Online video-on-demand making its mark

Undoubtedly, new providers of VOD are parading into the market while the country’s largest pay-TV service, TrueVisions, is developing a mobile application to meet the demand.

PrimeTime Entertainment is entering the subscription-based TV business as a provider of an online VOD service called "PrimeTime", following Hollywood HDTV by FLY Entertainment and Doonung by Mono Film.

Chief executive officer Kasidit Kolasastraseni said yesterday that his service would be available on smartphones, tablet computers, smart TVs and personal computers.

To offer the service, the company acquired the broadcasting rights to premium movies and TV series from international companies Walt Disney, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Paramount, NBC Universal and Sony Pictures.

The deals were for three to five years.

The company now can offer more than 1,000 blockbusters and more than 2,000 episodes of TV series.

Customers who paid for viewing packages can watch the content in the language of their choice such as dubbed Thai, Thai subtitles or English subtitles, in full high definition.

"The key selling point of online video on demand is its similarity to home entertainment [DVDs] because we can provide new movies and TV series three months after they were screened in theatres and aired on US television," he said.

Three months after Hollywood movies are screened in theatres or TV series are aired on US television networks, they generally go to the home-entertainment business. One year after their premieres, pay-TV operators are allowed to offer such content on their platforms. And five years after their premieres, these shows can be aired on free TV.

PrimeTime invested about Bt300 million on this project, of which Bt180 million went to content rights, platform development and employment while the rest was for marketing and advertising via online, out-of-home and cinema media.

In its first year, the company targets 200,000 subscribers, generating about Bt500 million in revenue.

To reach a wider audiences, the company has enlisted strategic partners such as DNA movie rental stores, IT device distributor Comseven and LG Electronics to provide its service on smart TVs and CTH’s pay-TV platform.

VOD appears to be a new offer for consumers amid the rise of mobile Internet users and increasing consumption of online video content.

But the lion’s share of potential subscribers is still staying with TrueVisions, while some major digital free TV stations are also offering famous movies and television series to attract viewers.

Attaphon Na Bangxang, chief programme and content officer for TrueVisions, told The Nation that he had been witnessing such a trend for many years. TrueVisions then decided to develop and launch its over-the-top service called "TrueVisions Anywhere" a couple years ago. Through this application, the company could access time-shift, two-day catch-up and movie on-demand.

More than a million mobile apps have been downloaded.

Attaphon said his team was improving the features to suit the new demands for VOD service in the near future.