Alibaba gears up for Singles' Day countdown gala

Alibaba Group has announced it will once again host the 11.11 global shopping festival countdown gala this year which will be broadcasted by its official media partner, Zhejiang Satellite TV.“Alibaba Group single-handedly created the iconic 11.11 shopping festival in China seven years ago to unlock the power of the Chinese consumer,” said Chris Tung, chief marketing officer of Alibaba Group.“Today, 11.11 has become not only a day for China to shop for deals, but truly a festival where people all over China and the world gather to celebrate a new and improved lifestyle, as well as a world of fun and opportunities made possible because of technology – namely the internet, mobile, and big data.”At a press conference held in Hangzhou, China, the company revealed that the gala will be live broadcasted by its official media partner, Zhejiang Satellite TV. The gala has also garnered a title sponsorship from Shanghai Jahwa, one of China’s largest manufacturers of daily-used personal chemicals products company.Apart from Zhejiang Satellite TV, Alibaba’s media assets like Youku Tudou, Tmall TV Box and UC Web etc. will be conducting live broadcast of the gala.The ecommerce giant also announced that it will be allocating four one-minute advertising time slots for free to consumers, brands, non-profit organizations and 11.11 participants during prime time live broadcasting of this year’s gala, depending on the level of creativity in their ad submissions.