e-commerce
Chinese giant Alibaba mulls part sale of film assets
NEW DELHI: The Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, which is now investing a major share in the entertainment sector, is considering selling of some of its start-up film industry assets.
The businesses could be transferred to Alibaba Pictures Group (APG), the film production and investment company that has its own separate share listings in Hong Kong and Singapore.
Alibaba has major share stakes in integrated film and TV group Huayi Brothers Media, rival studio Enlight Media, Internet TV group Wasu Media, and online video platform Youku Tudou.
Alibaba chairman Jack Ma’s Yunfeng investment fund also has a major stake in Hong Kong’s Media Asia, according to Variety.
“The possible business injection would be comprised of Alibaba Group’s (i) online movie ticketing business and (ii) financing and investment platform for the production of movies and other media content, both of which commenced operations in 2014,” APG said in a statement.
However, the deal is yet to be finalized, as APG said, “This new strategic direction calls for an integrated approach towards the funding, production, marketing and distribution of entertainment content.”
The proposed transfer would appear to exclude many of Alibaba’s larger and more mature film industry assets.
MUMBAI: From flights to tracks, Cleartrip is now trying to keep every journey on the same ticket. Cleartrip, part of Flipkart, has launched train ticket bookings through a partnership with Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation, marking its entry into India’s vast rail travel ecosystem.
The integration allows users to search, book and manage train journeys directly within the app, as the company pushes towards becoming a unified, multi-modal travel platform. The move plugs Cleartrip into one of the world’s largest transportation networks, where over 800 million reserved passengers travel annually, alongside a daily footfall of around 23 million across Indian Railways.
The offering includes bookings across routes nationwide, covering General and Tatkal quotas as per Ministry of Railways guidelines. Users can also access real-time seat availability, fare insights, PNR status tracking, berth preferences and digital payment options within a single interface.
The expansion reflects a broader shift in travel platforms from specialising in a single mode to stitching together end-to-end journeys. For Cleartrip, the bet is not just on scale, but on simplifying a system often seen as complex and fragmented.
Company executives said the focus is on embedding predictive intelligence and personalisation into the booking journey, aiming to make everything from discovery to post-booking support faster and more intuitive.
The train booking feature is currently live on the app, with plans to extend it to the web platform soon, signalling a push towards a seamless cross-platform experience.
In a country where railways move billions each year, the next battleground for travel apps may well be decided not in the skies, but on the tracks.
