Video streaming startup iFlix gets US$30M funding ahead of Southeast Asia launch

Access to a whole new range of streaming movie and TV content is one step closer to viewers in Southeast Asia, as internet media startup iFlix has successfully completed a US$30 million funding round. iFlix’s parent company Catcha Group and telco Philippines Long Distance Telephone Company led the round.

The funds will be used towards the continued rollout of the service throughout Southeast Asian territories, as well as acquiring the rights to more content and producing original content. Much like Netflix’s original TV and movie programming, original productions seem to be on the cards for iFlix as well, although the company says it is currently focused on its imminent launch and would not provide more details besides that it’s working directly with local and regional production companies.

iFlix will be launching in Malaysia and the Philippines, and then in further Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam throughout 2015. It promises subscribers unlimited access to more than 10,000 hours of US, Asian regional, and local content, which the users can stream or download on up to five devices.

A part of Patrick Grove’s Catcha Group, iFlix has already been making waves in Southeast Asia even before the service’s launch. Last week it announced that former AirAsia X CEO Azran Osman-Rani joined the company as CEO of iFlix Malaysia and COO of the iFlix Group.

Osman-Rani told Tech in Asia that working with people involved in iFlix, including the Group’s chairman Patrick Grove and CEO Mark Britt, was one of the most exciting aspects of his new role. He added that he hopes to bring to iFlix the consumer-centric approach he applied during his time at AirAsia X, to create a service that users want to be a part of.