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| Type | Public company |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1998 |
| Founder(s) | Mr. Ma Huateng |
| Headquarters |  Shenzhen, Guangdong, China |
| Area served | China |
| Key people | Chairman: Mr. Ma Huateng |
| Industry | Online service provider |
| Website | Tencent Holdings Limited |
Tencent Holdings Limited (SEHK: 700) is a publicly-owned, Chinese holding company whose subsidiaries provide internet and mobile phone value-added services and operate online advertising services in China.
Tencent’s diverse services include social networks, portal websites, e-commerce, games,[1] and its well-known instant messenger, Tencent QQ.[2][3]
It runs one of the largest web portals in China, QQ.com.[4]
Tencent Holdings Ltd is incorporated in the Cayman Islands.[5]
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Tencent was founded by Ma Huateng and Zhang Zhidong in November, 1998[6] as Tencent Inc,[7] and Tencent Holding Ltd was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on June 16, 2004.[7]
On June 10 2008, Tencent Holdings was added to the Hang Seng Index Constituent Stock.[8]
Tencent remained unprofitable for its first three years,[6] but by 2000 its OICQ messenger had 40 million registered users, and South African Naspers purchased a 46% share of the company in 2001. It was during these early years that Tencent's messenger product had its name changed to QQ, this was said to be due to a (apocryphal) lawsuit from ICQ itself.[6]
Originally the company derived income solely from advertising and "premium" users of QQ, who pay monthly fees to receive added extras.[6] But by 2005, charging for use of QQ mobile, its cellular value-added service, and licensing its iconic penguin character, which can now be found on snack food[9] and clothing, had become income generators.[6] And more recently, Tencent has also seen profit from sale of virtual goods.[10][11][4][12]
As of 2009, the company held 400 patents.[13]
The name "Tencent" is derived from the Chinese phrase "十分" (Pinyin: shí fēn). The first character 十 (shí) means the number 10. The second character 分(fēn) can be used to call a unit in currency, where one 分 (fēn) is a one-hundredth subdivision of one yuan), making it equivalent of one cent. In addition, the word 分 (fēn) traditionally refers to 1/10 of something, and is used in common Chinese phrases like "十分" to describe 100%, perfection, or "very". For example, "十分强大" (shí fēn qiáng dà) would translate to "very powerful".
However, the Chinese name for the company is not "十分" (Pinyin: shí fēn). Instead, it is a loose phonetic translation of "Tencent": 腾讯 (Pinyin: téng xùn).
Tencent sells virtual goods[12] for use in their MMOs,[11] IM client, social networking sites,[14] and for mobile phones.[11][15] Income from the sale of virtual goods are, as of 2009, a large proportion of Tencent's revenue.[10][11][4] Tencent's online currency, Q Coins, can be used to purchase virtual goods,[16] which range from the offbeat, such as virtual pets,[17] and the virtual clothing, jewelry and cosmetics needed customize online-game avatars,[18] to the more mundane, such as more storage space, wallpapers, bigger photo albums[14] and ring tones.[15]
Tencent's products and services span seven main business lines: IM services, Online Media, Mobile & Telecommunications Value-added Services, Interactive Entertainment Service, Internet Value-added Services and E-commerce and Online Advertising Service.[19] The below is an incomplete list, a more exhaustive list can be found here.
China's first "smart interactive television service", and a joint effort with TCL.[16]
A joint effort with Globe7 HK Ltd, a subsidiary of India's Northgate Technologies, Longhaier is a student-oriented social networking site for the Chinese market.[20] The site includes forums, campus information, games and other interactive Web applications, as well as information on study abroad, job placement and scholarship opportunities.[20]
Tencent offers a number of online, multiplayer games through its game portal QQ Games. These MMOs include Dungeon & Fighter, a side-scrolling online fighting game, QQ Fantasy, a 2D online game that incorporates elements from Chinese mythology, Xunxian, a 3D, online RPG, QQ Three Kingdoms, an online casual role playing game set during the historical three kingdoms period, QQ Huaxia, an online RPG, QQ Dancer, an online musical dancing game that offers QQ IM interactivity, QQ Nanaimo, an online game set on a desert island where players maintain houses and pets, QQ Speed, a casual online racing game, QQ R2Beat, an online in-line skating game, QQ Tang, an "advanced casual game" with gameplay derived from Chinese literature, QQ PET, a QQ IM-based desktop virtual pet game and two online FPSes, Cross Fire and AVA.[21]
Launched on March 13, 2006,[22] it is a C2C auction site.[16]
Launched in February, 1999,[23] Tencent's most notable product,[2][3] QQ is one of the most popular instant messaging platforms in its home market.[16][24] While the IM service is free, a fee is charged for mobile messaging.[25]
A P2P distribution platform for streaming media.[26]
An avatar-based social platform like Cyworld[4] or Habbo, QQ show's avatar design system allows purchase of virtual goods to outfit your avatar who can also be used with QQ IM, QQ Chat Room, Tencent Community and QQLove.[26]
A social networking service,[3] and as of 2008, the largest in China.[5]
Launched in March, 2006,[27] this search engine's name sounds like "搜搜", or “search search” in Chinese.[28] It is a Chinese partner of Google, using Google’s Adwords.[29] One of its features is an encyclopedia wiki.[30]
Abbreviated "TT", it is a web browser developed by Tencent,[31] and based on the IE kernel[32] and Trident. In 2008, it was the third most-used browser in China.[32]
An online payment system similar to PayPal,[16] it supports B2B, B2C and C2C payments.[22] In some Chinese cities individuals can use TenPay for utility payments and to refill their public transport cards.[33] Co-branded credit cards are available, and credit card bills can also be paid using the service.[34] Offline recharging of your TenPay account is possible, as the company sends employees to collect customer money in person.[35]
Tencent has at least four wholly foreign owned enterprises, and nearly twenty subsidiaries in all.[5]
A software developer that has created, among others, Tencent Traveler and later versions of QQ IM,[36] as well as mobile software.[37] It is located at the Southern District of Hi-tech Park, Shenzhen.[36] It also holds a number of patents related to instant messaging and Massively multiplayer online game gaming.[38]
Tencent's headquarters are located in Southern District of Hi-tech Park, Shenzhen.[23] Other sites include a 48,000 square meter compound that houses a R&D center in the Chengdu Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone,[39] a data and R&D center in Tianjin's Binhai Service Outsourcing Industry Park that is expected to be finished by June, 2013,[40] and also some 17,646 square meters of Shanghai office space purchased through a subsidiary, Tencent Cyber (Tianjin), and located in the Shanghai Modern Technology Services Community Zone.[41]
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| It has been suggested that Tencent Traveler be merged into this article or section. (Discuss) |
| Type | Privately-owned company |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1998 |
| Founder(s) | Mr. Ma Huateng |
| Headquarters | File:Flag of the People' Shenzhen, Guangdong, China |
| Area served | China |
| Key people | Chairman: Mr. Ma Huateng |
| Industry | Online service provider |
| Website | Tencent Holdings Limited |
Tencent Holdings Limited (SEHK: 700) is the largest and most used Internet service portal company in the People's Republic of China. It was established by Mr. Ma Huateng in 1998. QQ, Tencent's most notable product, has become one of the most popular instant messaging platforms in Mainland China.[1]
Tencent was listed in the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on June 16, 2004.
With effective from 10 June 2008, Tencent Holdings is added to Hang Seng Index Constituent Stock (blue chip).[2] It had the highest historical PE ratio (more than 50) among HSI blue chip stocks in that year.
The name "Tencent" is derived from the Chinese phrase "十分" (Pinyin: shí fēn), while literally meaning "ten cents" (where one 分 fēn is a one-hundredth subdivision of one yuan), is also used as a phrase for "very", for example, "十分强大" (shí fēn qiáng dà) would translate to "very powerful".
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