360, which is not short of money: Will it be the next video overlord?

After years of market cultivation and capital operation, the landscape of Chinese video enterprises has basically taken shape. Youku Tudou, iQiyi, Sohu Video, LeTV and others have become industry leaders, while Ku6, 56 and others have transformed into niche markets such as UGC and are gradually moving away from the mainstream video field. The market space and imagination seem to be limited.

The video industry is essentially a capital-intensive enterprise. It is difficult to survive and grow without sufficient cash flow. Copyright, bandwidth, traffic and other costs are major money burners and are also the major costs that every company's senior management relies on for survival.

Looking at the Chinese video industry, the online video website market seems to be calm and the Matthew effect is obvious. If we speculate who is the potential video overlord in China, it is likely to be Qihoo 360.

For the rich 360, it has no shortage of money, traffic, and users. These three key words have become a collective fatal temptation for video websites. Video websites that lack money and traffic all want to make friends with the rich.

First, let's look at the fact that they are not short of money. According to 360's fourth financial report, Qihoo 360's net cash flow from business operations in the fourth quarter was US$76.8 million. As of December 31, 2013, Qihoo 360 held a total of US$1.0135 billion in cash and cash equivalents, equivalent to more than RMB 6 billion.

More than 6 billion yuan can be deposited in Yu'e Bao for one year, with a 5% return, and earn 300 million yuan.

With so much money, copyright, bandwidth and other difficult issues can be easily solved.

Looking at the traffic, according to CNZZ data, 360 search market share is 24.99%, up 0.84% ​​from the previous month.

Unlike Youku and iQiyi, 360 itself does not have a large amount of film and television content resources. It mainly promotes 360 film and television products.

It is a platform that mainly aggregates film and television resources of most current video websites, such as Youku, Fengxing, LeTV, iQiyi, Qvod, Sohu Video, etc. It intends to create a tool for traffic entry and distribution, thereby controlling upstream video websites and downstream users, thereby generating scale benefits.

Some people may think that aggregated videos will face a large number of copyright disputes. For example, Qvod, Xiaomi, Fengwang 100TV and others have been sued many times. However, for 360, which has 400 million users, the pressure is obviously much smaller. According to reliable sources, nearly half of Youku's traffic comes from 360 search, and the same is true for other video websites.

In fact, 360 has never been willing to be left out in the field of film and television content, and has tried to distribute many hit dramas, including cooperating with well-known film and television companies such as China Film Corporation, Enlight Pictures, Huayi Brothers, Star Media, Wanda Pictures, and Pony.

Last June, 360 Chairman Zhou Hongyi and The Matrix actor Keanu Reeves jointly attended the launch conference of the movie Man of Tai Chi, and video search became a strategic focus of 360.

Finally, there is no shortage of users.

The 2013 financial report shows that the monthly active users of 360's PC-based products and services have covered 95% of China's PC Internet population, with monthly active users reaching 475 million. The number of Chinese smartphone users of its main mobile security product, 360 Mobile Guard, has reached 467 million, covering approximately 70% of China's smartphone users.

These data are an irresistible temptation for any video website. 360 exchanges traffic and users for video content from Youku and Tudou, which is a win-win situation for everyone.

In addition, it was also learned that 360 has completed the acquisition of the box manufacturer "WoBo" and laid out the OTT TV business. In addition, 360 has already launched the TV version of Security Guard, browser, etc.

There is also an unconfirmed news. In September last year, there was news that Qihoo 360 might release a TV box to enter the smart living room field. However, an insider close to 360 revealed that the 360 ​​box project has been temporarily shelved due to the long-term unresolved chip adaptation problem. The specific resumption period has not yet been determined. Zhou Hongyi is very dissatisfied with this, but it is an indisputable fact that the OTT TV field has become a strategic product of 360.

360, which has plenty of money, traffic and users, has entered the video market. Oh no, it seems that it is not too difficult to become the next home Internet giant. It all depends on 360's determination and courage. (End)

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.