Thawatvongse Silamanonda, Country Manager, PCCW OTT (Thailand) said, "Over the top (OTT) streaming is increasingly becoming a viable option for Asian content consumption. Our focus on providing relevant content to local markets together with the pioneering free and premium tiers of services tailored for different viewing habits of Asian netizens, has enabled Viu to become a leading OTT video service in the region that the total monthly active users has grown to over 16 million by the end of 2017.
Quality content with strong relevance is key to our continued high engagement with viewers. Adding GMM 25's top programs affirms Viu's commitment to bringing premium content to viewers and the premium program line-up from GMM25 will enable more relevant, highly localized content to attract more viewers, with growth expected to accelerate over the course of 2018."
Viu has clinched deals with top tier Korean and Japanese content partners, giving Viu an exclusive window and rights to selected latest Korean dramas, variety, blockbuster movies as well as Japanese content which are very popular among Thailand viewers. This solid line-up will now be joined by GMM 25, a leading broadcaster in Thailand.
The broad variety of GMM 25's content to be made available on Viu ensures that there are shows that appeal to viewers of all ages. Among the choice selections are the popular Love Song Love Series, as well as The Crime, which stars veteran actors Oil-Thana and Ja-Natthaweeranuch in a crime investigation series that follows a group of skilled police officers who take on challenging cases. The immensely popular Club Friday Show, a variety program, will also enjoy an exclusive head start on Viu. In addition, viewers can tune in to the Flower Ring, a popular series which has gained a huge fan base both in Thailand and China.
Boosaba DaoRueng, Group Chief Executive Office, GMM Grammy Public Company Limited said, "The rapidly growing millennial audience makes our partnership with Viu essential, as we aim to support our existing audience while capitalizing on these millions of active users. To capture the rising OTT users, both GMM25 and Viu are focusing on constantly pioneering and innovating both the content and the platform. We are confident
that this important partnership will help us both achieve our business goals by providing excellent content platform for our viewers.
All Viu users in Thailand can enjoy the selected latest GMM25 content right after local telecast while premium users can enjoy enhanced features including ad-free content, availability in full HD 1080p video quality and the option to download to view later.
Thawatvongse concluded by noting that, "Viu aims to introduce the full spectrum of content genres through this content partnership with GMM 25 and set on a course to actively develop Viu Original - our local production initiative this year. By working with top tier local content provider and production houses, we are fulfilling our brand promise to provide Viu audiences with compelling localized entertainment."
About Viu
Viu is a leading pan-regional over-the-top (OTT) video streaming service operated by PCCW Media Group. It is available in 15 markets including Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Middle East countries of Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Operating with both an ad-supported tier and a premium subscription tier of service with more features, Viu delivers premium Asian content in different genres from top content providers with local language subtitles as well as original production series under the 'ViuOriginal' initiative.
Viu offers users express delivery of telecast content, streaming and download features, and localized user interfaces. With the patented Dynamic Adaptive Transcoding technology, Viu can provide smooth, unbuffered viewing experience regardless of device or network conditions.
The service can be accessed via Viu app (available for free on App Store and Google Play) on connected devices, e.g. smartphones and tablets, as well as on web by logging into www.viu.com.
About GMM 25
Launched in 2014, GMM 25 is a Thai digital terrestrial television channel, a subsidiary of GMM Grammy Public Company Limited, the largest media entertainment conglomerate in the country. GMM 25 offers a variety of content, such as popular dramas based-on-true stories and unique variety shows that are popular with the new generation making it a prominent choice known for pioneering and engaging content. The subsidiary enables GMM 25 to become an innovative entertainment outlet providing a complete media solution through radio, concerts, and online media.
Audiences can access GMM 25's content via GMM 25 Digital TV, the GMM 25 app as well as at www.gmm25.com