Singapore’s Singtel is joining forces with Warner Bros and Sony Pictures Television to launch an OTT streaming service HOOQ in South-East Asia.
The service, which beats Netflix into the Asian market, will stream 10,000 Hollywood movies and US TV shows, along with local-language films and TV series. Local-language content is being sourced from India, China, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Korea and Japan.
Singtel said it expected HOOQ to go live in the first quarter of 2015, starting in Indonesia, Philippines, India and Thailand. However, the service will not initially launch in the more developed markets where Singtel is active such as Singapore and Australia.
“We are starting this venture to change the way people across Asia view entertainment,” said HOOQ CEO Peter Bithos in a statement.
“Today, across developing markets, there is limited access to quality entertainment, streamed directly to the screen of one’s choice. It’s either illegal, high cost or difficult to get. We aim to fix that.”
Bithos was formerly chief operating officer of Globe Telecom in the Philippines.