Viu strikes output deal with Discovery Networks Asia Pacific

No Sleep No FOMO

Hong Kong-headquartered streamer Viu has struck an output deal with Discovery Networks Asia Pacific that will see a raft of Discovery titles launch on the SVOD.

Under the pact, Discovery Network Asia Pacific channels such as Discovery, Discovery Asia, Animal Planet, Food Network, TLC and HGTV will all land on Viu.

The content will be available in six markets, including Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. In addition, Viu users will also have access to programming from the recently rebranded Asian Food Network (previously known as Asian Food Channel).

The deal spans food content such as Jason Tastes Asia, Family Kitchen with Sherson and Cooking for Love; reality content including Cake Boss, Dr. Pimple Popper, 90 Day Fiancé and Iron Chef Gauntlet; and docuseries Deadliest Catch, Gold Rush: White Water and Extinct Or Alive.

The content will carry English, Bahasa Melayu, Bahasa Indonesia, traditional Chinese and Thai subtitles.

Backed by PCCW Media Group, Viu draws more than 36m monthly active users and is available in 17 countries across Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The platform previously collaborated with Discovery on the format No Sleep No FOMO, distributed internationally by The Story Lab.

Janice Lee, CEO of Viu, said: “Having firmly established a highly engaged user base in the past few years, our collaboration with Discovery marks a further step in the continual expansion of our offerings to enrich the content experience for our viewers through international and regional collaborations as well as through the development of Viu Original.

“With Discovery, we see the opportunity to offer top-quality factual and lifestyle entertainment, including travel, lifestyle and living, that resonates with a broad spectrum of our audience on the Viu platform.”

Anna Pak, VP and GM for Southeast Asia at Discovery Networks Asia Pacific, said: “We are excited to partner with Viu and expand the reach of our brands to digital audiences. With its large and growing fanbase, Viu is an obvious partner as a leading OTT platform in APAC and our partnership will bring new business opportunities to Discovery.

“Our earlier collaboration with Viu on No Sleep No FOMO provided us with a deeper understanding of Viu’s expanding user base across the region and the high-quality service it provides. This is particularly important to us as a premium brand and our efforts to offer our modernised Asian Food Network content to a broader audience.”