PCCW Media has added premium versions of its Viu OTT platform to its offering in Singapore, supporting Singtel's first bid to delink mobile video and set-top box TV subscriptions as well as offering a paid direct-to-consumer option.

The dual-option strategy gives viewers a choice of subscribing to Viu Premium directly or getting the app as part of Singtel’s new Cast bundle. The Cast bundle pushes a 1GB broadband data sweetener.

Making the announcement, the Hong Kong-based PCCW said Viu downloads had hit 1.6 million in Hong Kong since its launch in October 2015.

A free Viu version launched in Singapore in January this year. Downloads hit 500,000 by early July, PCCW said.

The telco also said average Viu viewing had hit 1.82 hours a day.

Viu's free ad-supported service will continue to be available in Singapore.

Viu Premium through Singtel is one of four packs offered on Singtel's new Cast platform. The other three packs are kids, Asian hits and Korean, all pricedseparately.

Singtel's goal in launching different mobile platforms with different branding and some of the same content appears to be a step towards delinking cable/IPTV/set-top box subscriptions from a pure mobile play.

Singtel bosses will speak about the new Cast platform at a briefing on Thursday (14 July).

Viu Premium on Singtel will run alongside Singtel’s other mobile service, Singtel TV Go. Singtel TV Go, available only to subscribers of Singtel's traditional pay-TV service, costs S$6.90/US$5.13 a month on top of the regular pay-TV service.

Viu Premium through Singtel costs S$6.98/US$5 a month (with no contract) or S$4.98/US$3.70 a month on a 12-month contract.Castsubscriptions bundle another 1GB of mobile data for a additional S$3/US$2.23 a month.

The direct-to-consumer Viu Premim option, payable via credit card, is S$5.98 a month.

Viu premium, which offers unlimited downloads, rolls out in Singapore with the premier of new Korean series, "Uncontrollably Fond".

The series is available on Viu with English subtitles right after the Korea telecast in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

“With the rise of digital content, we are seeing a rapid shift in the way media content is being consumed, especially by millennials,” says PCCW Media managing director, Janice Lee.

She said the PCCW-Singtel alliance focused on “adapting to meet the needs of today’s viewers”.

“86% of Singapore netizens regularly stream or download video content, of which 60% are watching dramas,” Lee says.

“These numbers show the immense potential in the OTT video streaming market where we are spearheading change in the way consumers engage with and consume digital content,” she adds.

Viu also has partnership with CSL in Hong Kong; Telekom Malaysia Berhad, Maxis, Digi and U Mobile in Malaysia; and Telkom Indonesia in Indonesia.

11 July 2016. A version of this story appeared in ContentAsia's eNewsletter (11-24 July 2016)