Conversations relating to over-the-top (OTT) streaming services in the Philippines increased in 2020 compared to the previous year as people relied on the internet for their entertainment fix while the coronavirus pandemic rages on.
Twitter Philippines said that the microblogging platform saw a “notable 184% spike” in conversations related to OTT services like Netflix, iWant TFC and iflix in the third quarter of 2020 against that of the same period in 2019.
“This clearly shows that streaming services played an integral role
during the extended periods of social distancing,” the platform said in a release.
Tambay sa Netflix lang talaga ako buong araw. Time to catch up with some series and movies. 😅
— gracia (@immarygracee) March 14, 2020
Twitter also noted that South Korean dramas or K-dramas “maintained” its title as the “indisputable attention winners of 2020” which includes conversation-generating series “Crash Landing on You” and “The King: Eternal Monarch,” among others.
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A thread we can all be proud of. ❤️
Crash Landing On You, crash landed all over the world.Honestly, CLOY is one of the best therapies you can have to let your mind not think of the global pandemic. It keeps the mind and heart healthy. 💕#CrashLandingOnYou https://t.co/2x2oH8szpI
— Brandy Bug 🍋🍅🥦 (@Moonstarmagick) May 21, 2020
“2020 was a year of unexpected and unprecedented change in the entertainment landscape but, Twitter continued to play its part in keeping conversations thriving,” Carl Cheng, Twitter’s head of entertainment partnerships in Southeast Asia and Greater China, said.
“Even as parts of the world look towards recovery and easing of
lockdown measures, entertainment will certainly remain a key part of our lives. As this year promises new reality TV, local dramas, award-winning films and more in 2021, Twitter is excited to see where the next big escape will take us,” he added.
During the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the biggest island of the Philippines was placed under enhanced community quarantine, a strict lockdown to curb the transmission of the viral disease.
This barred non-essential travel, including going to malls and other places for leisure. As a result, Filipinos heavily relied on streaming services to watch movies instead of going to theaters.
Streaming giant Netflix broke subscriber records last year when it gained 37 million additional subscribers. It was also the first time that it surpassed 200 million subscribers around the globe.
ABS-CBN’s iWant also relaunched its streaming service to iWantTFC, cementing itself as the first Filipino subscription-based streaming service that is available globally.
With its relaunch came new shows and films that kept homebound Filipinos entertained such as “Hello Stranger,” “Ang Sa Iyo Ay Akin,” “Four Sisters Before the Wedding” and “U-Turn.”
Other streaming services available for Filipinos are the recently-launched Vivamax, HOOQ, HBO Go, Apple+, Viu, Viki, Amazon Prime Video and YouTube Premium.
