Starz streamer Lionsgate Play launches in Indonesia

US-based Starz has launched its DTC OTT app Lionsgate Play in Indonesia, further expanding the service’s presence in Asia.

The streamer, which was until now only available in India, recently partnered with Indonesian telco firm Telkomsel ahead of roll-out, with subscribers gaining access to Lionsgate Play through multiple options ranging from data pack linked access and premium data bundle to direct carrier billing.

The service will include Lionsgate film content such as The Hunger Games and Twilight franchises and Starz TV series including Mad Men and Power, as well as a selection of first-in-Indonesia series.

The streamer is also set to soon land in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, following its roll-out in Indonesia, where it has launched with two subscription models; IDR 35,000 (USD$2.41) per month and IDR 179.000 (USD$12.31) for a year.

In January, Starz announced the hires of former Hooq execs Guntur Siboro as general manager and Gene Tamesis as vice president of business development and partnerships to lead operations on the Lionsgate Play Indonesia regional team.

More recently, the service unveiled the first two projects in its slate of Indian originals – a remake of Hulu series Casual and college drama U-Special.

“We are thrilled to bring Lionsgate’s global brand to Indonesia with the eagerly-awaited launch of the Lionsgate Play app,” said Rohit Jain, MD of South Asia and Networks – Emerging Markets Asia. “We want to provide the finest, never before seen content that will captivate our audiences with bespoke entertainment drawing on the most exciting current releases and our premium library.”

Jain recently shared details of the streamer’s original content strategy with TBI, revealing that the company is “always on the lookout” for content with a focus on “untold, edgy, urban stories” as well as ‘slice of life’ comedy and young adult humour.

He added that Lionsgate Play is trying to differentiate its offering “by not over indexing on the crime/thriller genre, which is the flavour of the season.”