Tencent also recently signed a mega-music deal with rival Alibaba, increasing its dominance in the music streaming industry.
September 12, 2017
Chinese internet giant Tencent aims to increase advertising income by using artificial intelligence and branded virtual costumes in video games, but is reluctant to put more advertising on its flagship WeChat social network, according to the group’s executive in charge of digital advertising.
Ad revenues drive earnings for most of the tech world, but not in China. Tencent’s WeChat network is approaching half Facebook’s 2bn users, but digital ad revenues this year are forecast at under $7bn, compared with the US social media group’s $36bn-plus, according to eMarketer.