Lionsgate Play App Officially Launches in Indonesia, Offers Hollywood and Bollywood Premium Content

Having previously announced strategic partnership, application video streaming Lionsgate Play today (21/4) inaugurated its presence in Indonesia. They offer a variety of Hollywood content owned by Lionsgate Studio and Starz, as well as popular Bollywood content and their original offerings. Prior to Indonesia, at the end of 2020 Lionsgate Play officially launched in India.

In the media gathering, STARZ President & Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey A. Hirsch said, the large population in Indonesia, technology connections, and good internet penetration were ideal reasons for them to decide to sell their products here. He also emphasized that currently there are only about 2-4 platforms in Indonesia that also offer similar services [in terms of content, one of them], so there is still a lot of room for growth in Indonesia.

In its initial phase, they still focus on Hollywood and Bollywood content only. But in the future Lionsgate Play also plans to add content from Indonesia. According to SEA & Networks Managing Director Rohit Jain, the pandemic is the right time for Lionsgate Play to invest in content and focus on user experience. For this reason, in the future, more interesting content will be added for Lionsgate Play premium users.

"Previously we have launched this service in India and get a good response from the market. We have also found blue print or the right business model when it first appeared in India. Especially for emerging markets in Asia, thus the model can be replicated in other markets," said Rohit.

To support the technology implemented on the platform, Lionsgate currently has Tech Development Centers in two countries, namely in Denver, the United States and in the Middle East. Thus, it is hoped that they can provide the best user experience, supported by a good UI/UX display seamless and easy access to applications.

Forge strategic partnerships

At the launch event for Lionsgate Play Indonesia, there was also a local team that will be responsible for managing Lionsgate Play in Indonesia. They include Guntur Siboro (Country Manager Indonesia), Karina Mahadi (Content Manager), and Gene Tamesis Jr (SVP Bizdev & Partnerships).

To support the growth of Lionsgate Play users in Indonesia, a strategic partnership has been established. Starting from telecommunication operators such as Telkomsel to Indihome. To facilitate payment options, Lionsgate Play Indonesia has also partnered with Gopay, ShopeePay, and Doku.

"Of course we also offer other common payment options such as credit cards, debit cards to payments via email billing carrier (cut pulse). In accordance with the essence of the company, we will continue to add partnerships with relevant parties," said Guntur.

Although currently the package bundling until the promotion is still available for users Telkomsel, but in the future Lionsgate Play will also add partnerships with other telecommunications operators in Indonesia.

The Lionsgate Play service provides two subscription models to access the application, namely Rp. 35.000 per month and Rp. 179.000 for a year. This pricing option is expected to give Indonesian consumers the opportunity to enjoy the best global entertainment at an affordable price and with their convenience.

"The purpose of this partnership is of course to be useful for both parties. For partners they can get diverse content from us and of course the ideal choice for their customers," added Guntur.

Lionsgate Play Opportunities in Indonesia

Unlike other players who have been present in Indonesia, such as Disney + Hotstar, the approach taken by them is to directly offer a variety of original content from Indonesian filmmakers. Netflix himself is increasingly aggressive in establishing strategic partnerships with local filmmakers, the aim of which is to add original content from Indonesia.

However, Lionsgate Play, which has been known to have quality Hollywood film content that has won various Oscars to Golden Globes awards, is believed to be an angler for users in Indonesia to become Lionsgate Play subscribers.

In addition to content from the Lionsgate Studio and Starz libraries, Lionsgate Play has also acquired content from several international entertainment companies, such as from the BBC, Studio Canal and Summit. Lionsgate Play in Indonesia targets to reach millions of new users who register as Lionsgate Play users.

"Currently Lionsgate has around 28 million users in more than 56 countries. With this curated content, we hope to provide new options for users who want to enjoy premium content," said Jeffrey.