MANILA – Kuala-Lumpur based startup iFlix continues its steady march in the Philippine market, this time with a content partnership with media giant GMA Network.
The deal will add 1,213 hours worth of content to iFlix’s growing library of over 10,000 hours of video. To be added in batches, the first wave has been completed last August 15.
TV dramas comprise the bulk, with titles such as My Husband’s Lover, Ang Dalawang Mrs. Real, and Amaya. Also included are GMA’s multi-awarded news documentaries such as i-Witness and Pinoy Abroad and original feature films like Jose Rizal and Muro Ami.
In addition to becoming an online springboard, iFlix will also be a catch-up TV portal for GMA, allowing Iflix subscribers can view reruns of new episodes of GMA shows within seven days of their initial broadcast.
iFlix calls the feature Catch Up TV and is billed as one of the first of its kind in the video-on-demand space in Asia as looks to keep pace with popular streaming services such as Netflix.
The family drama Half Sisters currently has this feature, with shows My Faithful Husband, Beautiful Strangers and Pari Ko’y soon to follow.
Milestone from the last 75 days
iFlix rapidly grew its audience base since its debut last May, now at 153,000 subscribers each watching an average 100 minutes of content per day.
In total, Sherwin dela Cruz, country manager for iflix Philippines, said that the country is consuming over 16,600 hours worth of videos a day – proof that iFlix can only get bigger in the country.
“We believe that in this world we need to innovate as much and be quick about it. If you have launched something without mistakes then you have launched it too late,” dela Cruz said.
He shared with adobo that its marketing and advertising efforts are all done in-house and has strongly focused on Facebook for its publicity. As for brand partners, iFlix has recently partnered with Samsung Philippines and Samsung Malaysia to offer the service for three months free of charge on the mobile brand’s flagship Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 tablet.
Most exciting is the possible integration of iFlix with a recommendation engine in the coming months, which allows it to recommend video content based on viewing habits and other online behavioral data.
At the heart of iflix’s fresh ideas is actionable data, shares dela Cruz.
“It has to be that way. The only way. We are an internet company and one of the things that should guide us are things our audience is watching or devices they use.”
Unlimited access to iFlix is at P129 per month available on desktop PC, Mac, Android OS, and iOS. Dela Cruz shared that 70% of iflix users in the Philippines are on mobile, with most on an Android device.
