KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's Pay TV operator Astro said Tuesday that it has partnered with IQiYi, a subsidiary of Chinese tech giant Baidu to offer Astro customers access to Chinese premium content.

The partnership marks the first collaboration for IQiYi outside the Greater China market, it said.

Under the partnership, Malaysia Astro subscribers will be able to enjoy a series of drama and entertainment shows under IQiYi, effective March.

Astro Chinese Customer Business vice president Wong Siah Ping said in a statement that the latest collaboration is a testament to the group's commitment towards becoming the leading content aggregator, enabling Malaysians to access to Chinese premium content at their convenience.

"Moving forward, we will continue to offer premium entertainment contents produced by IQiYi to Malaysian audience," he said.