Tired of ads? Enjoy an ad-free experience by signing up.
C. Custer ยท ยท 2 min read

Xiaomi is teasing big news today. Hereโ€™s what we think it is.

Yesterday, Xiaomi made waves on Sina Weibo when the official account for its Xiaomi TV tweeted this:

afe09d9dgw1emej7isy7cj20k00zk0v6

It says that a โ€œmajor eventโ€ is coming on November 19 โ€“ thatโ€™s today โ€“ at 2 P.M. Beijing time. Beyond that, the company hasnโ€™t leaked any details, so thereโ€™s no way to be sure what could be coming. In the comments, some people are speculating that itโ€™s a larger-screen version of Xiaomiโ€™s smart TV, perhaps 70 or even 100 inches. The Chinese word the announcement uses for โ€œmajorโ€ also means โ€œbigโ€ โ€“ as in โ€œbig screenโ€ โ€“ which some are taking as a subtle hint.

And of course, there are other guesses too. It could be a drop in price or a broader sale, although Techweb says anonymous internal sources at Xiaomi have denied that. Or it could be something else entirely.

Personally, my moneyโ€™s on some kind of cooperative partnership with video streaming service iQiyi. Rumors have been swirling for weeks now that in addition to its investment in Youku-Tudou, Xiaomi has also plunged a significant sum into iQiyi. The deal hasnโ€™t yet been confirmed officially by either party, but my hunch is that it will be later today. We already know that Xiaomi is interested in beefing up its content offerings, and both Youku and iQiyi are developing exclusive, original content, so it makes sense that Xiaomi might want a hand in both.

Of course, I could also be totally wrong! But keep an eye out for Xiaomiโ€™s announcement at 2 P.M. today. Iโ€™ll bet that it has something to do with iQiyi.

Stay ahead in Asiaโ€™s tech landscape

You've reached your 2 free content limit for the month. Sign up for free to read the full story.

๐Ÿ„ For casual readers / ๐Ÿ‘ถ Free

Basic

US$0

Free forever

Get instant access to this article and more every month

0 premium content

Unlimited news briefs

5

5 articles

Ad-free reading experience

Just US$0 per day

โŒ›Sign up in 20s. No payment details needed.

๐Ÿ“– For learners / ๐Ÿ‘ Starter

Lite

US$4.92/month

Billed annually at US$59/year

Get instant access to this article and more every month

4

4 premium content

Unlimited news briefs & articles

Ad-free reading experience

Just US$0.17 per day

Cancel anytime

Our subscriber community includes professionals from these companies:

Stay updated on the go with our mobile app.

Get latest insights with smoother, more personalized experience through TIA mobile app.

Community Writer

C. Custer

Former editor and motion graphics artist for Tech in Asia. Currently content marketer at Dataquest.io