The video-on-demand space is heating up in India as players from large homegrown media houses go up against multinational HOOQ, which is ready to launch in India next month.
HOOQ is an online video streaming and downloading service launched by Singapore telco Singtel this past January in collaboration with Sony Pictures and Warner Bros. The service offers unlimited access, for a fixed subscription fee.
Subscribers in India can look forward to local film and TV content through partnerships with YRF, UTV Disney, Rajshri, Reliance, and Shemaroo, among others. Additionally, the service promises over 5,000 films and tv shows produced by Sony, Warner Bros, Disney, and Dreamworks.
HOOQ will be available on several devices including desktops, mobile phones, tablets, and Android set-top boxes.
HOOQ’s competitors in India include Times Internet’s BoxTV, Start India’s Hotstart, Sony’s SonyLiv, and Zee Entertainment’s Bollyvod.
However, none of them have made it big yet as piracy is a tough nut to crack. Estimates suggest(http://www.pluggedindia.com/pricing-piracy-india-film-music/) the market to be worth US$250 million.
Editing by Paul Bischoff
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