Switch Media, a world leader in online content delivery, has announced that Malaysia’s first and largest video streaming network Tonton, owned and operated by media powerhouse Media Prima, is using its MediaHQ online content publishing platform to create Tonton’s integrated, dynamic new OTT service.
Media Prima owns and operates a wide range of media outlets including: four national broadcasted TV stations, including the nation’s number one free to air channel: TV3. Complimented by five national radio stations, three national newspapers, an out of home network and Malaysia’s widest reaching digital content platforms. Tonton, which is very well known across the country, originally launched back in 2010 and has been through several iterations since as the service it provides, and market it serves, has evolved. International OTT services have since entered the market but local content still remains the nation’s most beloved genre and Media Prima continues to be one of the genre’s biggest producers of content.
Oscar Gutierrez, Switch Media’s VP of Business Development, said, “We took an in-depth look at what Tonton had been doing and where they wanted their OTT business to get to – a vital component of what we do – and it was immediately clear that our modular MediaHQ platform would be ideal for them. It provides a level of flexibility and adaptability, via the ability to easily add and remove services and to create the look and feel they needed, crucial in attracting and maintaining viewership.”
MediaHQ benefits from a powerful workflow engine and houses an advanced suite of modular capabilities that are flexible and easy to integrate. From ingest, media management and preparation to distribution and analytics, customers have access to everything they need under one roof.
The AVOD service, which launched in November 2022, was initially available on the Web, as well as on mobile apps for Android and iOS for smartphones and tablets with display and in-stream ads. This service carries a collection of Media Prima’s market-leading free-to-air channels. This March saw the launch of its SVOD service, home to a range of premium international content, as well as local content, providing a broad selection of content for viewers. Switch Media has also now rolled out these services to Android TV and Smart TVs.
Gregory Eu, Tonton’s Head of Product, said, “In order to improve our online video services, it was essential that we went back to the drawing board to see how we can rebuild the platform to fit today’s OTT landscape. Nowadays, with the widespread use of digital platforms, many people prefer to consume content online, and therefore, we required significant upgrades in our capabilities. Fortunately, Switch Media and its committed team promptly grasped the necessary steps we had to take and provided us with a technically sophisticated solution – Media HQ. Additionally, Switch Media have proved to be extremely adaptable in terms of structuring our partnership. It has been an invigorating experience working with them.”
Oscar Gutierrez said, “Beyond the market-proven technical capabilities of MediaHQ, and our in-depth market knowledge across the region, we are also able to deploy a mostly OPEX rather than a CAPEX intensive model and this was attractive to Tonton. As we all know, this is important as the trend away from CAPEX-intensive business models continues. There’s a range of ways that we can do this for customers as we work very closely with them throughout the process and can also support them on an ongoing basis, if desired. We take the polar opposite approach to the market than a one-size-fits-all angle. We offer very personalised customer service, supported by the modularity and flexibility of our solutions.”
