MANILA, Philippines - Over 10,000 movies in the palm of your hand.
Listed Globe Telecom Inc., a partnership between conglomerate Ayala Corp. and Singapore Telecoms Inc., has partnered with Asia’s video-on-demand service provider HOOQ.
HOOQ chief executive officer Peter Bithos said the company that was formed last Feb. 5 picked the Philippines and Globe for the launch of its video-on-demand service.
“The Philippines is a natural first market for us. Filipinos’ dual love of local and Hollywood content combined with their digital savviness makes the Philippines a perfect place for us to start,” he said.
Bithos, who served as chief operating advisor of Globe for five years, said the partnership with Globe would provide over 45 million subscribers unlimited online streaming access and an offline viewing option to top Hollywood and Filipino movie and television content, via any device including computers, smartphones and tablets.
With extensive Hollywood and local content, Bithos said, Filipinos could look forward to more than 10,000 movies and television episodes and TV shows including titles from partners Sony and Warner Bros. for only P199 per month.
According to Bithos customers could watch Hollywood movies such as Harry Potter, Spider-Man and Inception, while enjoying popular TV series such as Gossip Girl, Friends and Smallville.
He added that local film and TV content would also be available through partnerships with the country’s top studios, such as GMA Network, Viva Communications, Regal Entertainment, and ABS-CBN.
These include high-grossing films such as Metro Manila, A Secret Affair, Shake Rattle and Roll and Ang Tanging Ina, as well as classics including Dyesebel, Bagets and Bituing Walang Ningning as well as highly-rated TV shows like My Husband’s Lover, Mulawin, Tayong Dalawa and Mara Clara.
According to Bithos, HOOQ would change the way people in emerging markets consume and enjoy entertainment.
“Our partnership with Globe, the leader in digital partnerships in the Philippines, helps us bring Philippine customers a premium video service and new form of entertainment that combines the best of Hollywood, Asian and Philippine video content across all devices,” he said.
A survey conducted in 2014 showed viewing online video content has become a pastime for digital consumers in the Philippines with 85 percent watching at least weekly, the second highest in the region.
The same survey also showed that seven in 10 digital consumers in the country watch TV content and movies via online sources such as video-on-demand, the second highest penetration of internet TV in the region at 71 percent.
Globe president Ernest Cu said a customer paying P199 per month to subscribe to the video-on-demand service of HOOQ is far cheaper than buying a ticket to watch a movie.
“Globe will provide its customers with the ability to download HOOQ, which will soon be available to customers on a plan-based service for P199 per month for access to thousands of movies, far more affordable than buying a ticket for just one movie,” Cu said.
Cu disclosed that the service would also be offered as a bundled service with the telco’s GoSURF and Tattoo broadband services.
Following the launch in the Philippines, Singtel chief executive officer Group Digital Life Jonathan Auerbach said HOOQ would also be rolled out across Asia soon.
“The rapid adoption of connected devices means more people in Asia are able to access the Internet anywhere and at any time, driving demand for compelling content that enhances their digital lives,” Auerbach said.
“HOOQ is set to change the way people across the region consume and enjoy entertainment,” said George Chien, Executive Vice President, Networks at Sony Pictures Television.
“HOOQ provides a unique combination of Hollywood and local favorites while providing a high-quality viewing experience they’ve come to expect in today’s digital world,” Warner Bros vice president for Corporate Business Development and Strategy Anuraj Goonetilleke said.
“We’re very excited about the launch of our joint video-on-demand business across Asia, starting with the Philippines. Providing world-class content to Asia’s entertainment fans will meet a voracious appetite for new and classic videos and TV episodes on-demand,” Goonetilleke said.