SAN FRANCISCO — (BUSINESS WIRE) — December 21, 2018 — Baidu, Inc. (Nasdaq: BIDU), the leading Chinese-language internet search provider, has partnered with Paramount Pictures to bring immersive messaging features to fans in anticipation of the holiday premiere of “Bumblebee,” the latest film in the “Transformers” series.
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Bumblebee AR emoji from Facemoji Keyboard (Graphic: Business Wire)
Just in time for the December 21, 2018 release (US), Baidu and the Paramount International Digital group collaborated closely to bring the beloved yellow Transformer from the globally recognized franchise to a new home within Baidu’s keyboard apps in the United States, China and Japan. The Facemoji, Simeji and Baidu IME keyboards are already known for extensive libraries of emoji, customizable themes and keyboard skins, and thriving communities of creators; now, the nearly 400 million users can download and enjoy these Bumblebee-themed offerings through the apps:
- Bumblebee AR Emoji: Built on Baidu’s sophisticated face-tracking AI, the hyper-realistic AR rendering of everyone’s favorite Autobot mirrors the user’s expression and enables them to take selfies or create one-of-a-kind GIFs.
- Two Bumblebee-themed Sticker Packs: Expressive stickers featuring Bumblebee and Charlie give conversations some extra gas with sayings like “Bee right there” “#TBeeT,” “High Five!” and others.
“This is the first partnership of its kind between Baidu’s global business unit and a major Hollywood studio, and it couldn’t be more fitting,” said Mr. Jiang Feng, director of Baidu’s global business unit. “The Transformers films have nurtured a thriving community of fans, and Baidu prides itself on fostering a similar environment for its keyboard app users, where technology can be as fun as it is sophisticated. This is the perfect setting for Charlie and Bumblebee to help users and fans alike transform their messaging experience into something a bit more yellow.”
In addition to the Bumblebee-inspired AR emoji and sticker sets, users can interact with other Transformers fans within the app by voting on and downloading their favorite sticker combinations. Users no longer need to rely solely on hashtags or approximated characters when messaging friends — Paramount and Baidu are making Bumblebee accessible to everyone in and outside the movie theater.
The latest version of Facemoji Keyboard for Android is available via the Google Play Store. Follow Facemoji Keyboard on Instagram at www.instagram.com/FacemojiKeyboard, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FacemojiKeyboard.
About Facemoji Keyboard
Facemoji Keyboard is an emoji-centric keyboard app featuring Baidu’s speech recognition technology. It includes an emoji prediction feature, a wide variety of stickers and customizable keyboards, and the ability to turn people’s faces into animated emoji GIFs. Facemoji Keyboard’s goal is to help people around the world express themselves in new ways with fun, creative emoji.
About Baidu
Baidu, Inc. is the leading Chinese language internet search provider. As a technology-based media company, Baidu aims to provide the best and most equitable way for people to find what they’re looking for. In addition to serving individual internet search users, Baidu provides an effective platform for businesses to reach potential customers. Baidu’s ADSs trade on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “BIDU.” Currently, 10 ADSs represent one Class A ordinary share.
About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Television, Paramount Players, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.
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