PCCW enters PH, ties up with Inquirer group

The media unit of Hong Kong-based telecommunications giant PCCW Ltd. is entering the county’s shores with the launch of a new internet TV service riding on the Korean wave spreading in the Philippines.

PCCW Media, in partnership with the Inquirer Group, launched Tuesday its over-the-top (OTT) service Viu, a mobile app that allows free streaming and downloading of Asian shows, including the largest library of Korean TV dramas, as soon as eight hours after these are aired in their home country.

It would be the fourth internet TV company to enter the Philippines, after Netflix, iflix and Hooq.

PCCW Media managing director Janice Lee told the Inquirer Tuesday what set Viu apart was its focus on Asian shows, and the speed and consistency at which the programs were delivered to their customers.

Calling the Philippines its “dream market,” Lee said the country’s large population, increasing levels of internet and smartphone penetration, growing digital adverting prospects, and diversity in terms of media consumption were good indicators for Viu.

The business opportunity was also large, as the company expected emerging market OTT revenues, including the Philippines and Indonesia, to hit $19 billion by 2019.

While declining to share specific targets, Lee said Viu had about four million active users since it launched in Oct. 2015. It is present in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, India and Indonesia and it plans to launch in Thailand during the first quarter of 2017.

“We expect the Philippines to add to that growth very quickly,” Lee said.

She noted the country already has a “great multicultural preference for content.”

“You like content whether it’s from the Philippines or outside the Philippines,” she said.

Korean media entertainment offerings were a good example of this. Lee shared that of the 30 million Filipinos  who regularly watch videos online, over 70 percent of them watch Korean television shows.

Viu has about 10,000 content hours, with 4,000 hours of the newest “simulcast” Korean dramas and variety shows, with English subtitles.

Lee said Viu was also studying exporting Filipino television shows to its other markets.

“We would love to include Philippine content, not just for the Philippine market,” Lee said, adding that Viu was still “formulating its strategy” in this area.

Philippine Daily Inquirer President and CEO Sandy Prieto-Romualdez said the development was part of Inquirer’s “evolution,” as it seeks to broaden its reach via new partnerships across different platforms.

“Millennials want immediacy and flexibility in watching their favorite content and they yearn for Asian and especially Korean content,” she said.