Netflix finally found a way in to the Chinese market – through iQiyi.com.

Through a licensing deal Netflix can now introduce original content in the tightly governed market. In China, streaming services are subject to strict data storage regulations and foreign films and television are routinely censored.

According to a spokesperson, the content air times will parallel other regions, declining to comment further on the licensing or any other details.

Netflix has played down the possibility of its entry into China in the past year despite its otherwise rapid global expansion.

In October co-founder and Chief Executive Reed Hastings said that prospects for a direct streaming service in the country were slim, and the firm had made no progress in obtaining government approvals.

iQiyi.com is one of China’s largest streaming services and is backed by search giant Baidu Inc. In February it raised 1.53 billion to take on local rivals in a hotly contested market.