PLDT teaming up with ABS-CBN

Philippine telco PLDT Inc. partnered with ABS-CBN for the latter’s iWant TV video-on-demand service.

The partnership opened a new platform for ABS-CBN to distribute content. In this case, subscribers of PLDT and mobile unit Smart communications can avail themselves of packages that offer iWant TV starting November this year.

“The strategic partnership between ABS-CBN and PLDT underscores our vision to make our content available online to more Filipinos,” ABS-CBN CEO Carlo Katigbak said in a statement.

Launched in 2007, iWant TV is considered a major source of local content online with over six million subscribers and an average of 27 million monthly page views on the website and 16 million screen views on the iOS and android iWant TV app.

It offers both on-demand and catch-up viewing of an extensive library of ABS-CBN programs, local and foreign movies, and original content.

“With this partnership, PLDT and Smart users may access the service starting November by subscribing to PLDT and Smart’s consumer promo packages,” ABS-CBN said in the statement.

iWant TV is one of the fastest growing digital properties of ABS-CBN.

It grew its subscriber base by 58 percent to 6 million in August 2016 from 3.8 million in August 2015. There was also a 9-percent growth in revenue in August 2016 from year-ago level.

ABS-CBN’s iWant TV is the first and only over-the-top (OTT) service in the country that delivers content via the internet without a fixed monthly subscription fee.

ABS-CBN posted P20.9 billion consolidated revenue for the first half of 2016.

Its net income hit P2.1 billion, up 76 percent compared to the level in the same period last year.