SINGAPORE – Asian video-on-demand service HOOQ has launched an all-new mobile web experience for its customers using PWA, a technology championed by Google.
Google’s Progressive Web App (PWA) technology allows HOOQ to deliver an app-like experience on the web and displays seamlessly and identically on all devices, including desktop, mobile and tablet. Users can watch content without app downloads.
“HOOQ’s deployment of PWA came on the back of findings that four in five consumers access the internet daily on their smartphones and the usage between apps and websites were about the same. At the same time, we’ve also learned that more than half of those who came to the app store, interested in HOOQ chose not to download the app largely due to data constraints or storage limits on their device. This means that having a mobile app will only serve 50% of those mobile users but serving up a pure web experience allows HOOQ to potentially double its reach to mobile users consuming content regardless of their choice of viewing over web or app.” said Michael Fleshman, Chief Technology Officer of HOOQ.
“The intent of introducing PWA is to deliver a smooth and engaging experience where customers with lower-end devices or low data caps can still enjoy the full HOOQ experience without the need to compromise. What’s more, we are able to combine the ease of access and reach of the Web together with the immersive experience of a native app for customers to engage with HOOQ; browse the complete catalogue and play content without having to download the app”, Fleshman added.
HOOQ users can now experience faster load times and smoother interactions even in uncertain network conditions. With the help of pre-caching, HOOQ’s PWA stays up-to-date, serving the user with the newest premium content upon launch and users can also save HOOQ’s PWA to their home screen; making HOOQ accessible, without the hassle of downloading it from the app stores.
Smartphone penetration in emerging Asia has been on the rise and in 2017 over 230 million smartphones were sold, according to GFK. Whilst a 44% year-on-year growth in smartphone penetration provides HOOQ with a ripe opportunity in Southeast Asia, over 60% of these handsets are in the low to mid-range.
This growing base of smartphone users are cognizant of their precious storage space on their phones and are less likely to download an app. By removing all this friction, more users can now access HOOQ directly from a URL and are able to share it on social media, email, text message etc. and skip the hassle of app downloads from the app store, resulting in a much larger potential user base.
PWA is now live in all HOOQ markets – the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, India and Singapore, where users can enjoy local and Hollywood movies and TV series on www.hooq.tv.
