The longer it takes Netflix to establish a presence in Southeast Asia, the better for competing services looking to beat it to the punch. Hooq is an online video streaming and downloading service announced by Singapore telco Singtel this past January in collaboration with Sony Pictures and Warner Bros. The service offers unlimited streaming and downloading of content for a subscription fee, and is now ready to launch in Thailand this May.
Subscribers in Thailand can look forward to local film and TV content through partnerships with Thai studios GTH, Sahamongkolfilm, Five Star, and TIGA. In addition, the service promises over 10,000 films and TV shows from the US, from companies such as Sony, Warner Bros, Disney, and Dreamworks.
As customers have come to expect with such services, Hooq will be available on several devices such as desktops, mobile phones, and tablets. In Thailand, the service will support the AIS Playbox, an Android-powered set-top box provided by Singtel’s regional mobile associate, Thai telco Advanced Info Service.
Hooq seems to be the first service of its kind to land in Thailand, but will be facing competition later in the year as iFlix is eyeing the country as part of its 2015 launch in Southeast Asia. The latter recently raised a US$30 million funding round.
Editing by Daniel Tay and J.T. Quigley
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