“The Late Late Show with James Corden” (especially “Carpool Karaoke”) is going where Netflix can’t: China.
CBS Studios International and Chinese online video platform iQiYiNov. 14 announced a licensing agreement for the late night talk show hosted by British comedian Corden. This is the first time the series has been made available in China, with current and past episodes available on-demand on the iQIYI platform.
Since launching in 2015 with Corden, “The Late Late Show” has generated 475 clips on YouTube with more than 1 million views each, resulting in more than 5 billion overall views and over 16 million subscribers for the show’s YouTube channel.
The show’s “Carpool Karaoke” segment – reportedly the most popular late night TV trend on social media – has more than 1.95 billion views on YouTube since its inception a year ago.
Segments featuring Adele and Justin Bieberare currently the #1 and #2 most-watched “Late Night” clips on YouTube, along with Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Stevie Wonder, Gwen Stefani, Elton John and One Direction.
A spin-off of the segment, “Carpool Karaoke: The Series,” was acquired by Apple with Corden as executive producer.
“We believe … James Corden will be well-recognized by millions of Chinese audiences,” iQIYI said in a statement.
Armando Nuñez, CEO of CBS Global Distribution Group, said that with mobile viewing dominate among iQIYI’s subscriber base, “inventive content and viral moments of ‘The Late Late Show’” are well-suited for the platform.
“It’s exciting to join forces with iQIYI to bring the supreme talent of James Corden and the star power of his guests to Chinese audiences,” said Nuñez.
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