HOOQ unveils new pricing to hook customers

Video-on-demand service HOOQ today launched a new subscription scheme for Rs 89 a month as it attempts to take head-on players like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hotstar in the burgeoning Indian market.
The company, which forayed into the Indian market in 2015, is a joint venture of Singtel, Sony Pictures Television and Warner Bros. It operates in Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Singapore apart from India.
"When we had entered the market two years ago, things were different then. Data was expensive and the video-on- demand market was just opening up. If you see today, data is much more affordable and people are consuming a lot of content on their mobile devices," HOOQ India Managing Director Salil Kapoor told PTI.

He added that the company has steadily ramped up its operations through partnerships with Airtel, Vodafone and ACT Fibernet.
"The B2B2C route (partnership) has definitely helped us. Now, with the aggressive pricing of Rs 89 a month, I think we will see a significant ramp-up in the Indian market," he said but declined to comment on the number of users on its platform.
As part of a festive scheme, HOOQ will offer three-month subscription for Rs 89 (support for up to five devices), Kapoor said.

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

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 499 for an annual subscription.
Players like voot, Eros Now, Yupp TV, Hungama and ALT Balaji are also looking at tapping into the Indian market.
Kapoor said markets in the Asia-Pacific region have 3-4 players but in India, there are over 25 players in the video- on-demand space.
"We knew we had to have a differentiated offering and that is why we are positioning ourselves as the 'Home of Hollywood'. Films will be brought in 90 days after the theatrical release and TV shows on the same day," he said.

Another major area of focus for HOOQ will be dubbed content. "We are exploring if we can have dubbed content on the platform. Just like they choose subtitles, users can opt for dubbed version of the content," Kapoor said.