Filipinos will be first in Asia to get access to extensive Hollywood and local content with Globe Telecom and HOOQ: Asia’s first video-on-demand service HOOQ has arrived in the Philippines, making Filipinos the first in the region to gain access to a library of over 10,000 international and local movies and TV shows with its partnership with leading telecommunications company Globe Telecom.
A start-up joint venture between Singtel, Sony Pictures Television, and Warner Bros. Entertainment, HOOQ is set to change the way people in emerging markets consume and enjoy entertainment by allowing customers to enjoy online streaming access and an offline viewing option of movies and TV shows across smartphones, computers, and tablets.
Launching the partnership in the picture above are [L-R] HOOQ CEO Peter Bithos, Globe Telecom President and CEO Ernest Cu, Globe Telecom Senior Advisor for Consumer Business Group Dan Horan, VIVA Entertainment Executive Vice President Vincent Del Rosario, VIVA Entertainment CEO Vic Del Rosario, GMA New Media, Inc. President and COO Judd Gallares, Regal Entertainment Inc. Vice President Roselle Monteverde-Teo, ABS-CBN Head of Integrated Acquisition & International Sales & Distribution Evelyn Raymundo, Sony Pictures Executive Vice President for Networks George Chung-Chi Chien, and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution Vice President for Business Strategy Anuraj Shavantha Goonetilleke.
Globe Telecom will be offering it to its customers first to get HOOQ at P199 per month. According to a Nielsen report in 2014, viewing online video content has become a pastime for digital consumers in the Philippines, with 85% watching at least weekly, the second highest in the region. The same report also revealed that 7 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%.
‘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. Right now, we are in the best position to offer this type of service as the leader in enabling the digital lifestyle of Filipinos and the number one network for smartphones. To meet their needs, 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.’ said Mr Ernest Cu, President and CEO of Globe Telecom.
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 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.
