PLDT, Smart offer unlimited online entertainment starting at P99 per month

LOCAL telecom giant Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. has teamed up with iflix, Southeast Asia’s leading Internet TV service provider, to offer to television and mobile device users a rich library of entertainment content for monthly subscription starting at P99.

In a press statement on Thursday, PLDT HOME and Smart Communications Inc. announced its pioneering exclusive partnership with iflix which will allow families and individuals to access more than 11,000 hours of TV and movie entertainment from the best content providers around the world—including top Hollywood, European, Asian, and even local studios—in just a few clicks.

This is seen part of PLDT’s move to unlock move revenues from data services, especially for its wireless segment of the business which has lagged the fixed line segment in riding on the digital boom.

The first among a series of launches for iflix in the region, the deal allows PLDT Home and Smart subscribers to avail of unlimited entertainment using their smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktop computers and TV screens.

“Whether you’re spending the weekend at home with your family, commuting to work on a Monday morning, or leaving for an out-of-town trip with friends during the summer, you can now enjoy entertainment everywhere with iflix in partnership with PLDT HOME and Smart,” Ariel Fermin, PLDT executive vice president and group head of consumer business, said in a press statement.

“With the convergence of the services from the number one home broadband provider and the largest mobile network in the country, our customers may conveniently access our most compelling entertainment content whether at home or outside of home. We are definitely looking forward to letting our subscribers in on a bigger and better entertainment experience everywhere with the help of iflix,” Fermin added.

iflix has entered into deals with Hollywood’s top studios, including The Walt Disney Company, Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution (Fox), BBC Worldwide (BBC), and Warner Bros. International Television Distribution (Warner Bros.), to bring what it describes as “the most captivating” TV and movie content to Filipino users. These include breakout TV hits such as “Sherlock,” “Doctor Who,” “Homeland,” and “The Big Bang Theory,” as well as action-packed superhero flicks that include “Star Trek,” “Batman Begins,” and “Green Lantern,” among thousands of other titles.

“We are extremely proud to have come together with the largest telecommunications company in the Philippines and, indeed, one of the region’s leading companies, to offer iflix to PLDT’s enormous customer base. With well over 75 million Filipinos communicating and being entertained using PLDT Group services, they are the absolute perfect partner for iflix in the Philippines,” said iflix chairman Patrick Grove.

“In PLDT we have found a like-minded partner who is committed to changing the way entertainment content is consumed in the region. We look forward to building an extraordinary business in the Philippines together.”

Existing users of PLDT HOME DSL and PLDT HOME Ultera can enjoy iflix as an add-on option on top of their monthly fees, for only P99 per month. Fibr Plan customers can enjoy iflix for free as part of their subscription. Meanwhile, HOME customers who will upgrade to a TVolution or Telpad plan will have unlimited access to iflix without any additional fee.

Smart subscribers, meanwhile, will likewise be able to access this service for P99 a month, charged to their prepaid loads or on top of their postpaid accounts.

To get started with iflix, users can register an account via www.iflix.com and receive a 14-day trial of the service. Once the trial expires, PLDT HOME and Smart users will be able to subscribe iflix for only P99 per month.

To use this iflix service on Android and iOS devices powered by PLDT HOME and Smart, users may download the iflix app from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.