Viu, a leading pan-regional OTT video service by PCCW Media Group, is set on a course to actively develop its Viu Original initiative this year which will see 70 titles and over 900 episodes of locally produced content by the end of 2018.
Produced in Indian, Chinese, Indonesian and Arabic languages, Viu Original spans the full spectrum of TV content genres and has extended its production scope to movies.
Viu Original enjoys great popularity and support among viewers who embrace Viu’s freemium model, which provides free access (ad-support) content for all viewers while offering enhanced features to premium subscribers. Viu now boasts over 16 million monthly active users across Asia.
Ms. Janice Lee, Managing Director, PCCW Media Group, said, “With the evolution of OTT streaming service and consumers’ adoption, quality content with strong relevance is key to our continued high engagement with viewers.”
“Viu aims to introduce refreshing local production in various markets, including Spotlight 2 produced by Bollywood director Vikram Bhatt, and Kenapa Harus Bule? by award-winning Indonesian director Andri Cune. Our latest Viu Original series development of The Bridge is a remake of a popular international TV series with Asia context and filmed in Singapore and Malaysia. By working with top tier local talent and production houses, we fulfil our brand promise to provide Viu-ers with compelling localized entertainment.”
Besides working with top award-winning directors and production talent in the markets, Viu employs a highly innovative way to come up with new ideas for Viu Original. For example, in Indonesia, Viu “crowd sources” Viu Original ideas in an event called Viu Pitching Forum, where young filmmakers are encouraged to pitch their ideas before a team of renowned experts, including award-winning producers, directors and scriptwriters. Viu will fund shortlisted ideas and collaborate with professional filmmakers to produce them for airing.
Back to its home base in Hong Kong, Viu enlists local YouTubers and KOLs to join the production team. Such an initiative maximizes engagement with the local creative community to create content relevant and engaging to the Millennials.
Ms. Lee added, “We are encouraged by the overwhelming positive response from viewers for Viu Original and we will continue to create many more fresh and engaging originals tailored to our Millennial Viu-ers. We are especially proud to provide a platform for young talent in local markets to showcase their creativity and gain popularity among our viewers.”
