MANILA, Philippines, September 9, 2016 – Leading Philippine telco and digital services provider PLDT today announced that it has entered a partnership with US-based Roku Inc. PLDT will leverage the proven Roku Powered™ streaming solution to launch a new streaming service and player that brings the best entertainment to the TV of Filipinos.

“We are seeing a growing demand for internet-delivered TV services in the country and there is no better partner for us to give Filipinos the world of entertainment than Roku which after all is the pioneer in streaming TV,” PLDT FVP and Head of HOME Operations Oscar Reyes Jr. said.

In the second quarter of 2016, Roku had over10 million active accounts in 10 countries, including the US, UK, and Australia. Roku’s streaming platform excels in viewer engagement, due to its simplicity and breadth of content.

“Roku’s powerful platform will be a strong complement to PLDT HOME’s current array of content from various providers that include iflix and Fox International Channels,” Reyes pointed out.

PLDT HOME broadband subscribers currently enjoy subscription video on demand (SVOD) through their iflix accounts which include not just western but also Asian and local TV shows and films while the partnership with Fox also allows live streaming and catch-up television of the various shows on Fox channels.

PLDT HOME has also been increasing the speed of its Fiber plans with the most recent upgrade reaching as high as 1 Gbps to satisfy the growing appetite of subscribers for bandwidth-heavy apps like video streaming.

”Roku’s partnership with PLDT is yet another proof point that all TV will be streamed, and that Roku is leading the way,” said Andrew Ferrone, vice president of Pay TV at Roku. “By leveraging Roku’s streaming platform to launch a brand new TV service PLDT will dramatically cut down it’s time to market, so Filipino consumers can enjoy the best entertainment on their TV at home.”

According to recent surveys, video consumption via OTT boxes has been growing dramatically in the US and accounted for 58% of total views as of March last year from 44% the previous year and against 24% for PC and 17% for mobile devices.

“We foresee the Philippines eventually following this trend as more Filipinos’ viewing habits involve more and more video. The partnership with Roku is consistent with PLDT HOME’s objective of having the widest and best video portfolio in the Philippines,” said Reyes.