HOOQ, the Asian premium video-on-demand service, rolls out in Singapore

Source: HOOQ. Bithos.

HOOQ, first premium video-on-demand service for Asia to launch across the region. has launched in Singapore. HOOQ launched its inaugural service in the Philippines before expanding to Thailand, India, Indonesia and now Singapore, a population footprint of over 1.6 billion people.

A venture established in Singapore in 2015 between Singtel, Sony Pictures Television and Warner Brothers, HOOQ aims to change the way Asians consume entertainment. It is the first time in Asia that three media power houses have joined forces to empower customers with unlimited online streaming access to top Hollywood, Asian and kids' movies and TV series anytime, anywhere and on any device. These include computers, smartphones, tablets, set-top boxes, smart TVs via Google Chromecast and all Apple devices.

The service provides over 20,000 of movies and TV series to choose from. The latest US TV series are available exclusively on HOOQ. TV favourites in addition to box office hits are also on offer. To complement these Hollywood hits, HOOQ offers customers a range of Indonesian, Filipino and Indian movies and TV favourites by partnering with over 100 studios from around the region. In addition, HOOQ boasts what it says is the largest selection of kids' titles through partnerships with the biggest names in family entertainment, including Viacom, Hi-5, Hasbro, Turner and Endemol Shine.

“We are very excited to bring to Singaporeans the ultimate ad-free freemium video-on-demand service with the largest catalogue of Hollywood, Asian and kids' content of any service available today for the price of a movie ticket. With over 20,000 titles to choose from, there’s something for everyone. We are so proud to launch here in Singapore, HOOQ’s home, and we look forward to getting Singaporeans HOOQ’d month after month,” said the CEO of HOOQ, Peter Bithos.

HOOQ’s business model combines the best of subscription services, which are ad-free, and freemium models, which do not charge for their services but serve up advertising to customers. The introduction of such a hybrid model now allows customers to sample a premium service at no cost. Pilot episodes of all TV series will now be free for all registered users even after their free trial period has ended. This extended sampling gives the customers the power to decide if they would like to continue to watch the rest of series before they pay for the subscription.

The HOOQ app is focused on a faster and higher-quality streaming experience for the customer. The mobile-first user experience is based on extensive customer beta-testing and usability research, given that over 80% of customers are using HOOQ on their mobile devices.

HOOQ also announced today a partnership with Singtel that enables Singtel’s prepaid, postpaid and broadband customers to access HOOQ as part of bundled service packages. In a phased launch, HOOQ will be available to Singtel prepaid customers first and the other bundles will be available to postpaid and broadband customer progressively over the next few months.

"Singtel is always keen to expand our content offerings to enhance our customers’ entertainment experience. They will be pleased with HOOQ’s vast selection of Hollywood hits, as well as ethnic movies and TV dramas. As an over-the-top (OTT) video service, HOOQ is a good complement to our pay TV product, as it allows us to offer an even wider breadth of content over multiple screens – mobile devices, computers and televisions,” said Goh Seow Eng, MD of Home, Consumer Singapore, Singtel.

HOOQ was named Best Mobile App in the Media, Film, TV or Video category at the GSMA’s Global Mobile Awards 2016 in Barcelona, Spain. 

Interested?

Download the HOOQ app from Apple Store or Google Play and sign up for a seven-day free trial. In addition to the current support of iOS, Android, Web, Chromecast and Android Set-top Box, the HOOQ will also be available on Airplay and mobile web. 

Singtel prepaid customers who purchase an eligible prepaid data plan will enjoy access to over 15,000 Indian, Indonesian and Filipino movies and TV series. Prepaid data plans start from as low S$7 for 1GB over seven days.

Singtel postpaid, broadband and TV customers can look forward to exclusive HOOQ deals on Singtel’s video portal, Cast, in the first quarter of 2017. More content is expected on HOOQ in the coming months.