Mumbai: Viu, a leading pan-regional OTT video service by PCCW Media, is officially launched in Thailand today, bringing the service now to 15 markets including Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and the Middle East namely Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan,Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE.
Premium Asian content with Thai subtitles, comprising the latest dramas and variety shows from Korea and Japan, will be delivered quickly after local telecast and can be easily accessed via Viu mobile app and www.viu.com website.
Ms. Janice Lee, Managing Director of PCCW Media Group, said, “The Hallyu which is sweeping across Asia is notable in Thailand and we are pleased to see that Viu has already recorded over 820,000 fans on Viu Thailand Facebook page even months before our launch. Leading K-communities and die-hard Korean fans in Thailand all eagerly await Viu’s service launch to access our vast library of premium Korean and other Asian content.”
Ms. Lee said, “Our recent research^ shows that 93% of online population in Thailand have watched videos on the web. We are fully leveraging this surging trend with a two-pronged approach of our services: ad-supported free viewing of their favourite shows and subscription services with express content access and premium features such as unlimited downloads, 1080p HD video quality and ad-free video viewing. As Thailand is one of the most highly Internet penetrated markets with Millennials who are very receptive to online video viewing and digital advertisements, we expect Viu Thailand to mirror the success we have in other Asian markets with healthy growth in subscription and advertising revenue in due course.”
Advertisers will be able to leverage Viu’s video platform to reach out to their target consumers. 80% of Southeast Asian digital consumers have been motivated to search for an item seen within online video advertising, and 62% have made a purchase as a result of seeing an online video advertisement#.
Ms. Piyanuch Meemook, Chief Digital Officer of Mindshare Thailand said, “Viu is a perfect channel for us to reach out to target consumers by delivering highly engaging premium Asian content at a flexible format befitting their lifestyle. The advertisers would be more interested in supporting platforms providing free authorized content for their consumers,, especially Millennials, that they are Internet users 24/7. They can be effectively engaged while they are watching their favourite shows on Viu anytime, anywhere.”’
As part of its regional expansion strategy, Viu has forged alliances with multiple leading telecommunications companies to extend its premium service to more users. Viu’spremium service in Thailand will be launched in partnership with Advanced Info Service (AIS), the country’s largest telecommunications company. AIS users can enjoy exclusive offers of Viu’spremium service and more.
Mr. Pratthana Leelapanang, Acting Chief Marketing Officer of Advanced Info Service or AIS, said, “We are committed to enhancing AIS digital infrastructure both mobile and fixed broadband for Thai viewers to enjoy advanced digital services and contents. One of AIS goals is to continue working with leading OTT platforms in global market to serve the need of every viewer segment, including those who are fond of Asian contents from South Korea and waiting for the original. Today marks another important step for AIS as Viu, a leading OTT service with a strong range of premium Asian content, trusts AIS in its quality mobile network and platform. Together, AIS and Viu are delivering popular digital entertainment from Korea to Thai viewers. AIS customers now can watch Korean series with Thai subtitle as fast as the following day after telecast in Korea. You can replay your favorite series and variety shows at your convenience.”
