The portal will initially carry the same ad inventory as AOL's English portal, but that will likely change as advertising seeks to target the Chinese-American and Chinese-speaking community in the United States directly, according to David Liu, vice president and general manager, AOL.com.
Available at AOL.com/Chinese, the portal will also offer as many as 20 hours of video content and programming at any given time, including free, full-length movies and episodes of popular TV shows from China, and Webcasts of sports events from China.
AOL worked with ChinaPortal.com--a division of MediaZone, a provider of broadband video programming for overseas Chinese--to provide the majority of content for the new portal site covering news, sports, and entertainment--including exclusive programs and event Webcasts from China.
The site will offer full-length episodes of TV series from China, including the popular drama "Love Story of Hero & Beauty," and the Chinese sitcom "I Love My Family." Full-length movies include "Shanghai Story" and "Five Golden Flowers," among others.
Site visitors can choose from simplified and traditional Chinese characters.