Another Streaming Service Enters VOD Market to Cut Piracy

Cambodia’s leading film distributor officially released its own paid video-on-demand app just one day after Sabay’s launch of its legal streaming video service made specially for a Cambodian audience.

Westec Media Limited (WML) fully launched its streaming app JaiKon TV to the public on Saturday, after a limited release in which users seemed willing to pay for entertainment content and perhaps move away from illegally streaming movies and shows, said Tang Gechnice, senior marketing for WML’s special projects.

“JaiKon TV is not only going to have the content from television stations, but our aim is to also support local original content creators, to have all their content presented nationwide,” Ms. Gechnice said.

The streaming service—currently available for Android and iPhone for $0.99 per week or $2.99 per month, the same price point as Sabay’s Soyo service—will carry live shows from cable channel PNN TV and eventually other stations, she said.

The app has already been downloaded more than 50,000 times during the earlier release, Ms. Gechnice added.

Javier Sola, program director at the Open Institute, said the new streaming services likely would not end Cambodia’s ubiquitous pirating of movie and television content overnight, but it could start to break the trend.

“It will surely create a new market…where they can get out of the habit of getting free things, to prepare them to pay a little amount of money for content that they really want,” he said.

Upon reviewing both apps, Ear Uy, a tech entrepreneur and a self-proclaimed fan of pirating movies, said he preferred Soyo’s functionality and JaiKon TV’s emphasis on Cambodian-made content.

But in the end, the 31-year-old said he was not impressed enough with either service to become a paid subscriber.

“When [the apps] get good and interesting content, I might consider it. It’s a very good offer,” he said.

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