Watch your back, Netflix: Viu on track for 10 million subs next year Hong Kong pay TV operator PCCW Media claims it has racked up 4 million active users on its OTT video service, Viu, after just one year of activity. An uptake of this pace presents Netflix, which recently made its belated entrance into South East Asia, with an almighty mountain to climb. Viu has every chance of surpassing the …
A gadget, likely Android, with vast storage and an HDMI output. So far, that describes some phones or tablets. They could be optimized for this application, e.g. TB SSD.
Now, install such a gadget in a car, semi permanently. I assume you can park within range of your wifi. Remote control the gadget from the house.
Quite suddenly, your car has a vast Netflix collection for the backseat kidiots.
This opens up a new market.
Many people have something similar (albeit without the massive storage) so the tech is essentially there already.
e.g. I have android box with HDMI connected to a TV so I can run iplayer, run content from DNLA server etc (do not have or want a "smart" TV, prefer devices I have a it more control over to do that sort of thing), this TV box does not have huge storage (just onboard RAM & additional SD card) but even so could be easily loaded with enough local content on SD card to keep backseat folks happy with video content on a long journey.
Korean, Hong Kong, and Taiwan titles are really popular in South East Asia (particularly Korean; they have gone from strength to strength every year, eclipsing HK drama in my family). Netflix will not be able to compete unless they offer regional content.
I am a Telekom Malaysia user, and use both iFlix (free 1 year) and Viu (free 1 month). I trialled the 1 month free Netflix subscription, but apart from a few comedies, the rest are uninspiring.
Aren't they the outfit that won a couple of regional licences in the UK Fixed Wireless Access Broadband auctions a few years back? And then snaffled the rest in post-auction deals?
And then did almost nothing with them, except block other potential competitors from entering the market?
And Oftel/Ofcon just watched and did absolutely nothing? No "use it or lose it", for example?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/09/15/pccw_uk_broadband_wireless/ (authors: Faultline)
"VIU IS NOT YET AVAILABLE IN YOUR COUNTRY
Viu is available in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Philippines, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Jordan, Egypt."
Thing is - for it to surpass Netflix, Viu need to get in touch with content providers to license in other regions otherwise it'll not be a viable alternative for non-Asian users for sometime....
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