NetEase to close Weibo operations, surrender to Sina

Screenshot of the NetEase Weibo front page. NetEase suggested users move to Tumblr-like LOFTER.

(ECNS) -- Chinese news portal NetEase announced Wednesday that it would close its micro-blogging service, after fellow Weibo giant Tencent lost ground in its competition with major rival Sina Weibo.

The NetEase Weibo front page suggested users move to Tumblr-like LOFTER, launched by the company in 2011.

NetEase, famous for its portals and email services, will surrender China' micro-blog market to Sina after it tried gaining the advantage via its massive email user-base, analysts said.

NetEase said in May 2012 that its micro-blogging platform had a whopping 120 million subscribers, though only public accounts remain active at present, according to reports.

Tencent said in July that it would integrate its micro-blogging service operations team into the company's news structure, which indicates that it decided to halt further investment.

Tencent Weibo has over 500 million registered users. "But most use its instant messaging service QQ. Tencent Weibo itself does not have a strong influence among users," Li Xinran, an analyst at consultancy Analysys International, told Global Times.

However, the NetEase Mobile News application was the No. 1 such app used by consumers in China in terms of time spent on it, according to a report by Internet research firm iResearch in May.