Why Alibaba May Finance China's Second Most-Watched TV Station

• Mango TV is China's second most-watched station, according to Wikipedia.
• Jack Ma, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd BABA's founder, recently visited Mango TV.
• Analysts at Brean Capital, citing market sources, suggested that Alibaba may participate in its next-round of financing.

Mango TV, also known as Hunan TV, is a provincial satellite TV station in China that ranks as the second most-watched channel, after CCTV-1, according to Mango TV's Wikipedia page.

QQ Tech, a China-based media source reported that Jack Ma recently visited Mango TV's headquarters – prompting some to speculate that Alibaba may participate in a future round of financing for the TV station.

Related Link: Jack Ma Might Buy A Crucial Yet Struggling Chinese Newspaper

Jack Ma's ambitious to acquire media assets has been well communicated. The billionaire was considering acquiring a majority stake in a Hong Kong newspaper, the South China Morning Post.

Analysts at Brean Capital commented in a note on Wednesday that "market sources" said Alibaba may participate in the next-round of financing and cooperate with Mango TV to launch online video programs.

The analysts noted Mango TV's programming can be viewed on a variety of platforms, including PC, mobile and Internet TV. The TV station's daily active user base reaches 35 million and daily video views reaches 100 million. In addition, Mango TV has 200 million-plus users on mobile devices and its 2015 revenue reached RMB 1 billion (approximately $156 million).

"As SARFT (State Administration of Radio, Film and Television) implemented stricture policies to regulate TV box, the industry reportedly believes that Alibaba's cooperation with Mango TV could provide more exclusive licensed content for Tmall Magic Box," the analysts wrote.