Part of a new Netflix deal

Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror is set to be screened in China, after Netflix signed a deal with local video portal iQiyi.

The service is the country’s largest online video site, with more than 20million subscribers

Netflix has been barred from directly entering the Chinese market because of strict protectionism by Beijing regulators. It is one of the few territories where Netflix is not active, and by far the biggest.

The company admits expectations of the deal with iQiy are modest ‘in scope’, and that ‘our cooperation will be subject to the relevant regulations on online streaming of imported drama and film content in China’.

Netflix has remained relatively secretive about which shows are included under the new content licensing agreement  – but Black Mirror and sci-fi series Stranger Things are included.

iQiyi offers both a paid subscription model, as well as a YouTube-style service offering clips that are free to view.

Earlier this week, Robert Roy, Netflix's vice president of content acquisition, told the Hollywood Reporter that the deal not only gets its original content int China but also ‘builds awareness of the Netflix brand and Netflix content’.

Published: 28 Apr 2017