HOOQ debuts in the Philippines
February 10, 2015
Just one week after its establishment, Asia’s video-on-demand service HOOQ, is to launch in the Philippines from late February in partnership with Globe Telecom.
HOOQ, a start-up joint venture between Singtel, Sony Pictures Television and Warner Bros. Entertainment, will enable customers of Globe Telecom to enjoy 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.
Filipinos can look forward to more than 10,000 movies and television episodes and TV shows including titles from partners Sony and Warner Bros. Customers can watch Hollywood movies such as Harry Potter, Spider-Man and Inception, while enjoying popular TV series such as Gossip Girl, Friends and Smallville.
Local film and TV content will also be available through partnerships with the country’s top studios, such as GMA, Viva Communications, Regal Entertainment, and ABS-CBN.
“Across the emerging economies, people have amazing stories and love stories. However, a few billion people have no quality way of seeing the best stories from Hollywood or their local market. HOOQ will change that. HOOQ will change the way people in emerging markets consume and enjoy entertainment,” said HOOQ Chief Executive Officer, Peter G. Bithos. “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 added.
According to a Nielsen report in 2014, viewing online video content has become a pastime for digital consumers in the Philippines, with 85 per cent watching at least weekly, the second highest in the region. The same report also revealed that seven in 10 digital consumers in the country report watching TV content and movies via online sources such as video-on-demand, the second highest penetration of Internet TV in the region at 71 per cent.
“Now more than ever, Filipinos consider connectivity as an essential part of their daily lives. Our customers, whether prepaid, postpaid, or broadband, are increasingly embracing an always-on world where they expect a wonderful experience from innovative and engaging data and content offers,” commented Ernest Cu, President and CEO of Globe Telecom. “We see the video-on-demand services offered by HOOQ as a critical offering representing the future of the industry. Now that consumers have access to a variety of international and local content, entertainment will now be more personal, and with Globe, this means experiencing it with the highest quality,” he added.
Recognising the value that video-on-demand services deliver to consumers, Globe Telecom will provide its customers with the ability to download HOOQ, which will soon be available to customers on a plan-based service for Philippine Peso 199 per month (€3.95) for access to thousands of movies, far more affordable than buying a ticket for just one movie. It will also be offered as a bundled service with the telco’s GoSURF and Tattoo broadband services.
The service will also be accessible to all customers in the Philippines through its website – http://HOOQ.tv. Through HOOQ.tv, customers can watch videos of their choice and pay for the subscription by credit card.