In the wake of increasingly popular over-the-top (OTT) content services such as Netflix, Amazon Instant Video and Hulu, Singtel has announced a partnership with Sony Pictures Television and Warner Bros. Entertainment to set up something similar in Asia.
The three communications giants have established HOOQ, a joint venture start-up that promises to offer a streamable and downloadable catalogue of more than 10,000 Hollywood films and TV shows, along with regional content, which will be available on various devices and platforms.
According to the press release, HOOQ will be rolled out progressively across Singtel Group's Asian orbit including Indonesia, India, Thailand and the Philippines from the first quarter of 2015.
“HOOQ will deliver a new form of entertainment that combines the best of Hollywood with the depth and richness of local Asian video content, across all devices at an affordable price,” says the newly anointed CEO of HOOQ Peter G. Bithos.
Though the partnership will mean that only content produced by Warner Bros. Entertainment (Harry Potter, the Batman reboots, The Hobbit trilogy) and Sony Pictures (the Spider-man series, Friends, Seinfeld) are to be offered, it's a first step to recognising OTT services as the future of television viewing.
“We are starting this venture to change the way people across Asia view entertainment. Today, across developing markets, there is limited access to quality entertainment, streamed directly to the screen of one's choice," remarks Bithos. "It's either illegal, high cost or difficult to get. We aim to fix that.”
Photo: The Dark Knight Rises Facebook page
In the wake of increasingly popular over-the-top (OTT) content services such as Netflix, Amazon Instant Video and Hulu, Singtel has announced a partnership with Sony Pictures Television and Warner Bros. Entertainment to set up something similar in Asia.
The three communications giants have established HOOQ, a joint venture start-up that promises to offer a streamable and downloadable catalogue of more than 10,000 Hollywood films and TV shows, along with regional content, which will be available on various devices and platforms.
According to the press release, HOOQ will be rolled out progressively across Singtel Group's Asian orbit including Indonesia, India, Thailand and the Philippines from the first quarter of 2015.
“HOOQ will deliver a new form of entertainment that combines the best of Hollywood with the depth and richness of local Asian video content, across all devices at an affordable price,” says the newly anointed CEO of HOOQ Peter G. Bithos.
Though the partnership will mean that only content produced by Warner Bros. Entertainment (Harry Potter, the Batman reboots, The Hobbit trilogy) and Sony Pictures (the Spider-man series, Friends, Seinfeld) are to be offered, it's a first step to recognising OTT services as the future of television viewing.
“We are starting this venture to change the way people across Asia view entertainment. Today, across developing markets, there is limited access to quality entertainment, streamed directly to the screen of one's choice," remarks Bithos. "It's either illegal, high cost or difficult to get. We aim to fix that.”
Photo: The Dark Knight Rises Facebook page