Faced with a high level of competition in an era of streaming services, content providers must stay ahead by developing a strong user experience for clients, according to television company Discovery, Inc., which launched a subscription streaming service called discovery+ in the Philippines on Oct. 13. 

“The pandemic has absolutely accelerated streaming consumption and we’ve seen huge growth and investment in streaming platforms in the Southeast Asian market, especially in the Philippines. It’s important that content providers are clear on their value offering,” said Tony Qiu, Discovery’s general manager for East and Southeast Asia, in an exclusive interview with BusinessWorld. I

Like Disney’s own Disney+, which put many of its brands and channels onto a streaming service, discovery+ gives access to 20,000 episodes from Discovery brands like Animal Planet, BBC, Food Network, History Channel, and TLC, among others.  

The well-known and loved content will also be supplemented by new titles that will drop every week, added Mr. Qiu.  

Popular franchises include 90 Day Fiancé, Naked and Afraid, and Ghost Adventures, while the upcoming titles that Filipino subscribers can look forward to include 90 Days: The Single Life and Drag Race Philippines in 2022. 

AT ONE’S FINGERTIPS
On the reception of lifestyle and factual content in the country, Mr. Qiu reassured that Discovery’s 25 years of existence as a television channel in the Philippines ensures positive reception of the streaming service, paired with Filipinos’ eagerness for content. 

“We know how passionate Filipinos are about Discovery’s iconic shows and personalities. [The Philippines is] one of the world’s fastest growing markets,” he said. “Filipinos love streaming and have embraced having content at their fingertips whenever and wherever they want.” 

Despite the multiple options that people have in this day and age, a clear value proposition could attract consumers to a streaming service, he added. In the case of discovery+, the proposition is original, unscripted content covering food, true crime, relationships, lifestyle, and documentaries both new and old. 

As for the development of good deals for subscribers, Discovery acknowledged its partner for entering the country, Globe Telecom.  

“Direct-to-consumer partnerships are actually very critical, especially in driving the scale of business,” explained Mr. Qiu. “We bring exclusive offers to Globe’s customer base.” 

One of the deals that Globe, TM, and Globe at Home users can get for a limited time is P129 for one year of access to discovery+, instead of the standard price of P999. — Bronte H. Lacsamana

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