Alibaba launches subscription video streaming, priced at $57 per year

Alibaba today rolled out its much-anticipated Netflix-style subscription video service. Alibaba’s TBO, which stands for Tmall Box Office, appeared after a software update in Alibaba’s smart TV OS.

This is the TBO homepage within Alibaba’s smart TV OS:

It’s packed with a mix of Chinese and foreign movies and US TV shows that can only be watched after paying for a monthly or annual subscription.

TBO includes movies and TV shows from Lionsgate, which were last summer licensed to Alibaba for viewing in China, including shows such as Mad Men and Twilight.

TBO is priced at RMB 39 (US$6.10) for a single month of unlimited viewing, or it works out a bit cheaper at RMB 365 (US$57.30) for 12 months.

While some of China’s top video sites have experimented with pay-per-view movies or optional memberships, this is the first time a Chinese video streaming service is locking up all its content behind a paywall. The rest of the content on Alibaba’s smart TV OS remains free to view aside from some pay-to-view films.

Payment for TBO can be made on smartphones using Alibaba’s Alipay wallet after scanning a QR code that appears on the TV screen. If someone has used Alibaba’s smart TV OS to make a payment before – such as for a movie or for online shopping – then TBO can be paid for with just a couple of clicks of the remote controller.

Alibaba has not yet officially announced the launch. We’ve contacted the company to comment. (UPDATE: An Alibaba Group spokeswoman says, “The Tmall Box Office is in a beta launch phase and it has been rolled out on certain models of the Tmall Box [a set-top box that launched in July 2013 alongside the smart TV OS]. Alibaba Group is committed to providing high-quality and engaging content to users on a variety of devices to meet their entertainment needs.”)