Disney partners with Chinese third-party Android app store

The Alibaba-owned 9Apps, one of the most popular third-party android app markets in India, has announced a partnership with Disney India’s interactive business to host and promote over 300 popular mobile games from its gaming catalogue.The app market will now showcase games like Inside Out Thought Bubbles, Mickey Cup, Minnie Cake Factory, Toy Story: Smash It! and many more.Ebrahim Popat, country manager at 9Apps, said the association with Disney India's interactive business aims to target local markets and add value to their loyal and vast user base in the country.The app market now has 250 million monthly users and generates 26 million installs per day. The deal is hoping to cement 9Apps position as the leading distributor in the territory.On the other hand, Sameer Ganapathy, VP and head interactive – Disney India, said the deal extends Disney’s reach into the Indian market."We have a great selection of gaming content based on our beloved characters and rich franchises, and with its growing popularity in India, 9Apps is definitely an association of choice to promote our rich catalogue of games and widen our consumer touch-points," he said.With 9Apps and handset manufacturers like Huawei building large user bases in India, China’s mobile giants are beginning to establish hegemony over the space. Deals like this may be securing that even further.