28 April 2016, Bali – Astro Malaysia Holding Berhad (Astro), a leading content and consumer group in Malaysia and Southeast Asia, and GLOBE Telecom Inc. (GLOBE), number one mobile brand in the Philippines, has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to offer Tribe over-the-top (OTT) video services to Filipino customers. The agreement also reflects the strategic intent of both parties to collaborate on content opportunities that will be distributed on Tribe and other platforms across the region.

Tribe is an OTT service for ASEAN video consumers, which was recently launched in Indonesia offering live and on demand content comprising live sports, Asian movies, and TV series including popular Korean entertainment.

Henry Tan, Chief Operating Officer of Astro said, “As part of our ASEAN expansion, Tribe is exploring opportunities to extend its reach to the Philippines by partnering with Globe. This is a win-win collaboration leveraging off Tribe and Astro’s invested platforms and core competencies to deliver great content to Filipino consumers. Recognizing the importance of local and differentiated content, Tribe and Globe look forward to more discussions on the collaboration of content tailored to the Filipino audience, for distribution on Tribe and other available platforms. Additionally, Tribe welcomes participation from content creators and producers in the Philippines and across the region. To differentiate itself from traditional OTT players, Tribe focuses on building a community of fans who are highly and socially engaged with each other around the content they consume. We will achieve this by enabling fan driven participatory activities to heighten the consumption experience, which we expect will align well with the social nature of Filipino consumers, particularly the younger demographic”.

The partnership will potentially see Tribe widening its reach into Southeast Asia as well as enabling more Filipinos to watch video content across multiple genres on their devices. 

Globe Telecom Chief Commercial Officer Albert de Larrazabal also shared that, “Over the past three years, Globe has built a strong portfolio of content based on the interests of our customers – whether   music, movies, sports, and others.  Astro is a partner that offers complementary strengths to bolster our offerings. In fact, this will be the first time that we will play an active role in co-curating content with a partner, further strengthening our offers that match our customer profile. Soon, we will be able to offer Tribe via mobile or home broadband plan bundles. Customers will also be able to ‘cast’ Tribe’s content onto a larger screen with the use of the Google Chromecast device.”

About ASTRO

Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad is a leading content and consumer group in Malaysia and Southeast Asia with a focus on the pillars of watch, listen, read and shop. With a customer base of 4.8 million residential customers or approximately 67% penetration of Malaysian TV households, Astro offers 183 TV channels, including 54 HD channels, delivered via Direct-To-Home satellite TV, IPTV and OTT platforms. Astro provides HD, 3D, PVR, VOD and IPTV services through Astro B.yond and Astro on the Go. Fulfilling its promise to bridge the digital divide for all of Malaysia, Astro introduced NJOI as an entry-level DTH satellite TV service and is the country’s first non-subscription based satellite TV, offering 28 TV and 20 radio channels. Astro Radio includes Malaysia’s highest rated stations across key languages and is available on both terrestrial and digital channels, reaching approximately 12.8 million weekly listeners. Its digital arm is involved in digital publishing, applications and platforms as well as publication of entertainment and lifestyle magazines locally.

About Tribe

Tribe Limited, a subsidiary of Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad (Astro) offers an over-the-top (“OTT”) service for ASEAN video consumers. Tribe is all about building a community of fans around the most popular content genres, particularly in the younger demographic. Consumers of today are highly mobile and socially connected; Tribe intends to build a relevant social connection between users through the content they consume. Tribe will be mobile-first, allowing consumption anytime, anywhere. It will deliver highly tailored content, combining both live and on demand, and its aim will be to provide the most compelling content that will resonate with consumers in each target market. Tribe is available in Indonesia through XL offering live and on demand content for Korean fans, sports fans and Asian movie buffs.

About Globe Telecom

Globe Telecom is a leading full service telecommunications company in the Philippines, serving the needs of consumers and businesses across an entire suite of products and services including mobile, fixed, broadband, data connections, internet and managed services.  Its principals are Ayala Corporation and Singtel who are acknowledged industry leaders in the country and in the region. For more information, visit www.globe.com.ph. Follow Globe Telecom on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GlobePH and Tattoo at www.facebook.com/GlobeTattoo as well as on Twitter @enjoyglobe and @choosetattoo and Instagram at @enjoyglobe and @choosetattoo.