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| The lead cast of the upcoming Viu Korean Original series "Now, We Are Breaking Up" (Image Source: Starmometer.com) |
Online entertainment streaming platform Viu continues its expansion of Korean original series with the launch of Moon Where The River Rises and Doom At Your Service within the first half of 2021. Now, Viu has announced the launch of its new and highly-anticipated Viu Original Series "Now, We Are Breaking Up" starring Song Hye Kyo (Descendants Of The Sun, The Encounter) and Jang Ki Yong (My Roommate Is A Gumiho, Search: WWW) which is expected to be released in November. Viu has also announced the upcoming release of international originals including Black S2 (Malaysia), uBettina Wethu (South Africa) and Assalamualaikum Calon Imam Series S2 (Indonesia) to be launched on September as part of its strong commitment to local originals.
Viu continues to strengthen its Asian content portfolio to be the premiere hub for popular Asian premium content with key content partners from mainland China and Malaysia as well as the expansion of its anime portfolio. The platform also expanded its flagship content creation program of Viu Pitching Forum to Malaysia and Thailand throughout the first half of 2021 and continues to support the local creative ecosystem. Meanwhile, Viu also announced key milestones in its performance in the first half of 2021 including 37% year-on year growth on monthly active users, 62% on paid subscribers and 47% on revenue. While both Greater Southeast Asia and Middle East and Africa regions consistently delivered high growth, key driver markets leading the pack have been Thailand and Indonesia, the platform's largest and fastest growing markets.
A strong proponent of the freemium model, Viu continued to see an accelerated growth in monetization which is attributed to the strong network of over 80 partnerships in the digital ecosystem across the markets consisting of telcos, device manufacturers, retail and eCommerce businesses and content distribution partners. This has helped provide extensive access points and a broad base to acquire users and enhance monetization. Viu further affirms its strong position amongst streaming services in Southeast Asia and popularity with online viewers as it continues to be the leading platform in terms of monthly active users for the seventh consecutive quarter and ranked second in paid subscribers and streaming minutes in the first half of 2021 according to the latest AMPD Research report released by Media Partners Asia (MPA).
“At Viu we continue with our commitment to bringing consumers the best of Asian content and video streaming experience. We saw robust growth in H1 2021, underpinned by strong content lineup and strengthened partner ecosystem. A combination of our data analytics and in-market local presence ensure we truly understand the pulse of the markets in which we operate," said Viu Chief Executive Officer and PCCW Media Group Executive Director Janice Lee.
