TO become the top localised video entertainment platform for the best and latest programmes, and exclusive live events, tonton is leveraging on its strategic over-the-top (OTT) partnerships.
They include dimsum (Chinese and Asian content) and Eros Now (Bollywood and Indian content), which features product bundling, content integration, unified search, as well as cross-marketing, offering urban, Chinese, Korean, Thai and Bollywood movies and shows.
Media Prima Bhd Television Networks director (tonton, licensing and merchandising) Airin Zainul said the expansion was inevitable now that tonton had 7.55 million registered users.
“These days, it’s not about being afraid of working with partners who might traditionally seemed like competitors.
“In this digital age, the collaborations are all about breaking down barriers to keep up with the demand of today’s users,” she said at tonton’s #RatedXtra Party to announce its expansion for next year, held in Kuala Lumpur recently.
At the event, tonton general manager Ben Jern Loh announced other plans, such as the Smart TV platform, which allowed tonton’s expansion into the living room.
Once operational, it will allow users to watch tonton on the latest models of LG, Samsung and Panasonic televisions.
Currently in development is tonton’s Android television operating system. Both will be made available next month.
In the first of quarter of next year, tonton will be the first OTT provider in the region to introduce Camment, a technology which allows users to interact with other tonton users, who are connected to their social circles, using voice and video.
“Gone are the days of streaming your favourite shows of Live TV on tonton all alone,” said Loh.
“The technology allows for intelligent social marketing where brands can partner with the platform to advertise content based on the interaction between (tonton) users through voice recognition technology.”
Also announced was tonton’s buzz central vlog called “xtra”, where users can catch entertainment news and gossips.
“We aim to provide digital content that engages consumers and keeps up with the high standards that we’ve benchmarked ourselves against, so that tonton will maintain its status as the No. 1 OTT platform in Malaysia and soon, in the region,” added Airin.
A partnership was also sealed with Telekom Malaysia Bhd where free tonton VIP subscription package will be available for subscribers of Aneka, Ruby and Jumbo packs of HyppTV beginning next year.
Digi Video Freedom, a collaboration between Digi and tonton will allow Digi subscribers to get a monthly tonton VIP subscription plus an extra 5GB of data for just RM5 a month.
Present at the event were Media Prima Bhd group managing director Datuk Kamal Khalid and Media Prima Television Networks chief executive officer (CEO) Johan Ishak and Primeworks Studios CEO Datuk Ahmad Izham Omar.