Tag: Streaming services

Singapore – Singaporean mobile network operator M1 has announced an exclusive partnership with regional content-streaming startup Eazie TV to launch a new live TV streaming service optimised for a variety of platforms.

In the partnership, M1 will be adapting Eazie TV’s features in an app subscription, offering an efficient means of access where customers only need to download the app and sign up to immediately enjoy the available content offerings.

The app will offer over 75 live TV channels, including networks like History, CNN, TLC, AXN, Discovery, Nickelodeon, Hunan TV International, and more. Customers can watch their preferred live and on-demand programming from top international and Asian networks in popular categories like news, entertainment, sports, movies, documentaries, lifestyle, kids, and Asian.

Customers can watch content on as many as four streaming devices at home or on the go with a single membership account. Users of M1 pay S$19.98 per month for subscriptions, whereas non-M1 users pay S$24.98.

Existing M1 customers on M1 mobile, fibre and Maxx plans will also be receiving a free 30-days of access on their first subscription.

Manila, Philippines – Cignal TV, the television arm of media company Cignal, has unveiled ‘Pilipinas Live’, its own over-the-top (OTT) streaming platform dedicated to showcase sports events.

Through the new platform, users can watch sports live broadcasts including behind-the-scenes action, sports news and updates, interactive fan experiences, and other exclusive features.

Moreover, the platform also offers multiple screen viewing, with users able to watch plays from various camera points, as well as get insights from special hosts and guests and engage with fellow sport fans’ perspectives while sharing your own thoughts with other like-minded viewers on the app.

Jane Jimenez Basas, president and CEO of Cignal TV, said, “Pilipinas Live was created to reshape the landscape of sports viewing. It offers the ultimate digital experience to Filipino sports enthusiasts wherever they may be. The innovation behind the app’s development and rollout represents our steadfast commitment to providing only the best to the Pinoy sports fan.”

Basas added, “It will also stream this year’s most anticipated basketball event, the FIBA World Cup 2023 which will feature the best teams around the world. With Pilipinas Live, you can watch not just all the games that will be played in the Philippines, but also all the games in Japan and Indonesia. Of course, fans of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) will also enjoy watching their favourite games on the streaming platform.”

Cignal TV previously tapped Canadian software company Quickplay to aid in its development for the sports app, as well as expanding its existing ‘Cignal Play’ streaming service.

Manila, Philippines – Discovery+, a streaming service under multinational mass media company Warner Bros. Discovery has officially exited the Philippine market this April 27. The announcement was made official on the streaming service’s Twitter account.

https://twitter.com/discoveryplusPH/status/1651405832968634369

In several support articles posted by Discovery+ on its website, the decision to exit the local market follows Warner Bros. Discovery’s review of its content and streaming proposition in the Philippines.

“The Discovery+ website and app in the Philippines will be closing permanently, and you will no longer be able to watch shows on Discovery+ Philippines,” it stated.

It has encouraged its subscribers to watch other shows on WBD’s linear channels such as Discovery, TLC, Asian Food Network and HGTV.

Discovery+ has assured the public that it is only exiting the Philippine market, and no market exits will be expected in the near future. Moreover, Philippine-registered accounts will be inaccessible even overseas.

The platform launched in the Philippines back in October 2021 through a partnership with telco giant Globe.

Manila, Philippines – Media giant ABS-CBN has announced a partnership with Indian over-the-top (OTT) service MX Player to bring several of its shows to India, dubbed in multiple languages such as Hindi, Tamil, Marathi, Bengali, Kannada, and Malayalam.

Some of these shows include “The General’s Daughter”, “Hanggang Saan” (A Mother’s Guilt), “A Love to Last”, “Mea Culpa”, and “Love Thy Woman”.

According to ABS-CBN, its recent partnership reflects its cross-border endeavours, such as international co-productions, content adaptations, and multilingual distributions, which is deemed a ‘timely opportunity’ for them.

Maribel Hernaez, managing director for Asia-Pacific at ABS-CBN Global, said, “In this partnership, ABS-CBN and MX Player are able to show to a wider range of audience the shared culture of Filipinos and Indians, and – more importantly – a true humanity through exceptional storytelling. Whether it’s about revenge or a love story, crime or action, family or society, viewers will surely find a story apt to their taste.”

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for MX Player said, “MX Vdesi is a content category that is performing extremely well on our platform, and we strive to bring viewers compelling stories from around the world in an Indian language of their preference. We’re delighted to expand into a new international territory with the addition of these five Filipino titles and we believe the highly relevant and relatable narratives will strike a chord with Indian audiences.”

The new partnership comes after a recent partnership by ABS-CBN with Warner Brothers Discovery to bring several of its lifestyle programs across APAC viewers. ABS-CBN has also teamed up with media giant rival GMA Network to bring several of its ‘Star Cinema’ movies to the network, as well as partnering with Hong Kong telco SmarTone to provide Filipino entertainment content in Hong Kong.

California, USA – Following the acquisition of Sony’s Funimation of anime streaming service Crunchyroll in 2021, Crunchyroll announced that all of the anime-related content from Funimation will be migrated to Crunchyroll, making it one of the largest streaming services globally that serve anime-related content.

To date, there are over 40,000 subbed and dubbed episodes of anime titles available on Crunchyroll for fans to enjoy. In addition to consolidation of SVOD services, Sony-owned Funimation Global Group, LLC will now operate as Crunchyroll LLC and has initiated rebranding across its global footprint to solidify Crunchyroll as the single, global brand for anime.

According to Crunchyroll, said corporate move offers fans the “ultimate anime experience” with subs, dubs, films, and simulcast series in over 200 countries and territories and in 10 languages.

Colin Decker, CEO of Crunchyroll, said, “When we brought Funimation and Crunchyroll together last year, our top priority was to put fans first. Unifying all of our brands and services under the Crunchyroll brand globally enables us to offer more value than ever before as we combine subs, dubs, simulcasts, library, music, movies, manga—all into one subscription.” 

He added, “The new Crunchyroll is the realisation of a dream, and we are grateful to the creators of anime and the millions of fans who have joined us in making the community what it is today.”

Despite the merger, Crunchyroll’s pricing remains unchanged, with its basic subscription priced at around US$7.99 a month.

In addition to the content migration, French entertainment company Wakanim will also be integrated into their new parent company, Crunchyroll LLC. Wakanim is consolidated to Aniplex, a Japanese anime and music production company, which was later on consolidated under Funimation as part of Sony’s corporate move.

Singapore – Courts in Singapore are continuously cracking down on the rising number of media piracy in the country, as the latest order has stated it will beblocking 30 illegal streaming sites and almost 150 associated domains. Said announcement was made public by the Asia Video Industry Association’s (AVIA) Coalition Against Piracy (CAP).

Said coalition is made up of member corporations such as BBC Studios, Discovery Communications, LaLiga, the Premier League and TVB International.

Under the order, internet service providers must disable access to these illegal sites and their associated domains.

Matthew Cheetham, general manager at CAP, said, “Illegal streaming sites are simply illegal. Piracy is not a victimless crime and hurts not only content providers but also consumers who can be exposed to viruses and malware when accessing illegal sites, including malware that can access a user’s sensitive data such as banking details.”

Singapore has long been involved in cracking down on illegal streaming sites. In 2018, HK-based media and entertainment company PCCW Media filed a case against Singapore’s telco and ISP operators regarding allowing hosting illegal streaming sites such as DramaNice, DramaCool, MyAsianTV, KShowOnline and KissAsian.

In the same year, Disney Enterprises also filed a lawsuit against the local ISP operators regarding illegal streaming sites, categorised as flagrantly infringing online locations.

Hong Kong – ELEVEN, a sports media group, has secured additional content rights for some of the most popular sporting events this year, and will be catered to their user base in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong. The content will be composed of 2,000 hours worth of live sports content dedicated to the region’s growing sports fanbase.

ELEVEN has an extensive package of Asian Football Confederation rights and is currently home to live coverage of every AFC Asian Women’s Cup and AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar match in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Brunei Darussalam.

In addition, ELEVEN also has the rights to Spain’s Copa del Rey, the Malaysian SPL Sepak Takraw League (STL) and a roster of international cricket, badminton and Japanese table tennis.

Cricket, table tennis and badminton are being served up as well to fans in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, the Philippines and Brunei Darussalam. Live coverage of this season’s Copa del Rey and STL are also available on ELEVEN across the region with the exception of Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam.

Lastly, a total of 19 European badminton events will be shown by ELEVEN during 2022. Live table tennis coverage from Japan will be delivered to audiences from February, and STL coverage is already underway.

Nick Wilkinson, managing director for APAC at The ELEVEN Group, said, “We are excited to be growing our operations across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong with a compelling mix of local and locally relevant content. Our ambition is to offer our audiences a dynamic new service to follow the sport they love. The partnerships that we have negotiated so far mean we are well on the way to delivering on this mission and we will be continuing to expand our portfolio in the coming months.”

ELEVEN is employing a streaming-first approach in all Southeast Asia markets and Hong Kong, with its platform ElevenSports.com at the heart of its offering. ELEVEN’s streaming service is due to be supplemented by partnerships with local linear operators to make content as accessible to fans as possible.

Islamabad, Pakistan – Mobile digital communication company Telenor Pakistan and blockchain-based media and fintech BOLT Digital have joined forces in bringing access to premium live TV entertainment to viewers in Pakistan. 

This will be accessible for the telco’s subscribers via BOLT Global’s live-streaming service, BOLT+, a blockchain-based streaming service with over 600 live TV and radio channels from 28 countries.

BOLT+ streams a wide range of live TV channels, including breaking news and premium entertainment from France 24, Al Jazeera, and Deutsche Welle Group. In addition, through BOLT Global’s partnership with soccer app OneFootball, Telenor Pakistan customers are also able to enjoy direct access to exclusive football content from the top football clubs in the world. 

Areej Khan, vice president digital at Telenor Pakistan, said, “We are happy to be working with BOLT Global to launch BOLT+ Premium in Pakistan. At Telenor Pakistan, we strive to bring new and exciting entertainment experiences to our subscribers. With BOLT+, our subscribers can watch international live TV channels anytime, anywhere.”

She added, “Through our unique partnerships bringing enhanced value for our valued customers, we are confident that our users will continue to value us as their preferred service provider.”

Access to BOLT+ has 2 tiers: an ad-supported free tier called BOLT+ Free and a paid subscription known as BOLT+ Premium which includes premium features to enhance users’ live entertainment experience. Telenor users can easily subscribe to BOLT+ Premium via their mobile balance.

Jamal Hassim, co-founder and CEO of BOLT Global, commented, “We will be working with Telenor Pakistan to bring more exciting, immersive and rewarding content to our new users in the country. Already, users can access a huge array of international live channels bringing news, European club football and esports amongst other genres on BOLT+. We will also be working closely with Telenor Pakistan on the ground to uncover new content creators in the country, and to broadcast their content to an international audience on BOLT+.”

Singapore – HBO GO, WarnerMedia’s regional streaming service in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, has revealed a new pricing strategy and confirmed some of its new programming for the rest of 2021.

In the price update, HBO GO has announced that three-month subscriptions in its six direct-to-consumer territories will be available at the following discounted monthly prices, namely in Singapore (S$9.99), Malaysia (RM23.30), Philippines (₱99.70), Indonesia (Rp.33,000), Thailand (Bt.99.70), and Taiwan (NT$97).

HBO GO is still available in Hong Kong and Vietnam, but will be relayed through third-party operators.

Meanwhile, new programs for the streaming service include mystery adventure drama series ‘La Brea’, comedy series ‘Hacks’, and drama series ‘Succession’. These global titles complement the premiere of the Taiwanese HBO Asia Original ‘Who’s By Your Side’ along with hit Warner Bros. movies, including ‘The Suicide Squad’, ‘Malignant’ and ‘Reminiscence’.

In addition, boxsets for the original 2007 ‘Gossip Girl’ series, ‘Pretty Little Liars’ and HBO classic ‘The Sopranos’ will be available to stream. Fans of the latter series will also enjoy the exclusive direct to streaming availability of the prequel theatrical title ‘The Many Saints of Newark’ in November.

“With a new price point and some of the best-loved content out there, HBO GO presents its most compelling proposition yet. As we close out 2021, there are more and more reasons to subscribe, especially with the holiday season around the corner,” said Amit Malhotra, managing director for HBO GO/HBO Max in Southeast Asia, India and Korea.

Upgrades to the service are ongoing with direct credit card payments now available in Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore. Dolby 5.1 sound will be introduced shortly, while three concurrent streams are now allowed.

HBO GO subscribers can choose from a vast collection of premium series and movies, across drama, comedy, kids and documentary genres. Titles include HBO Originals, Max Originals, HBO Asia Originals, content from Warner Bros. TV and Pictures, DC, Adult Swim and Cartoon Network originals, in addition to licensed content.

Sydney, Australia – Despite easing movement restrictions due to COVID-19, streaming content consumption in Australia remains large, with 19.1 million subscriptions recorded at the end of June 2021 across these platforms, which is an increase of 16% from 16.4 million in June 2020. This is according to the latest insights from technology analyst firm Telsyte.

According to their latest insights, Netflix dominates the Australian subscription video on demand (SVOD) services market, with 6 million subscriptions recorded by the end of June 2021. This is then followed by Amazon Prime Video with 2.9 million, Disney+ with 2.6 million, Stan with 2.4 million, and Kayo Sports with 1.1 million.

The remaining 4.1 million are from more than 30 SVOD services such as Binge, Apple TV+, Hayu, Paramount+, Optus Sport, and Britbox.

The survey also notes that 78% of Australian households had at least one entertainment subscription at the end of June 2021, an increase from 65% three years earlier. Subscribing households now have an average of 4.3 entertainment services, which is up from the average of 2.7 in June 2018, largely driven by SVOD subscriptions.

In terms of what type of content Australians want to watch, the sports category has grew 48% year-on-year and the percentage of paid sports subscriptions has also improved significantly, from less than 15% a year ago to over 50% at the end of June 2021.

In addition, around 51% of Australian SVOD customers believe it is important to have content that has Australian stories, voices, culture, and values on SVOD services.

“Australians are clearly attracted to big production movies, TV shows and sporting codes they follow year on year, and are collecting subscriptions on the way,” Foad Fadaghi, managing director at Telsyte, says.

The firm also estimates that total SVOD subscriptions could reach 26 million by June 2025 with higher multiple subscriptions and new services which are boosted by new content licensing deals, and potential bundling, like what is done with Amazon Prime.

“Increasing investment in original content will become more important as part of SVOD providers’ growth and retention strategies. Additionally, Australia has been a popular choice as a source of content and content production,” the firm said in a press statement.