Netflix rival Viu passes 4m milestone, launches in Philippines

PCCW-owned South-East Asian OTT TV service Viu has passed the milestone of pulling in four million unique users a year after the service launched, and has debuted in the Philippines – its sixth regional market.

Viu, which focuses on providing premium Asian content, recorded over 218 million video views in the third quarter of this year, twice the usage rate recorded in the second quarter. Users watch 1.2 hours of content daily on average and view 12 videos each week.

Viu is currently available in its freemium form only in the Philippines, hoping to tap into the country’s buoyant advertising market. PCCW Media cited recent research that predicts the video advertising market in the country will achieve a compound annual growth rate of 32% over the next five years.

According to PCCW Media, a premium version will launch in the country soon. The company cited statistics from Nielsen’s Global Video-on-Demand Survey that showed 45% of online consumers in the country watched VOD at least once a day.

Viu is currently available in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, India and Indonesia as well as the Philippines. The service offers a line-up of premium content including popular Korean shows from leading Korean broadcasters SBS, KBS, MBC and CJ E&M.

In addition to Japanese, Malaysian, Indonesian, Chinese, Taiwanese and Hollywood fare, Viu also recently added Thai content to the mix.

“As OTT takes root and continues to develop rapidly in Asia, Viu continues to stride forward with the launch of its service in the Philippines, a vibrant market with over 30 million viewers who regularly watch videos online. We are confident that our Philippine launch will replicate the growth and success we have experienced in the region,” said Janice Lee, managing director, PCCW Media.

“Apart from online streaming, Viu’s download feature is particularly suited for the Philippine market, enabling users to view content offline by downloading to mobile and connected devices with a convenient and hassle free experience.”