(Yicai Global) June 25 -- Visual China Group, the world's third-largest image licensing firm and China's version of Getty Images, will provide image resources for the online social media advertising platform of internet goliath Tencent Holdings to make its advertisers' creative production more efficient and lower its costs.

VCG's Tianjin-based wholly-owned unit has signed a cooperative agreement with Tencent unit Shenzhen Tencent Computer System, the former -- which is China's leading visual content provider -- said in a recent statement. the subsidiary will supply creative materials to Tencent's social media advertising platform, with specific licensing details to form the subject of a separate agreement, per the statement.

This is yet another partnership with Tencent's internet service segment following a collaboration with its we media platform early last year, the statement said.

The firm has completed initial content-based technology linkage with major domestic internet platforms Baidu, Tencent Holdings, Alibaba Group Holding, Beijing-based mobile news aggregator Yidian Zixun, ifeng, Sogou and Qihoo 360, and this will boost the company's status as a content ecosystem infrastructure and in-depth market coverage provider, the statement added.

Editor: Ben Armour