Baidu in deal with NetEase Cloud Music

Internet search giant Baidu Inc said on Saturday it has strategically invested in NetEase Cloud Music, one of China's major music live streaming services, and the two partners will carry out deep cooperation in content, traffic flow and copyright.

According to Baidu, the high-quality content of NetEase Cloud Music will reach hundreds of millions of users by virtue of Baidu's app, information flow and video platform.

The two parties first will cooperate in the intelligent hardware sector. NetEase Cloud Music will access Baidu's DuerOS conversation-based artificial intelligence system, so its users can enjoy an innovative music experience when at home or getting around, using intelligent human-machine interaction. 

Chinese internet company NetEase Inc will remain the controlling shareholder in NetEase Cloud Music after the investment, while Baidu will act as a strategic partner.

Analysts said Baidu's investment showed its ambition to expand its presence in content. The tech heavyweight has invested in a series of video-sharing platforms, such as Baidu Video, Qingting FM, Pear Video and Renren Video. 

Baidu said it will ramp up efforts to gain an upper hand in the upgrading of content consumption by depending on its affluent content resources in graphics and text information, short video, music and reading.