A three-year battle to be China’s leading video-sharing site is coming down to the wire, with front-runners Tudou and Youku looking for recognition as the mainland equivalent of YouTube, the hugely successful US-based site.

The reward for the fleetest could take the form of an initial public offering (IPO) in Nasdaq, the United States share market often favored by Chinese technology companies for raising cash. The founders and venture capital backers of the first past the Nasdaq post can anticipate cashing in their investments and consider the prospect of a soaring share value. The losing company faces a less illustrious future, with a possible sale to a rival or another Internet company. (Read article in Asia Times.)