Youku Tudou's latest equity exposure: Alibaba becomes the single largest shareholder

In recent times, Youku Tudou has been caught up in capital rumors again. There are rumors that Youku Tudou will merge with iQiyi, and there are also rumors that Alibaba will acquire Youku Tudou. At this delicate moment, movie star Zhao Wei's investment has added mystery to Youku Tudou's capital operation.

Tencent Technology checked Youku Tudou's 2014 annual report and found that as of March 31, 2015, Alibaba owned 721,120,860 shares of Youku Tudou through its subsidiary Ali YK Investment Holding Limited, accounting for 20.7% of the shares, making it the single largest shareholder.

Youku Tudou's equity structure as of March 31, 2015

Ali YK Investment Holding Limited is actually a combination of Alibaba Investment and Yunfeng Fund.

The story of Alibaba's investment in Youku Tudou dates back to April 2014, when Alibaba and Yunfeng Capital acquired Youku Tudou's A-share common stock for US$1.22 billion, with Alibaba holding 16.5% and Yunfeng Capital holding 2%.

The transaction involved 721,120,860 Class A ordinary shares, with 18 Youku Tudou Class A ordinary shares equaling one ADS. At that time, Alibaba also appointed former Alibaba CEO Lu Zhaoxi to join the Youku Tudou board of directors.

As of March 31, 2015, Youku Tudou Chairman and CEO David Koo held 631,153,159 shares, accounting for 18.1%; GGV Capital partner Foo Jixun held 53,172,922 shares, accounting for 1.5%.

Investment institution Platinum Investment Management Limited is the third largest shareholder of Youku Tudou, holding 220,227,084 shares, accounting for 6.3% of the shares. Currently, Platinum Investment Management Limited is also the largest shareholder of Sina .

Tencent Technology checked Sina's financial report and found that as of March 31, 2015, Platinum Investment Management Limited held 4,392,690 shares of Sina, accounting for 7.5% of the shares. The second largest shareholder, BlackRock, Inc., held 7.1% of the shares.

Youku Tudou's equity structure as of March 31, 2014

A search of Youku Tudou's 2013 annual report revealed that as of March 31, 2014, Gu Yongqiang held 645,023,149 shares, accounting for 21.3% of the shares, and Chengwei Funds held 647,514,072 shares, accounting for 21.4% of the shares.

T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. holds 184,706,334 shares of Youku Tudou, accounting for 6.1% of the shares, and Platinum Investment Management Limited holds 163,088,244 shares, accounting for 5.4% of the shares.

Interestingly, on March 31, 2014, T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. and Platinum Investment Management Limited both ranked among the top four shareholders of Youku Tudou and Sina.

By 2015, T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. had disappeared from the ranks of shareholders of Sina and Youku Tudou, but Platinum Investment Management Limited still held shares and its shareholding ratio has increased.

The biggest change in Youku Tudou's equity in the past year is that Chengwei Funds has withdrawn from the ranks of Youku Tudou's major shareholders, and Alibaba has taken its place as the largest shareholder.

Analysts pointed out that behind the seemingly calm video industry there are actually big changes hidden. As the industry continues to change in the future, further changes in Youku Tudou’s equity cannot be ruled out.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.