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Piracy is the "true competitor" for subscription video-on-demand services in Asia
Mobile is the most frequented method of viewing in many Asian markets
Region may only have room for a limited number of broad-based SVOD providers to thrive
Singapore-based SVOD service HOOQ was established in January 2015 as a joint venture between Singtel, Sony Corp.'s Sony Pictures Television Inc. and Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. It targets Southeast Asian markets with a mix of Hollywood and local content. HOOQ's online video streaming service was initially rolled out in Indonesia, the Philippines, India and Thailand before launching in Singapore in late 2016.
S&P Global Market Intelligence spoke to Peter Bithos, CEO of HOOQ, about video content consumption habits in Asia and the outlook for the region's competitive SVOD market. Below is an edited transcript of the interview.
S&P Global Market Intelligence: How do SVOD services compete with video content consumption options in Asia such as piracy and pay TV?
Peter Bithos is CEO of HOOQ. He previously served as COO of Globe Telecom in the Philippines and as CEO of Virgin Mobile Australia, both subsidiaries of Singtel Group.
Source: HOOQ
Peter Bithos: Our true competitor is piracy. Most customers in Asia do not set out to be pirates. What...