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Line debuts YouTube-like TV service in Thailand
Line Corp., makers of the poplar Line messaging app, announced Friday the launch of ‘Line TV’, a YouTube-like video service, in Thailand. The company touts 181 million active users worldwide and this is the latest in a series of efforts to expand its business beyond that of its core chat app.
Line TV is available on Android, iOS and on the web; content ranges from TV shows, dramas and music videos from Thailand, Japan and Korea and includes the popular show Hormones and music videos from K-Pop band Super Junior.
“Thailand was chosen as our first global launch because Thais love Korean entertainment content and pop culture,” said Ms Varadee Vasavananda, Line Thailand spokeswoman. “With a variety of services on the Line platform, we could introduce more opportunities for new business models and revenue sources in the coming years.”
While nothing has been confirmed, a paid-for premium content offering is not impossible since the platform already has its own in-app payment service, Line Pay.
Line TV is tightly integrated with the Line messaging app; allowing users to share content seamlessly with friends using the messaging app. Info about actors are embedded in videos via links, making it simple to follow them directly from the app.
Line TV is free to use and the company is monetizing the service via pre-roll advertising, rather than banner ads.
Current content is made up of licensed shows from content providers and revenue sharing on older content. Line is also working on its own content based on the characters in its sticker sets from the messaging app. The sticker characters already have their own cartoons and appear in adverts.
With 33 million users, Thailand is Line’s second biggest market outside of Japan, making the country the perfect testing ground for new services. Last week Line introduced a daily deals grocery shopping service in Thailand, named “Cheap Sure Sure.”
And last month the company launched Line Taxi in Tokyo, Japan. The service allows Line users to book a taxi directly from the Line messaging app and pay for it via Line Pay.
Image via Line Corp.
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