PLDT Home and Lionsgate Play Mark One Year of Prosperous Collaboration
Lionsgate Play (LGP) and the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) have recently reached a significant milestone as they celebrate the first anniversary of their successful partnership. During the past year, this collaboration has led to the video-on-demand (VOD) platform establishing strong brand recognition and achieving record-high trial rates, the highest in PLDT history.
Launching a VOD service in June 2022 was not an easy task, as it occurred shortly after the pandemic, and many Filipinos were already accustomed to other VOD services. Nevertheless, LGP rose to the challenge by swiftly setting itself apart from the competition with its bold, unconventional, and thrilling content.
#PlayMoreBrowseLess
Despite owning an extensive library of over 17,000 titles, Lionsgate Studios ensures that the audience is not overwhelmed with an excessive number of releases. Instead, LGP carefully curates a selection of content to engage the audience, encouraging them to #PlayMoreBrowseLess. To achieve this, LGP features the most captivating recent releases, with exclusive rights to premiere TV shows from LGP’s US parent network STARZ, as well as popular titles from the premium Lionsgate library. Occasionally, LGP also secures Academy Award®-winning films from other studios.
“Since the introduction of the partnership in June 2022, PLDT Home’s collaboration with Lionsgate Play has brought a fresh wave of entertainment to its valued Filipino customers,” said Evert Miranda, PLDT Home Vice President and Digital Services Head of Product & Marketing (Beyond Access). “The partnership enabled customers to immerse themselves in a world of unlimited entertainment through Lionsgate Play’s diverse range of international and award-winning content.”
Throughout the past year, LGP’s audience has been drawn to box-office hits such as the John Wick, Hunger Games, Twilight, and Saw franchises. Viewers also showed interest in new, never-before-seen films such as APEX and Corrective Measures, as well as unique and intriguing series including Spartacus, Power, Gaslit, and The Serpent Queen.
Subscribers can look forward to exclusive titles such as the high-adrenaline, action-packed series like Heels, Gangs of London, Kandahar, and Gray, as well as new Lionsgate films like One Ranger and Fear the Night. LGP will also exclusively live-stream The Emmy Awards for the second year in a row, with seven of its titles receiving nominations.
The Key to LGP’s Success
The partnership with PLDT played a crucial role in LGP’s success. PLDT took the bold step of providing their subscribers with 12 months of access to LGP. Moreover, as PLDT is renowned for having the country’s fastest fixed internet according to Ookla, PLDT subscribers were able to enjoy LGP titles with fast and reliable internet.
“We have been pioneers in understanding that partnerships are essential in this market to grow subscribers,” stated Amit Dhanuka, LGP Executive Vice President. “The growth is skewed towards the partnerships because they open up a larger funnel than what we would be able to get ourselves. These partnerships took time to evolve. So, we had a lot of customers come onto the platform earlier and they have stayed. Now, the partnerships are driving subscriber growth.”
“As we celebrate the anniversary of this successful partnership, we eagerly anticipate Lionsgate Play’s commitment to enriching the platform with an expanded selection of content,” added Miranda. “With the introduction of paid subscriptions, we hope to witness the arrival of highly anticipated releases such as John Wick 4 and other upcoming masterpieces from Lionsgate and Starz. Our ultimate goal is to provide Filipino homes with the best of the best in entertainment.”