Chinese Media Stocks Mixed After Alibaba-Youku Tudou Buyout

Shares of Youku Tudou, a Chinese based Internet television company, soared higher by more than 20 percent after Alibaba announced its intention to acquire the remaining 81.7 percent of the company it doesn't already own for $26.60 per ADR.

By acquiring Youku, Alibaba will increase its presence in the Chinese streaming video market. The Chinese government blocks access to YouTube, while Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX)'s expansion to the heavily censored market is still uncertain – at least according to the company's CFO David Wells who said, "We're taking our time and being deliberate in finding a path and the right model to work."

Related Link: Alibaba Expanding Into Video With $3.5 Youku Tudou Buyout

Biggest 'Losers'

W.R. Hambrecth + Co analyst Henry Guo stated firms including Baidu Inc (ADR) (NASDAQ: BIDU) and Sohu.com Inc (NASDAQ: SOHU) are the biggest losers following Alibaba's proposed transaction.

Shares of Baidu were nearly flat early Friday afternoon. The company's $52 billion market cap dwarfs Youku's $4.88 billion market cap. However, Alibaba's $180 billion market cap makes it the clear dominant leader in the Chinese technology space.

Shares of Sohu were trading higher by 1.60 percent early Friday afternoon.

Meanwhile, shares of SINA Corp (NASDAQ: SINA), an online media company that serves both the domestic Chinese population and international Chinese communities, surged higher by more than 7 percent. It is possible that investors and traders were speculating the firm's $2.5 billion market cap makes it a potential acquisition target.

The same may prove to be true for Weibo Corp (ADR) (NASDAQ: WB), a social media platform with a $3.21 billion market. Shares outperformed those of Sina as the stock was higher by nearly 13 percent.

Image Credit: "Alibaba Corp. Taiwan Grand Opening" by Rico Shen. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 via Wikimedia Commons