Singtel and China Literature have forged a strategic partnership to collaborate in digital literature services and content platform businesses. Digital literature content spanning themes such as martial arts, fantasy and video games has been growing in popularity in Southeast Asia. Titles adapted from China Literature’s content such as Ever Night (将夜) , Nirvana in Fire (琅琊榜) and TV series Legend of Fuyao (扶搖) have been well received by readers and TV audiences across Asia.

Both companies will jointly leverage their unique strengths to achieve greater business synergies, tapping on Singtel’s digital and payment capabilities and combined reach of over 690 million mobile customers together with China Literature’s position as a leading online literature platform with 7.7 million writers and 11.2 million online literary works.

At a MOU signing ceremony this afternoon in Singapore, Singtel and China Literature agreed to cooperate in areas including content co-production, licensing and distribution, marketing and promotional activities and digital payment services. This will pave the way for users to access and subscribe to content from China Literature and its global content creation platform Webnovel, on Singtel’s digital applications such as its Dash mobile wallet. Meanwhile, Singtel’s digital payment services like Dash and direct carrier billing will be integrated with China Literature’s digital applications to facilitate payments for paid content.

Mr Arthur Lang, CEO of Singtel’s International Group, said, “We’ve made quality content central to our strategy to build up a digital ecosystem of services across the region as our customers love great entertainment. One way we are doing so is through partnerships in new forms of content. Having recently introduced gaming, esports, mixed martial arts, we now look forward to bringing digital literature to our customers, particularly millennials who enjoy user-generated content. Our collaboration with China Literature will further our efforts to drive user engagement and build communities with our digital apps and services. We hope to jointly grow digital literature in the region and explore opportunities in a wide range of media formats and content delivery.”

Mr Wu Wenhui, Co-CEO of China Literature stated, “From the cultivation of original literature to the development of intellectual property derivatives, the online literature industry continues to create high quality cultural products around the world. Southeast Asia is one of the key markets for online literature and Singapore is a confluence of Eastern and Western cultures. The strategic cooperation between China Literature and Singtel marks a new chapter of synergistic development of online literature in Southeast Asia. Looking to the future, China Literature and Singtel will leverage their respective advantages in content and platform, further promote cross-border integration of culture content, and explore new products and formats for online literature.”

The Singtel-China Literature partnership will also cover areas such as support for original content, and nurturing of writers, translators and editors, to enhance the development of quality content in Southeast Asia. Both parties will explore content adaptation, production and promotional activities on Singtel’s video platforms.