitalization is fueling fresh momentum and can help us narrow the gap sooner," he said.