The coming of Netflix should very well strike fear in the hearts of Singtel and Starhub, who may lose their market to the increasing amount of Singaporeans who tuning out from traditional TV subscriptions.
All the more they’re hopping on the Netflix bandwagon right now. Two of the country’s biggest telecommunications company are choosing to keep their new, hip frenemy close as they try to figure out a way to maintain their relevance in the face of a cord-cutting era.
Singtel for one, have announced a partnership with the streaming behemoth. Under the deal, new and re-contracting Singtel customers will get up to nine months of Netflix subscription, which are applicable to existing Netflix accounts too. Customers will also be able to access Netflix through their Singtel set-top boxes from April onwards.
Similarly, StarHub has also brought Netflix onboard their set-top boxes for their Fibre TV customers — but no free subscriptions unfortunately.
Both companies are also joining the Netflix Open Connect programme, said to provide mobile and broadband customer with the “highest quality viewing experience possible” — though we doubt it’ll have much difference.
The clincher however will always be content — if any telco can offer access to films and shows on Netflix unrestricted by regional limits, then they’ll be the right winner.
