Tag: sooka

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Streaming platform sooka, alongside Mediabrands Content Studio (MBCS), have announced a unique Ramadan campaign designed to address the increased social media consumption and fasting challenges faced during the holy month.

Recognising the shift in viewing habits and the prevalence of “doomscrolling” during Ramadan, the sooka Ramadan – Buat Puasa Tak Terasa (ease your fasting struggles) campaign aims to offer a refreshing alternative: engaging content on the sooka streaming platform.

Leveraging insights from Google’s YouTube data, the campaign targets key moments throughout the day when people are most likely to be online – before and after Sahur (pre-dawn meal before the fast), lunchtime, before breaking fast, and after Terawih (evening prayers). 

These times are often associated with challenges like oversleeping or the struggle of viewing food content while fasting. The campaign directly addresses these hurdles, positioning sooka as a solution to make the fasting experience more manageable and enjoyable.

Unlike traditional Ramadan advertising focusing on emotional family issues and food-based ads, the campaign tackles the often-overlooked issue of excessive social media consumption. Instead of simply adding to the noise on social platforms, the campaign aims to provide a compelling alternative.

Kevin Le, executive creative director at MBCS, said, “While every other brand is serving ads around typical festive themes, they don’t actually talk about helping people through a difficult fast. We understand that doomscrolling peaks during Ramadan and happens at key times. We see this as the perfect time to explore sooka as a useful distraction. We understand your struggle, and sooka can help you through this.”

He added, “The Ramadan-themed messages and sooka clips are specifically designed to encourage viewers to shift their focus from mindless scrolling to immersive and fulfilling content on sooka. It’s also our first foray into YouTube Shorts, getting our viewers to go from vertical to horizontal viewing. By acknowledging and addressing the unique challenges of Ramadan, we hope to not only help you through your fast but introduce you to a truly valuable service.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – sooka, a local entertainment streaming app, has marked its first year in Malaysia through its ‘sooka Dah Besar Sekarang’ celebration at REXKL today, to commemorate its expansion onto Smart TVs with the launch of sooka VIP TV, and to introduce its second Original series – Hantu Raya Pergi Perang.

Emarina Kamal, head of programming at sooka, shared, “One year onward from our launch in Malaysia, our expansion onto the big screen could not have come at a better time, as more local content are produced and sports events are available for viewers to enjoy on their preferred screens.”

Kamal added, “Today, we have about 71% of mobile users enjoying our content on mobile devices. With sooka VIP TV, we want to further reach to a wider audience who enjoy streaming their favorite content on Smart TVs. With sooka, users will now have the option and convenience to choose how and where they want to consume content, be it on their mobile devices at anytime, anywhere, or on the big screen at the comfort of their homes.”

The sooka VIP TV offering was realised through sooka’s collaborations with Samsung, LG, Sharp and Sony, where users can download the sooka app from selected Smart TV models from these brands. At RM84.90(US$19.27) a month, sooka has an on-going ‘Buy 1 month, Free 1 month’ promotion that lasts till 15 July 2022, where sooka VIP TV subscribers will receive the second month’s subscription for free. The VIP TV plan unlocks access to all premium content under sooka’s current VIP+Sports and VIP Entertainment mobile app plans and allows concurrent viewing access to one Smart TV and up to two mobile devices logins.

Emarina further said, “Our one-year milestone has elevated us from an entertainment streaming app that allows subscribers to stream on-the-go, to now streaming on the big screen – and this is attributed to our subscribers, partners, local content providers and creators. Since our inception, we have registered 1.5 million downloads of our app, streamed a total of 556 million minutes’ worth of entertainment and sports content, and launched two Original series, including the one we are premiering today which is Hantu Raya Pergi Perang.”

Its second Original series, Hantu Raya Pergi Perang, starring Hun Haqeem, Sharifah Sakinah, Rashidi Ishak, Syean Mokhtar and Iman Corinne in leading roles, will be available on sooka starting 24 June 2022.

Directed by Wan Hasliza and Wan Alak – the award-winning directors of Keluarga Iskandar – Hantu Raya Pergi Perang is a horror comedy-drama that tells the story of a local village community that holds on strongly to Malaysian ghosts and folklore legends. Produced through a collaborative effort with a local production house, KL Motion, the series is a premium content under the sooka VIP Entertainment and VIP TV plans and runs for eight episodes exclusively on sooka, starting with 1 FREE episodes to be aired on 24 June.

sooka’s existing subscription plans are VIP Entertainment, VIP+Sports and VIP TV for RM15.90(US$3.61), RM41.90(US$951) and RM84.90(US$19.27) per month respectively. To enjoy sooka and watch LIVE sports action and best local entertainment content on your mobile devices andbig screens with your loved ones, download the sooka app from the Apple Store or Google PlayStore (for mobile app) and Samsung, LG, Sharp and Sony app stores (for VIP TV). 

All subscription plans by sooka are contract-free and comes with zero commitment.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – New streaming platform sooka, releases its latest campaign together with Reprise in commemoration of this year’s Raya celebrations, the festival of the ‘breaking of the fast’ celebrated by Muslims in Malaysia. 

The film titled ‘Krisis Social Media Anis’ (Anis’ Social Media Crisis), directed by P. Prem Anand Pillai of ‘Love Child’, features the trials of social media wannabe, Anis, as she laments the loss of two followers the day before Raya. Her family, who happens to share a similar obsession with social media and calls each other by their social handles, rallies together with a social media guru for tips and insights to help her gain back lost followers, urging more followers for Anis through their own social media accounts. All to no avail.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddDwbm3gTKw&t=1s

Head of Brand & Communications of sooka, Hilda Shamsul Bahri, said, “The idea came from a series of real stories on the challenges of this generation who see ‘Likes’ and ‘Followers’ as their social currency. But it’s not always about the ‘Likes’. We want younger Malaysians to know that your self-worth is not dependent on social media perception. Rather, it is about giving thanks, and improving connections with our family and loved ones this Raya. We love the freshness of this festive film by Reprise for us as it falls very much in line with what we stand for as a brand.”

Kevin Le, executive creative director of Reprise Digital, said, “The film was inspired by millennials, who crave social validation. This quest to belong on the social sphere through the best content, more likes, and followers sometimes comes at the cost of what’s real. This Raya, we wanted to show that the best followers are your family, so embrace your true selves and appreciate the people who have always been supportive of you.”Le also added that the central character of Anis is relatable to the younger generation, whether they celebrate Raya or not.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Multimedia broadcasting Astro has tapped customer relationship management (CRM) company Evergent, to activate monetization for its newest streaming service sooka, launched last June this year.

Through the partnership, Astro will use Evergent’s customer management and monetization tools to support registration and subscription management for sooka. Offering both free ad-supported content and subscription services, sooka unites live international sports programming with popular Malaysian dramas and entertainment programs.

For Euan Smith, chief executive officer of TV and group chief operations officer at Astro, the company’s mission is to provide Malaysians with entertaining and informative content, reaching as many customers as possible through the most popular platforms and devices.

“Through our partnership with Evergent, we are now able to offer multiple pricing options for our new sooka streaming platform while also retaining the ability to unlock new business opportunities as we scale the service. As a result, our customers can choose the pricing model and payment methods that best match their needs, allowing Malaysians to enjoy premium content and live sports anytime, anywhere,” Smith said.

Meanwhile, Vijay Sajja, founder and CEO of Evergent, notes that Astro’s new flexible monetization options, powered by Evergent’s technology, will now make premium content more accessible to millions of Malaysians.

“Through Evergent’s global partnerships, we are able to work together with the most innovative media and entertainment companies in each country or region. Astro is the market leader for Malaysian entertainment and a leader in Southeast Asia, and we are proud to help them further grow their business through the launch of sooka,” Sajja stated.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Aimed at bridging the gap between availability and accessibility of local content millenials love, Malaysian streaming platform sooka has recently been launched, which will offer a diversity of global content such as live sports, as well as hyperlocal content.

According to the company, sooka is on the path to create more hyper local, relevant content, and making it more accessible than ever before to a mobile-first entertainment audience. These include Malaysian dramas and entertainment programs, and of course, sooka exclusives and originals that aim to resonate with millennials on a mobile-based streaming platform.

Aside from the free tier the streaming service offers, sooka is also offering two-tier options: ‘VIP+Sports’ plan priced at RM41.90 per month for avid sports fans to experience unlimited and first-hand access to the best live sports actions all year round; and ‘VIP Entertainment’ plan which is priced at RM15.90 per month that unlocks the best Malaysian entertainment content from local dramas, variety shows, and movies, as well as sooka exclusives and originals.

As part of the ‘VIP+Sports’ plan, there is also an exclusive promotion in conjunction with the upcoming football event UEFA Euro, where sports enthusiasts can enjoy all 51 UEFA EURO 2020 live matches, and other ground-breaking live sports actions, alongside much-loved Malaysian entertainment and local exclusives and originals under the price of RM15.90 per month.

According to Emarina Mohd Kamal, head of programming at sooka, they believe that the platform’s launch comes at a time where users today are now embracing a mobile-first lifestyle and as such are attuned to consuming content online. Furthermore, Kamal states as well that the shift in viewing trends had consumers rapidly embracing the ‘new normal’ digital lifestyle, and great content has become a vital digital asset.

“It is of no surprise that they are reliant on their smartphones and active on social media, and constantly search for great content that they can consume on-the-go immediately from their mobile devices. sooka’s content is curated for this immediate consumption, at affordable price points and simple plans, and we invite all millennials to try sooka,” Kamal said.

She also explained that the platform’s main differentiator is its ability to deliver live sports streaming for passionate fans to enjoy on their mobile devices, enabling them to get their sports ‘fix’ anytime and anywhere. She added that the platform has a strong sports content line up until year-end and will continue to strengthen their sports proposition in order to bring the best for Malaysian sports fans.

“In addition, we are thrilled to offer a deep, current and curated library of premium Malay day-date drama series, movies, LIVE variety, and entertainment plus Chinese and Indian shows to satisfy local viewing preferences. We are also working with the industry’s best creators and production houses to create fresh and engaging originals specifically targeted at millennials, so expect to see more of these in the months to come,” she concluded.