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Type of business | Prev. Joint venture Curr. private company |
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Type of site | Prev. OTT platform Curr. OTT meta search platform |
Available in | English, Thai, Indonesian |
Founded | 30 January 2015 |
Predecessor(s) |
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Successor(s) | |
Headquarters | |
Area served |
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Key people | Prev. Peter Bithos (CEO) Curr. Jay Bae (CEO) |
Products | Video streaming |
URL | https://hooq.tv |
Current status | Online |
Hooq (stylised in all caps, pronounced like hook) was a Singaporean video on demand streaming service. It was a joint venture of Singtel, Sony Pictures and Warner Bros., with presence in the Philippines, Thailand, India, Indonesia, and Singapore. Hooq was valued at $420 million dollars. [1] Hooq filed for liquidation on 27 March 2020, and shut down on 30 April 2020. Its assets were acquired by Coupang.
Hooq was a joint venture of Singtel, Sony Pictures and Warner Bros., established on 30 January 2015, when the presence of Netflix in Asia was still limited. [1] An online streaming video platform, Hooq would be able to capitalise on Singtel's reach and distribution to deliver Hollywood movies, television series, as well as local programming to Asian markets. [1] Hooq also produced original content to attract subscribers, [2] starting with a mini-series based on the multi-award-winning movie, On the Job which revolves around a hard-hitting topic in Philippine society. [3]
The platform was progressively launched in the Philippines, Thailand, India, Indonesia, and Singapore over 2015 and 2016. [1] [2] [4] The content on the platform was accessed with a monthly or yearly subscription fee. [5]
Hooq was named Best Mobile App in the Media, Film, TV or Video category at the GSMA's Global Mobile (GLOMO) Awards 2016 in Barcelona. [6]
Due to its fast growing, but loss-making status in Singtel's portfolio, an initial public offering was considered for value realisation in 2019. [7] However, on 27 March 2020, Hooq filed for liquidation, citing "significant structural changes" that had occurred in the over-the-top (OTT) video market and its competitive landscape. [8] Its global headcount of 240 staff was affected and laid off during this liquidation process. [9] Hooq shut down on 30 April 2020. [10] [11]
Singtel owned 65 percent of Hooq's shares, while Sony Pictures and Warner Bros. each owned 17.5 percent. [1] The share structure remained unchanged when it raised an additional US$25,000,000 in 2017. [2] On 27 March 2020, when announced its plans for liquidation, it was revealed that Singtel has an indirect control of 76.5 percent of the company. [12]
In July 2020, South Korean e-commerce company Coupang acquired Hooq's software assets, which are being used as the basis of its own service Coupang Play. [13] [14]
In early 2024, South Korean search engine marketing company Hedley Digital acquired Hooq's digital assets and transformed it into OTT meta search platform form. [15]
Singapore Telecommunications Limited, doing business as Singtel, is a Singaporean telecommunications conglomerate, the country's principal fixed-line operator and one of the four major mobile network operators operating in the country.
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