Hooq just launched in Indonesia. Here’s how it compares with Netflix

Hooq launched in Indonesia.

After Netflix’s bumpy entrance to Indonesia, the spotlight is now on competing on-demand video portals iFlix and Hooq. How will they tackle Southeast Asia’s most populous country?

In terms of speed, the Singapore-based Hooq just beat iFlix. It announced its launch in the archipelago yesterday. Malaysia’s iFlix expressed intentions to come to Indonesia, but has yet to follow through.

A monthly subscription on Hooq costs the equivalent of US$3.76 in Indonesia. The startup says it hosts “over 35,000 hours of Hollywood movies and local programs.”

Winning arguments

Perhaps trying to differentiate itself from Netflix, Hooq is falling over itself to point out how well it understands the local market. It does seem to get a few things right.

There’s a ton of local content, and it offers Indonesian subtitles for foreign films. The company partners with all major telcos, avoiding the trap Netflix fell into. The US-based company was blocked by Indonesia’s state-owned telco soon after its recent global roll out brought it to Indonesia, because it didn’t get local partners on board.

What stands out most, though, is that Hooq offers offline viewing for up to five titles.

That’s huge for users who are not near a reliable internet source all the time. They can download their favorite shows when it’s convenient and then watch them on the go. Netflix has no offline option at the moment. If that’s not enough, Hooq is also much cheaper than Netflix.

See:We compared Netflix shows across new countries. The results are surprising

Hooq vs. Netflix vs. iFlix

On the occasion of Hooq’s launch, Detik created a nifty side-by-side comparison of all three foreign on-demand services that are – or in the case of iFlix, soon will be – available in Indonesia.

(It also shows how they stack up to Tribe, the video portal launched by of XL, a local mobile phone carrier.)

Here’s a translated excerpt of Detik’s list: