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Netflix boosts Korean content slate; China's HUYA buys stake in MTG unit

In this biweekly Asia video spotlight feature, S&P Global Market Intelligence provides a roundup of news related to over-the-top, video-on-demand and other online video initiatives in different Asian markets.

Top news

* Netflix Inc. unveiled more than 10 new South Korean originals based on various genres, including supernatural action drama, romance, stand-up comedy and sci-fi. The streaming giant also announced the returning seasons of "Kingdom S2" and the unscripted variety "Busted S2."

* Chinese livestreaming platform HUYA Inc. struck a binding term sheet with Modern Times Group to acquire a minority stake in the latter's esports business Turtle Entertainment GmbH, or ESL, for US$30 million. HUYA and ESL will also form a strategic joint venture to enable the expansion of ESL's offering into China.

Content and carriage deals

* Hungama Play, a video-on-demand service owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., struck a content deal with NBCUniversal Media LLC to make the Comcast Corp. unit's blockbuster films available on the streaming platform, Television Post reported. Over the next few months, Hungama Play will launch several NBCUniversal feature films including "Back to the Future," "American Pie 2," "Shrek 2," "The Theory of Everything," "King Kong" and "Despicable Me."

* Hooq Digital Pte. Ltd., a video streaming joint venture of Singtel, Sony Pictures Television Inc. and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., signed a first-look and co-production deal with Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen, Variety reported. The three-year deal with Hooq will include film, television and digital content produced or directed by Chen through his Giraffe Pictures outfit.

* Japan's Jupiter Telecommunications Co. Ltd., or J:COM, entered a partnership with Netflix to offer a new set-top box called J:COM LINK, which will allow J:COM customers to watch content from the streaming giant beginning winter 2019.

* Eros International PLC's over-the-top platform Eros Now struck a deal with mobile technology company OnePlus Technology (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd. to add Eros content, which include Bollywood programming, in OnePlus TV in India.

* Indian mobile operator Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. inked a two-year deal with T10 Sports Management to livestream the Abu Dhabi T10 League on the JioTV platform, The Economic Times (India) reported.

* ALT Digital Media Entertainment Ltd. plans to produce about 60 web shows through a joint venture over the next two years, Bloomberg News reported. The new content will add to the 42 shows already owned by the company, which is the online streaming unit of Balaji Telefilms Ltd.

* PCCW Media Ltd.'s over-the-top video service Viu teamed up with Warner Bros. International Television Production Ltd. to produce a new adaptation of "Pretty Little Liars" in Asia. Localized in Bahasa, the series is expected to begin airing later this year.

Service launches

* LG U+ launched U+tv Free 2, a portable wireless internet protocol TV device, ET News reported. The new model provides the same channels and video-on-demand services as the company's regular IPTV, but without a separate set-top box. It also comes embedded with NAVER Corp.'s artificial intelligence platform Clova.

* Bharti Airtel Ltd. launched a converged digital entertainment platform called Airtel Xstream. The platform will offer diverse content, including live TV, video, music, news, and sports across an over-the-top smart stick, internet-enabled set-top box and handheld devices.

* Tubi Inc. launched its ad-supported video-on-demand service in Australia on Sept. 1, offering nearly 7,000 free movies and TV series to customers. Viewers in Australia will be able to access Tubi via Telstra Corp. Ltd.'s Telstra TV, Tubi.TV or any internet-connected screens such as Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.'s Samsung TV and Apple Inc.'s Apple TV.

Other news

* Beijing ByteDance Technology Co. Ltd.-owned short video app TikTok is prioritizing the U.S., Japanese and Indian markets to boost company growth, TechNode reported.

* In more ByteDance news, the company denied a merger of its short video apps Huoshan and Douyin, according to 36Kr. The denial comes after LatePost reported that the two apps will be merged to compete with Kuaishou, a rival short video app backed by Tencent Holdings Ltd.

* Chinese short video app Kuaishou invested an undisclosed sum in local manga startup Crossingstar, KrASIA reported.

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