Type of business | Subsidiary |
---|---|
Type of site | OTT platform |
Available in | Arabic, Burmese, Chinese, English, Filipino, Indonesian, Malay, Thai |
Headquarters | Hong Kong |
Area served | Algeria, Australia, Bahrain, Egypt, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Myanmar, New Zealand, Oman, Qatar, Palestine, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Sudan, Thailand, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen |
Owner |
|
Products | Video streaming |
URL | www |
Commercial | Yes |
Launched | August 2015 |
Current status | Active |
Viu (pronounced as view) is a Hong Kong-based over-the-top video on demand streaming service from PCCW Media Group's Viu International Ltd. [1] Operated in a dual-revenue model comprising subscriptions and advertising, Viu delivers content in different genres from Asia's top content providers with local language subtitles, as well as original production series under the Viu Original initiative (similar to original programming from other services like Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and Netflix). [2]
Viu is now available in 25 markets across Asia, Africa and the Middle East including Bahrain, Egypt, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Myanmar, Oman, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, and United Arab Emirates. [3] As of December 2022 annual results, Viu had an estimated 66.5 million monthly active users.
Viu International Ltd launched the Viu OTT video service in Hong Kong on 26 October 2015. [4]
In January 2016, Viu announced its official launch in Singapore. [5]
In March 2016, Viu announced its official launch in India and Malaysia. [6]
In May 2016, Viu launches in Indonesia. [7]
In November 2016, Viu announced its official launch in the Philippines and has achieved four million users and over 218 million video views. [8]
In February 2017, Viu was available in major Middle East countries including Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. [9]
In May 2017, Viu announced its official launch in Thailand and has expanded to 15 markets across Asia and the Middle East countries. [10]
In September 2018, Viu announced its official launch in Myanmar. [11]
In March 2019, Viu announced its official launch in South Africa. [12]
In December 2019, Viu announced its suspension of operations in India without providing a date. [13] On 5 November 2021, Viu stopped its services in India.
In June 2023, PCCW and the Canal+ Group announced a strategic partnership between the two companies, under which Canal+ will invest $300 million, including an initial investment of $200 million, in Viu and gain a 26.1% minority stake in the streaming service, with the option to invest further and gain a 51% controlling stake. The partnership serves as a catalyst for international expansions for both PCCW and Canal+ as well as collaborations between Viu and Canal+ on original productions. [14] [15]
In February 2024, the Canal+ Group announced it had increased its stake in Viu to 30%. This move underscored Canal+'s confidence in Viu, and highlighted the group's strategic focus on Asia as a pivotal growth area. By deepening its investment in Viu, which operates as a leading streaming service in Asia, the Middle East, and South Africa, Canal+ aims to accelerate its expansion in these regions. The total investment by Canal+ in Viu reached approximately $300 million, with the group maintaining the option to further increase its stake to 50%. This progression is indicative of the evolving relationship between Canal+ and PCCW, and underscores the importance of Viu in Canal+'s global strategy. [16]
Viu offers a wide-range catalogue of movies and TV shows from across Asia, including popular and new titles. First-run TV episodes are available on the platform with advertisements in between, at least 72 hours after broadcast; Paid users can access episodes without advertisements, at least eight hours after broadcast. Several titles are also available separately in localized language audio dub.
Movie titles available on the platform, mostly from its sister network (now Baogu Movies) or partnered (tvN Movies), require active Premium subscription.
Viu has begun producing their original titles, in which most of their originals was based in Southeast Asia that has already received multiple award recognitions such as Asian Academy Creative Awards and Asian Television Awards. They also produce originals for the Middle East and Africa as well, as well as previously produced their originals for the Indian markets.
Title | Genre | Premiere | Seasons | Runtime | Language | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Publicist | Workplace romantic drama | 22 November 2017 | 13 episodes | 27–47 min | Indonesian | Miniseries |
Sunshine | Coming-of-age romantic drama | 31 May 2018 | 40–44 min | |||
Jibril | Suspense legal drama | 22 October 2018 [a] | 10 episodes | 44–58 min | Malay | |
Knock Out Girl | Romantic sports drama | 12 December 2018 | 13 episodes | 42–48 min | Indonesian | |
Devoted | Neo-noir romantic thriller | 28 March 2019 | 10 episodes | 46–53 min | Malay | |
Rewrite | Romantic fantasy drama | 15 May 2019 | 13 episodes | 48–51 min | Indonesian | |
Black | Fantasy crime thriller | 17 December 2019 | 2 seasons, 18 episodes | 42–57 min | Malay | Ended |
Pretty Little Liars | Cozy mystery teen drama | 22 April 2020 | 2 seasons, 22 episodes | 41–57 min |
| |
Ganjil (Wonderers) | Romantic fantasy drama | 25 September 2021 | 10 episodes | 46–59 min | Malay | Miniseries |
Still | Musical ensemble drama | 26 November 2021 | 1 season, 8 episodes | 41–54 min | Tagalog | |
Remember 15 | Teen mystery horror thriller | 22 February 2022 | 12 episodes | 47–57 min | Thai | |
Wannabe | Coming-of-age hip-hop musical drama | 10 May 2022 | 16 episodes | 49–54 min | ||
Finding the Rainbow | Romantic melodrama | 9 November 2022 | 14 episodes | 47–78 min | ||
Hilang (Buried Sins) | Supernatural crime thriller | 17 November 2022 | 10 episodes | 51–58 min | Malay | |
Nenek Bongkok Tiga (The House on Autumn Hill) | Supernatural mystery thriller | 9 February 2023 | 39–60 min | |||
Bidadari Bermata Bening (A Beautiful Angel) | Romantic drama | 31 March 2023 | 49–58 min | Indonesian | ||
Alter-Naratif (Electric Dust Agency) | Science fiction psychological thriller | 25 May 2023 | 8 episodes | 45–51 min | Malay | |
Marriage with Benefits | Romantic drama | 4 June 2023 | 10 episodes | 38–60 min | Indonesian | |
Get Rich | Teen drama | 5 July 2023 | 16 episodes | 46–53 min | Thai | |
W: Two Worlds | Romantic fantasy thriller | 30 November 2023 | 12 episodes | 42–53 min | Malay | |
Nafsu (Hell of a Night) | Supernatural mystery thriller | 27 June 2024 | 8 episodes | 47–57 min | ||
The Secret | Mystery crime thriller | 22 August 2024 | ||||
Title | Genre | Premiere | Seasons | Runtime | Language | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Switch | Romantic fantasy comedy | 14 August 2017 | 13 episodes | 20–30 min | Indonesian | Miniseries |
Halustik | Coming-of-age romantic comedy | 12 September 2018 | 45–54 min | |||
Salon | Dark comedy thriller | 17 September 2018 [a] | 10 episodes | 41–46 min | Malay | |
KZL | Docu-comedy drama | 7 November 2018 | 15 episodes | 19–23 min | Indonesian | |
Assalamualaikum, My Future Husband | Romance comedy | 6 November 2019 | 2 season, 23 episodes | 47–50 min | Ended | |
Keluarga Baha Don | Crime comedy | 11 July 2019 | 3 seasons, 30 episodes | 21–35 min | Malay | |
Kopitiam: Double Shot | Sitcom | 28 November 2019 | 10 episodes | 28–34 min |
| Miniseries |
Star Stealer | Coming-of-age romantic comedy | 30 September 2020 | 28–36 min | Indonesian | ||
Write Me a Love Song | Romantic musical comedy | 25 November 2021 | 45–63 min | |||
My Coach | Romantic sports comedy | 7 June 2022 | 16 episodes | 44–63 min | Thai | |
She Was Pretty | Romantic workplace comedy | 23 June 2022 | 48–59 min | Malay | ||
AI.5YA | Science fiction sitcom | 18 August 2022 | 10 episodes | 24–28 min | ||
#lovesignal | Short-form romantic comedy | 7 October 2022 | 10–14 min | Cantonese | ||
Ijab Kabut (I Have A Plan) | Romantic comedy | 10 October 2022 | 1 season, 10 episodes | 26–29 min | Malay | |
Real Fake | Romantic action comedy | 12 episodes | 30–39 min | Thai | ||
Bad Boys vs Crazy Girls | Teen romantic comedy | 14 October 2022 | 2 season, 20 episodes + 1 specials | 27–50 min | Indonesian | Pending |
K-Love | Romantic comedy drama | 18 episodes | 23–33 min | Filipino | Miniseries | |
Mantan tapi Menikah (Married Ex-Boyfriend) | 31 January 2023 | 10 episodes | 44–66 min | Indonesian | ||
Return Man | Romantic action comedy | 8 February 2023 | 12 episodes | 42–49 min | Thai | |
Love Me Again | Romantic workplace comedy | 23 March 2023 | 6 episodes | 45–47 min | ||
From Saga With Love | Romantic comedy drama | 21 September 2023 | 1 season, 10 episodes | 25–30 min | Malay | Season 2 ongoing |
I Do(n't) Love Him | 18 October 2023 | 10 episodes | 44–48 min | Indonesian | Miniseries | |
Tales at the Corner | Short-form romantic comedy | 24 November 2023 | 10 episodes | 10–11 min | Cantonese | |
Private Bodyguard | Teen romantic comedy | 8 March 2024 | 15 episodes | 30–35 min | Indonesian | |
Secret Ingredient | Romantic comedy drama | 30 April 2024 | 6 episodes | 33–34 min |
| |
Alpha Girls | 5 July 2024 | 10 episodes | 45–48 min | Indonesian |
Title | Genre | Partner/Country | Premiere | Seasons | Runtime | Exclusive region(s) | Language | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Bridge | Crime drama | HBO Asia | 26 November 2018 [b] | 2 seasons, 20 episodes | 42–58 min | All markets |
| Pending |
4Freaks 4Fam | Comedy drama | Workpoint TV/Thailand | 12 February 2019 | 1 season, 15 episodes [c] | ~47 min [c] | Thai | ||
My Bubble Tea | Romantic fantasy comedy | AIS Play & One 31/Thailand | 22 May 2020 | 13 episodes | 44–57 min | Miniseries | ||
Isteri Misteri | Mystery comedy | TV3/Malaysia | 25 November 2020 | 1 season, 10 episodes | 38–43 min | Southeast Asia, Hong Kong | Malay | Pending |
Voice in the Rain | Romantic drama | AIS Play & Workpoint TV/Thailand | 19 December 2020 | 16 episodes | 45–47 min | All markets | Thai | Miniseries |
Flower of Evil | Romantic crime thriller | Dreamscape Entertainment/Philippines | 23 June 2022 [d] | 32 episodes | 39–49 min | Filipino | Ended | |
What's Wrong with Secretary Kim | Romantic workplace comedy | Dreamscape Entertainment/Philippines | 18 March 2024 | 40 episodes | 20–36 min |
| Ended | |
How to Spot a Red Flag | Romantic comedy | Dreamscape Entertainment/Philippines | 27 November 2024 | 25 episodes | 20–25 min |
| Running |
In addition to producing and distributing local titles, several Viu shows have been acquired and co-produced, partly or wholly, by Viu for exclusive first-run release or distribution (under the Viu Original label) in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and South Africa in deals with partners in other regions such as Rakuten Viki, [e] Far EasTone Friday Video, KC Global Media (ONE) among others.
Unlike major streaming platforms, which prevent third-party linear channels from securing broadcast rights of most co-produced shows, most Viu Original-labeled titles may be screened by local television channels in their respective countries, provided that the networks' local rights for such titles are for linear television broadcast only in their respective country jurisdiction.
Viu is accessible via its website, and through its dedicated application on Android, iOS and Huawei OS services, as well as through select smart TV devices. Users can also save and download select episodes of shows, depending on their desired plan, which determine the maximum number of downloads allowed per user at a given time. [18]
As mentioned above, Viu offers a dual-revenue system, allowing users to access its content library without restrictions. While both free and premium users can watch its content without additional charges, subscribers can watch shows and movie titles in both 720p and 1080p high-definition, as well as without advertisements. [19]
Communications in Hong Kong includes a wide-ranging and sophisticated network of radio, television, telephone, Internet, and related online services, reflecting Hong Kong's thriving commerce and international importance.
PCCW Limited is a Hong Kong–based information and communication technology (ICT) and telecommunications company.
Richard Li Tzar-kai is a Hong Kong businessman and philanthropist. The founder and chairman of the private investment group Pacific Century Group (PCG), Li started his career in the 1990s with the founding of STAR TV, a pan-Asian television network. After founding PCG in 1993, he went on to establish PCCW and HKT Trust.
Television in Hong Kong is primarily in Cantonese and English. It is delivered through analogue and digital terrestrial, cable, IPTV, and the Internet. Satellite TV is not common, although many housing estates have dishes and re-distribute a limited number of free channels through coaxial cables. The dominant broadcaster is TVB, ViuTV and HOY TV.
Pacific Century Group (PCG), chaired by Richard Li, is an Asia-based private investment group founded in 1993 with interests in technology, media and telecommunications, financial services, infrastructure, property and other investments. It operates mainly in the Asia-Pacific region, including Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan.
Disney Networks Group Asia Pacific was a Hong Kong–based commercial broadcasting company operating multiple specialty television channels. The company was founded in 1991 by Hong Kong businessman Richard Li.
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Now TV is a pay-TV service provider in Hong Kong operated by Now TV Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of PCCW. Launched on 26 September 2003, its TV signal is transmitted with IPTV technology through HKT's fixed broadband network.
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Moov is a subscription-based music, podcast and video streaming service that combines lossless audio and high-definition music videos with exclusive content and special features on music. Moov was launched in 2006 by Hong Kong public company PCCW.
Livestreaming, live-streaming, or live streaming is the streaming of video or audio in real time or near real time. While often referred to simply as streaming, the real time nature of livestreaming differentiates it from other non-live broadcast forms of streamed media such as video-on-demand, vlogs and video-sharing platforms such as YouTube and Twitch (service).
Vuclip is a mobile video on demand (VOD) service for emerging markets with over 7 million subscribers per quarter in countries in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, including rollout plans for other Southeast Asian and African markets. Vuclip has over 1 million titles of Hollywood and Bollywood movies in its catalogue that it brings to its subscribers, including TV shows, Music videos, and News, in 25 different languages, including English, Hindi, Indonesian, Bahasa,
Fox Sports Asia was a pan-Asian pay television network broadcasting in Asia, operated by Fox Networks Group Asia Pacific, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company Pte. Ltd. It also oversaw a version of Star Sports available in mainland China and South Korea. Originally launched in early 1990s as Star Sports and ESPN by Satellite Television Asian Region and ESPN International respectively, both parties agreed to combine their operations in Asia in October 1996. News Corporation took the full control of the venture in 2012, and relaunched the channels in two phases in January 2013 and August 2014, respectively.
Sony LIV is an Indian subscription video-on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Culver Max Entertainment. Sony LIV was introduced in 2013 as the first OTT service in India. As a streaming service, it provides live sports, original titles, other content titles from its own networks and content titles in India licensed from third-parties such as Lionsgate and ITV among others. The Sony LIV content library includes films, TV shows and series, and sports.
HK Television Entertainment Company Limited is a television service operator in Hong Kong, owned by Hong Kong billionaire Richard Li's PCCW. It operates through its subsidiary PCCW Media, which also owns the IPTV platform Now TV and runs the OTT service Viu.
TVB Anywhere is an online pay-TV and shopping platform launched by Hong Kong television station Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) for non-Hong Kong audience in 2016. It streams content from its TV channel via set-top box and mobile application. The service targets Overseas Chinese.
ViuTV is a Cantonese language general entertainment television channel in Hong Kong operated by HK Television Entertainment (HKTVE), whose parent company PCCW also operates the IPTV platform Now TV and the media streaming service Viu. The channel serves as a free-to-air syndicator for television programmes of Now TV. Its sister station is the English-language channel ViuTVsix. The boy band Mirror became known following the ViuTV's talent show Goodnight Show - King Maker.
ViuTVsix is a free-to-air English language general entertainment television channel in Hong Kong operated by HK Television Entertainment (HKTVE), whose parent company, PCCW, also operates IPTV platform Now TV and media streaming service Viu. The channel offers 17 hours of English programming a day including news and public affairs, lifestyle shows, foreign television series, and documentaries.
There are currently about 57 providers of over-the-top media services (OTT) in India, which distribute streaming media or video on demand over the Internet.