Being a benchmark for audiences and the media industry in the Philippines, August Media produces and distributes content with a great focus on careful content designed for the entertainment of the whole family. Today, the company stands out among the players in Southeast Asia, not only in the creation of content, but also with the launch in 2020 of its VOD service POP TV, which focused on content in local language and at an affordable price.
‘POP TV has pursued that strategy from day 1 and continues to treat its markets as separate services. Currently, we are reasonably successful in the Philippines. We have plans to expand to a few other countries next year, but each geography will see a unique service with customized content curation, unique content genres, unique delivery mechanisms, and target markets’, explained Jyotirmoy Saha, founder of August Media Holdings and POP TV.
The service operates as an AVOD platform, but also under a PVOD model, offering both viewing experiences to viewers in the Philippines. On the one hand, the ad-supported and on the other hand, its premium tier, where users can access premium titles, including weekly simulcasts.
POP TV is designed for different users, and for different ages, with its accessible local price, is a tailor-made service for different-cost mobile devices, which allows users to have a viewing experience with minimum data usage.
Likewise, the service is innovative in how and where it is made available. POP TV has forged local alliances that have allowed it to offer subscriptions conveniently available at 1000s of small roadside stores across the Philippines, as well as distribution inside public buses: ‘Filipinos make 500+ million passenger trips by bus. They are a captive audience that cannot afford data connections to stream for hours. We have broken that tech barrier and already are available inside multiple bus and ferry routes. The second is smart downloads at friendly WiFi hotspots – releasing soon in over 7500 hotspots nationwide’, pointed Saha.
Regarding POP TV‘s catalog and content strategy, the service does not compete with players such as Netflix, Disney+, or Amazon Prime Video, because they have remained focused on the local mass-market audiences. ‘Our competitors are really the local players. We have created content packages that are completely data-driven and target SEC C, D, and E audiences. In the coming year, we will have more content focused on music, drama originals, and kids’, stressed the exec.
Among the most consumed type of content on the platform, Saha mentioned drama, romantic comedies, and anime titles stand out as the biggest highlights. One of the most popular anime available on the service is MobPsycho 100 which is simulated from Japan. The most popular comedy is the local blockbuster Fantastica. In addition, some Korean Dramas have worked really well, according to Saha. At the same time, the executive assured that they see many gaps in specific viewing habits, are planning to address those too in the future. e.g. male audience targeted content.
‘Our content strategy has been very data-driven down to the individual title. What works in a digital service is almost always very similar to what worked on linear content delivery platforms. All that has changed is that a direct relationship with the customer has put more money in the hands of the content creators. The Philippines is big on romantic comedies, dramas, music, and anime’, remarked.
Among the recent news, the service launched the Bento section, which provides a wide range of anime content including simulcasts from Japan. The move is the latest from the service as it seeks to broaden its appeal with a slate of local blockbuster movies and Filipino-dubbed Asian content.
‘We want Filipinos to have effortless access to the best content in the world. We want to enable a wide range of titles to be able to express their love for TV and get fulfillment without having to rely on dubious sources,’ he concluded.
