HONG KONG – Viu, a leading pan-regional OTT video service from PCCW Media Group with more than 36 million monthly active users (MAU), today announces the production of My Bubble Tea, the latest Viu Original to be made in Thailand.
The 13-episode romantic comedy is developed based on insights from consumption preference of the highly engaged Viu audience base. In the six months of June 30, 2019, Viu-ers watched 30 billion video minutes in 2.9 billion video views.
Hallyu and Thai wave are two global entertainment phenomena and the cast of the new comedy represents a blend of two Asian cultures. Nichkhun Horvejkul is one of the most top rated artists and a member of Korean boy band 2PM. Mean Phiravich is extremely popular among Thailand’s Gen Z and Millennial communities. Much of his fame arose from a role in Love by Chance aired on GMM25 which also screened in mainland China with overwhelming response. The main cast commands a fanbase of more than 11.5 million social media followers. The comedy will be directed by Thammarong Sermrittirong, a director of Thai TV series The Gifted.
The comedy is based on a novel from Fictionlog, a leading user-generated content platform in Thailand. The storyline features a woman who falls for her handsome boss, and so concocts a supernatural bubble tea brew to win his love. In a bitter twist, a man she despises accidentally drinks the tea and falls head over heels for her – giving rise to a hilarious and chaotic love triangle. My Bubble Tea will be aired in the first quarter of 2020.
Ms. Janice Lee, Managing Director of PCCW Media Group, said, “From cast selection of talents who have great social media following to choosing an IP from Fictionlog that has an established online fan base, My Bubble Tea caters to the interests of the digital audience at the core of our content development.”
Ms. Lee added, “We identified the Korean Wave, or Hallyu, as one of Southeast Asia’s main entertainment trends a few years ago and have since channelled a lot of effort into offering premium Korean content to Viu-ers – a move proving to be successful in customer acquisition and engagement. The Thai wave is now lapping on the shores in Asia, while Hallyu continues to gather momentum. This has prompted us to explore the combination of Hallyu and Thai wave to create a new and hopefully refreshing breed of entertainment for our audiences.”
Viu aims to build an industry ecosystem for Asia, and globally, by bringing together show creators, directors, and production houses, wishing to showcase their work to a larger and more diverse audience crossing borders beyond their own markets. My Bubble Tea is one of the projects that aim to support Viu’s efforts to take Thai content to the rest of the world.
Viu offers premium content and Viu Original through mobile app which is available for free download on App Store and Google Play, and on the web at www.viu.com.
About Viu
Viu is a leading pan-regional over-the-top (OTT) video streaming service operated by PCCW Media Group. It is available in 17 markets including Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Myanmar in Asia, the Middle East countries of Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the newly launched South Africa.
Operating with both an ad-supported tier and a premium subscription tier with more features, Viu delivers premium Asian content in different genres from top content providers with local language subtitles as well as original production series under the ‘Viu Original’ initiative.
Viu offers users express delivery of telecast content, streaming and download features, and localized user interfaces. With the patented Dynamic Adaptive Transcoding technology, Viu can provide the best viewing experience regardless of device or network conditions.
The service can be accessed via Viu app (available for free on App Store and Google Play) on connected devices, e.g. smartphones and tablets, as well as on web by logging into www.viu.com.
About PCCW Media
The Media Group of PCCW is a leading, fully integrated multimedia and entertainment group in Hong Kong.
The Media Group operates the leading pay-TV service in Hong Kong under the Now TV brand delivering both self-produced and licensed content to its customers using IPTV technology. Now TV offers more than 160 linear channels and on demand library of local, Asian and international programming. Its premium content can also be accessed via the Now Player app. It is also a leading producer of Chinese language news, financial news and sports programming in addition to Asian infotainment content which complements its wide portfolio of licensed movie and international television content. PCCW Media also offers the Now E entertainment OTT (over-the-top) platform with international and Asian dramas, movies and world-class sports events, which is designed to meet the needs of viewers with Millennial lifestyle.
The Media Group is also engaged in the provision of OTT video service under the Viu brand in Hong Kong and 16 markets in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and India. In addition, MOOV is a hugely popular music digital streaming service in Hong Kong.
About PCCW Limited
PCCW Limited (SEHK: 0008) is a global company headquartered in Hong Kong which holds interests in telecommunications, media, IT solutions, property development and investment, and other businesses.
The Company holds a majority interest in the HKT Trust and HKT Limited, Hong Kong’s premier telecommunications service provider and leading operator in fixed-line, broadband and mobile communication services. HKT meets the needs of the Hong Kong public and local and international businesses with a wide range of services including local telephony, local data and broadband, international telecommunications, mobile, and other telecommunications businesses such as customer premises equipment sale, outsourcing, consulting, and contact centers.
PCCW also owns a fully integrated multimedia and entertainment group in Hong Kong, PCCW Media. PCCW Media operates the largest local pay-TV operation, Now TV, and is engaged in the provision of over-the-top (OTT) video service under the Viu brand in Hong Kong and other places in the region.
Through HK Television Entertainment Company Limited, PCCW also operates a domestic free television service in Hong Kong.
Also, wholly-owned by the Group, PCCW Solutions is a leading information technology outsourcing and business process outsourcing provider in Hong Kong and mainland China.
In addition, PCCW holds a majority interest in Pacific Century Premium Developments Limited, and other overseas investments. To learn more about PCCW, please visit www.pccw.com.
