Door to a wide streaming audience
A tie-up between Primeworks Studios and iQiyi aims to provide a wider exposure of local talent and content, including TV3’s top-rated shows, writes Aref Omar
INNOVATIVE video streaming service iQiyi has been gaining popularity in providing Asian entertainment, including Chinese and Korean shows to Malaysian viewers. Its local subscriber base has increased exponentially to over 14 million users with Malaysians spending a total of 68 million hours on the platform last year.
A recent partnership with Media Prima Berhad, via its content production and distribution arm Primeworks Studios, aims to provide viewers with more local content and to push Malaysian talent to an international audience.
During a virtual launching event, Nini Yusof, chief content officer, Content & Creative, Media Prima Television Networks and Primeworks Studios, said: “As an integrated media powerhouse along with the nation’s largest content producer and distributor Primeworks Studios, we believe our partnership with iQiyi is very much in line with our digital expansion strategy, reaching a wider premium audience not only within but also beyond Malaysia.”
“We are delighted that local audiences can now enjoy highly anticipated dramas and specials made exclusively available on-demand just an hour after its broadcast via iQiyi’s streaming platform.
“The collaboration with one of the top global OTTs (Over-The-Top streaming service) underpins Primeworks Studios’ commitment and reputation for top-tier programming and high-quality productions that appeal to a broad audience,” she said.
HIGHLIGHTING LOCAL CONTENT
The multi-year partnership with Primeworks Studios is anchored on iQiyi’s exclusive first window broadcasting rights to the majority of TV3’s locally produced and highest-rated primetime dramas.
Available on-demand, the catalogue covers both top library titles and fresh titles that will be streamed exclusively on iQiyi the same day it airs nationwide on TV3.
All of these TV3 titles will be made available within a dedicated tab within the iQiyi app for local content, which is also accessible on web browsers at www.iq.com/local.
This local tab is expected to house more than 1,000 hours of premium local content by year end.
With this collaboration, iQiyi’s viewership of these TV3 titles is also further extended to users in Singapore and Brunei who will be able to tune in to upcoming Ramadan and Raya specials Sabarlah Duhai Hati and Cukup Derita Itu, as well as highly-anticipated titles such as the sequels to last year’s top two rated TV shows, 7 Hari Mencintaiku 2 and Budak Tebing.
Aside from broadcasting rights, the joint commitment will see iQiyi and Primeworks Studios’ combined efforts in an exclusive special, titled Shah Alam 40000, which began airing on March 29.
The series is set in a fictitious, affluent neighbourhood in Shah Alam and tells the story of three rich and prominent women played by Datin Seri Umie Aida, Anna Jobling and Rita Rudaini.
Their blissful lives get upended when one of them begins a business venture that forces them to confront deep secrets.
iQiyi viewers will have exclusive and free access to this title for a limited period before TV3’s airing later in the year, with iQiyi VIP subscribers enjoying special episodic advanced viewing privileges.
Sabarlah Duhai Hati actor Saharul Ridzwan, who was also present at the virtual launching event, said: “Fans can now watch our dramas anywhere, anytime. So it helps give artistes much more exposure to an even wider audience.”
The Ramadan special, which also stars Amyra Rosli, is set to premiere on April 28.
Dinesh Ratnam, iQiyi International’s country manager for Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei, said: “We are a relative newcomer to the streaming space in Malaysia with big ambitions that go beyond just expanding our audience base and amassing content catalogues that showcase the best of Asian entertainment.”
“We are already the fastest-growing streaming service in the country over the last 12 months. However, we want to be a mainstay driver of the local content ecosystem and build deep, long-lasting relationships with our users and partners,” he added.
EXCITING SHOWS FOR ALL
iQiyi is also working on a multi-faceted collaboration with Celcom Axiata Berhad (Celcom), beginning with the leading telco operator coming on board as the Official Telco Partner for iQiyi’s flagship variety production Youth With You 3 (YWY3).
The hit show, one of China’s highly anticipated variety programmes, has garnered a huge following in Malaysia and features the popular Lisa of BlackPink as a mentor.
This year sees new features introduced, allowing Malaysian audiences to vote for their favourite trainee participants, or to write letters to them via the iQiyi platform, facilitating a deeper and more meaningful celebrity-fan relationship.
T. Kugan K. Thirunavakarasu, chief emerging business officer of Celcom Axiata Berhad, said: “We are mindful that customers are looking for products and content that add value to their lifestyle and keep them connected at all times.”
“In tune with these needs, we will formulate tailored exclusive packages on local, Korean and international content for users on-the-go and at home,” he said.
iQiyi, which was launched locally about a year ago, was ranked as the nation’s most downloaded OTT streaming app across both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, between August 2020 and last February.
Dinesh added: “We are committed to delivering the best in Asian entertainment, and have seen our Korean and Chinese content resonate with audiences not only in Malaysia but also across Southeast Asia.”
“Conversely, what we are also seeing is a growing appetite for Southeast Asian stories in China. Therefore, besides catering to our local audiences, we also hope to provide a platform for the global export of local content, allowing homegrown producers to reach an international audience,” he said.