As a prepaid Globe user, I’ve been enjoying Spotify every chance I can get. It allows me to listen to any song, album, or artist I want to on demand. One thing it lacks though is the ability to let me watch videos. Of course, Spotify is strictly an on-demand streaming service for music. But wouldn’t it be great if we had something similar for video? Well, Globe and HOOQ recently partnered together to do just that: allow Globe subscribers to access a library of over 10,000 international and local movies, not to mention TV shows too.
What’s surprising about this new on-demand video streaming service is that HOOQ didn’t just partner with one provider — they partnered with six! HOOQ users can stream videos from Warner Brothers, Sony Pictures, GMA, Viva Communications, Regal Entertainment, and ABS-CBN. That way, you can watch both DC and Marvel superhero movies, as well as watch your favorite telenovelas whether you’re a Kapamilya or Kapuso!
Of course, as soon as the initial excitement wears off, you start to wonder: Just how fast can we expect the video to be on a mobile connection? The answer to that is adaptive bitrate streaming. HOOQ will make use of this technology to automatically stream video at a quality that your bandwidth can handle. This will allow the video to play smoothly and more consistently, regardless of just how fast your internet connection is at anytime. Well, to a point, of course.
Now, the people behind HOOQ know that bandwidth may not always be ideal for streaming movies and TV shows — even with the quality and bitrate adjusted all the way down. Not to worry because HOOQ addresses that too. Not only can you stream these videos, but you can also download them for offline viewing. No, you won’t be able to go bonkers and download every video in HOOQ’s library, but you will at least be able to download up to 5 videos at a time, which can be stored indefinitely!
Surely, a video-on-demand streaming service would cost as much as a cable subscription, right? Well, no. HOOQ will only be Php199 a month for access to all 10,000+ aforementioned movies and TV shows. Heck, for that much, I’m getting a service that’s even better than my cable subscription! There’s even plans of integrating it as a prepaid promo bundle the way Globe already does with Spotify, NBA League Pass, Wattpad, and Pisomall on GoSurf!
If you’re looking to start getting HOOQ on your device, it isn’t available just yet. However, you can check them out at HOOQ.tv and sign up for updates there.
