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Moving from the telecommunications industry to iflix , what are some of the insights you have brought along with you , and how will they help in your strategy development for iflix ? Jason Monteiro : iflix works with leading , trusted local brands in our operating territories to offer integrated carrier billing and other payment solutions . My telecommunications background gives me operational insights , helping us better understand the objectives of our partners , and how we can become the over-the-top ( OTT ) partner of choice .
I also bring over a deep understanding on mobile user behaviour knowledge , which will help deepen and evolve our service offerings as the majority of our streaming minutes are moving towards mobile . Lastly , my experience in emerging markets in Asia and the Middle East will help ensure that we have the right mix of variety , personalisation and scale in our proposition .
Besides service providers like iflix , pay-TV operators and broadcasters have also developed their OTT platforms to cater to audiences in the digital space . Hence , what are iflix ’ s strategies in garnering consumers ’ attention and keeping them on the service ?
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Monteiro : Subscription video-ondemand ( SVoD ) is a relatively new concept in Asia , making education the biggest challenge . We engage in multiple personalised strategies through a variety of channels , ranging from traditional out-of-home ( OOH ) advertising to data-driven marketing and programmatic buying , to ensure that consumers understand our product offering . The communications and channels slightly vary from country to country , given limitations in language and local preferences .
As media consumption on mobile continues to grow , do you expect more viewers shifting away from linear watching ? In your opinion , what will be the key to winning the OTT space ? Monteiro : Our real competitor is not linear TV — with many ASEAN
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households currently consuming pirated content , it is piracy . To combat piracy in emerging markets , we need to have an extensive library of content , ensure our application is accessible despite limitations in local infrastructure , and work closely with our local partners to ultimately execute our service at an affordable price with suitable payment solutions .
We founded iflix with the aim of being better than piracy . By providing unlimited entertainment all at the price of a pirated DVD , we want to revolutionise the way people in Asia consume entertainment .
Linear watching will continue to decline and OTT will continue to grow — it is already happening right now . The key to winning is to have the relevant content for customers , including an extensive combination of local , regional and
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❝ Linear watching will continue to decline and OTT will continue to grow . The key to winning in the OTT space is to have the relevant content for viewers , [ and ] the service needs to continue to innovate and evolve to adapt to consumers ’ rapidly changing needs .❞ |
— Jason Monteiro , Asia Marketing Director , iflix
international content .
Additionally , the service needs to continue to innovate and evolve to adapt to consumers ’ rapidly changing needs . When combined , it results in the service becoming relevant while providing customers all access to the media .
Indonesian football league GO-JEK Traveloka Liga 1 and Liga 2 matches are now streamed live on iflix . What are the drivers for iflix to offer live sports , and how is iflix positioning this sports offering among many of its movies and TV shows ? Given that Internet connections might not be stable in the region , what are iflix ’ s strategies in addressing this challenge ? Monteiro : Football is Indonesia ’ s most popular sporting competition , with millions of fans tuned
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in to catch their favourite teams compete in the national leagues . Beyond variety and volume of content titles , iflix wants to be at the heart of the local consumer ’ s entertainment experience .
This is the first time iflix has launched live sports streaming in any of its markets , and we will continue to explore other formats and partnerships that empower our consumers to access the content they want to watch , wherever and whenever .
Given the challenges in infrastructure and connectivity , iflix is one of the SVoD services to offer download capabilities for offline viewing to its members . The download-and-watch offline feature allows our subscribers to download and enjoy the content of their choice , without an Internet connection to constantly stream the media on-the-go and incurring prohibitive mobile data costs .
iflix has also commissioned its first original drama series Magic Hour . Given that Asian is a diverse region in terms of culture and language , what are the challenges in creating original Asian content , and how is iflix making these localised content appealing to viewers across the globe ? Monteiro : We commissioned our first major original drama series , Magic Hour , in partnership with Screenplay Productions . The eightpart romantic teen drama will be a sequel to the 2015 Indonesian film of the same name .
The main challenge for originals in emerging markets is to ensure that we produce high-quality and compelling content for each country while using localisation efforts — subtitling , for instance — to ensure the material is primed for regional and global distribution .
We believe in the talent of local and regional cinema , and we aim to tell compelling stories that are world-class , yet local at its core .
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