Tao Piao Piao exec held on bribery charges

The general manager of Tao Piao Piao, Alibaba’s film and event ticketing business, has been arrested for alleged corruption.

Kong Qi, also a vice-president of Alibaba Pictures, was detained by Chinese police in July on suspicion of taking up to CN‎¥10 million (US$1.5m) in bribes, according to Jiemian journalist Wang Fu Jiao.

Alibaba Pictures has confirmed Kong’s arrest but says the alleged corruption took place before he joined from sister company Alipay.

Through Tao Piao Piao, Alibaba Pictures, owned by $14bn ecommerce giant Alibaba, handles ticketing for more than 5,000 cinemas in China – 95% of the country’s total box office – according to Alibaba-backed news site Alizila.

Tao Piao Piao (roughly “hunting for tickets”) was formed in May by a rebranding of Taobao Dianying, Alibaba Pictures’ film-ticketing subsidiary, as part of a push into live music and entertainment.

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