Billionaire Jack Ma says Alibaba Group Holding Ltd is seeking partners in Hollywood as China's biggest e-commerce operator wants to acquire more content for smartphones and tablet computers.

Ma is visiting Hollywood to learn about movie studios because China's film industry needs great cultural products, he told the WSJDLive conference in Laguna Beach, California, on Monday. The company has been inspired by Silicon Valley and believes it's time to invest in the technology hub, he says.

Alibaba, which completed the largest initial public offering last month, is hunting for movies and television shows as it expands its entertainment content.