HOOQ bolsters content library with international TV shows, films to expand India biz

Video-on-demand service HOOQ is aggressively ramping up its content library with latest seasons of international TV shows and Hollywood movies as it looks to take on rivals like NetFlix and Amazon Prime Video in the Indian market.

The company, a joint venture of Singtel, Sony Pictures Television and Warner Bros, made a foray into the Indian market in 2015. It operates in Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Singapore apart from India.

"In India, we have seen a healthy double-digit growth and we are increasing our content line up. From the second half of September, you will see some big releases on our platform, same day releases of some of the big TV shows," HOOQ India Managing Director Zulfiqar Khan told PTI.

He added that new seasons of shows like The Big Bang Theory, superhero TV series Arrow and Flash, crime drama The Oath, period sitcom The Goldbergs and action adventure S.W.A.T will be available on the same day as their overseas release on HOOQ.

While Khan declined to comment on its revenues and userbase in India, he said the country is an important one given the scale and opportunity available.

Asked about competition from popular platforms like NetFlix and Amazon Prime Video, Khan said the Indian market is huge and offers opportunities for multiple players.

"The audience wants good content. The point is how you can make it easy for the consumer to access -- in terms of availability and pricing. We have been working on partnering with telcos and Internet service providers like with Airtel, Vodafone and ACT Fibernet to make access easier and we continue to explore more partnerships," he said.

The competition in India's video-on-demand space has intensified, specially after the launch of Reliance Jio's services that saw data tariffs in the country coming down significantly.

While NetFlix plays in the premium space (Rs 500 a month onwards), Hotstar charges Rs 199 per month and Amazon Prime is available for Rs 129 per month. Smaller players like Voot, Eros Now, Yupp TV, Hungama and ALT Balaji are also looking at tapping into the segment. HOOQ charges Rs 89 a month.

While many players are focussing on expanding their library with movies from Bollywood and other parts of the country, there is also a huge focus on original content. Both NetFlix and Amazon are investing millions of dollars in procuring original content, including from India, to take them to global audiences.