AccuWeather International has reached a deal to distribute its weather services in China across digital media and any device with an IP address. As a result of the company’s cross-licensing
agreement with Huafeng Innovative Network Technology Co., AccuWeather content will now be available to its device-manufacturing partners in China.
At the same time, Huafeng, a subsidiary of
the China Meteorological Administration, will supply weather service products from China to AccuWeather across all digital media. AccuWeather CEO Barry Lee Myers said the pact would eliminate
uncertainty for digital device makers and distributors about who to deal with in relation to weather information from or to China.
Under the deal, weather for China locations requested from
anywhere a user is located globally will first return China-sourced weather information and fill in with AccuWeather data. And when a user in China wants to get the weather for locations outside the
country, AccuWeather will supply that information.
“We are pleased to conclude this agreement, many years in the making,” said Myers, in a statement Wednesday.
Widespread
adoption of smartphones in China, with 240 million sold just last year, has helped drive growing use of weather and other types of apps. According to mobile marketing firm Velti, impressions from
weather apps in China were up 613% in 2012.