HOOQ in Bundling, Billing Deal with Indonesian Telco

BALI: Asian OTT operator HOOQ has inked a deal with Indonesian mobile telco Telkomsel that will allow customers to sign up to the SVOD service without the need of a credit card.

The deal was announced at APOS, where many sessions focused on the rising role of telcos in the Asian video space and the lack of adequate payment options for SVOD operators in emerging markets in the region. Telkomsel customers will be able to access HOOQ for IDR 49,500 per month without having to use a credit card. The mobile telco has some 152 million customers.

“Whether through an amazing bundle or by simply using your Telkomsel “pulsa” [prepaid credit] or postpaid bill, millions of Indonesians can now get HOOQ’d,” said Peter Bithos, the CEO of the joint venture between Singtel, Sony Pictures Television and Warner Bros. “This bundled product is a perfect complement that reinforces the customers’ needs to be entertained wherever and whenever they want, without having to worry about their data consumption.”

Alistair Johnson, marketing director of Telkomsel, noted, “Indonesia has one of the world’s fastest growing smart-device adoption rates and the market is primed for a digital video service like HOOQ to satisfy the needs of this digital generation. The hard bundle was created with these customers in mind and we are very confident that it will serve them well.”

HOOQ’s Indonesian lineup includes 35,000 hours of Hollywood and local content. U.S. suppliers include Sony and Warner Bros., as well as Disney, Lionsgate, Miramax, Starz and DreamWorks. Local content has been sourced from 13 Entertainment, MNC Contents, Multivision Plus and TRANSMEDIA.

The platform has also rolled out in the Philippines, Thailand and India.