Hooq, Asia?s newly launched video-on-demand service, made its splashy debut in the Philippines on Thursday, Feb. 5, through a partnership with Globe Telecom.
Hooq, a start-up joint venture between Singtel, Sony Pictures Television and Warner Bros. Entertainment, will allow customers of Globe 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. Customers can watch local 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.
TV shows like My Husband?s Lover, Mulawin, Tayong Dalawa and Mara Clara will also be available anytime and anywhere.
?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 former Globe chief operating advisor.
?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 percent 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 percent.
?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,? said Ernest Cu, president and CEO of Globe.
Recognizing the value that video-on-demand services deliver to consumers, 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.
It will also be offered as a bundled service with the telco?s GoSURF and Tattoo broadband services.
?Following the launch in the Philippines, Hooq will 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,? said Jonathan Auerbach, Singtel CEO Group Digital Life.
The service will also be accessible to all customers in the Philippines through its website. Through Hooq.tv, customers can watch videos of their choice and pay for the subscription by credit card.
