Through the collaboration, Viu will commit to creating content assets through its Viu Original slate and will work with Wattpad to develop youth-oriented shows across its markets.
Pan-Asian streaming service Viu, owned by Hong Kong-based PCCW Media Group, has entered into a content collaboration with Wattpad to develop original films and series based on the young adult (YA) literature platform’s stories.
Through the collaboration, Viu will commit to creating content assets through its Viu Original slate and will work with Wattpad to develop youth-oriented shows across its markets.
The companies will use Wattpad’s Story DNA machine learning technology to identify what the companies regard as ‘exceptional’ stories and guide the development process.
Viu operates across 17 markets in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, India, and South Africa with viewers spending an average 1.2 to 1.8 hours daily on the platform. Wattpad has a global community of 80m users, including more than 22m users across the Asia Pacific region, who spend billions of minutes on the platform every month. 90% of Wattpad’s users are Gen Z or Millennials.
Commenting on the partnership, Helen Sou, Senior Vice President, Digital Media of Viu parent company PCCW Media Group said: “All over the world, millions of young people spend billions of minutes reading and writing every genre imaginable on Wattpad. We will continue to invest in original content to develop a sustainable ecosystem with local creators and providing them with a platform for their content.”
“Wattpad has its finger on the pulse of youth culture, and with this collaboration, we are able to enable the youth to connect global audiences on Viu’s engaged base.”
Commenting on the collaboration, Ari Kader-Cu, Country Manager, Viu Philippines added: “Gen Z and Millennials are zealous consumers of online content. We know that young Viu-ers are not only listening to pop music and watching teen drama, they are also making their own stories and reading other young writers’ stories on Wattpad. So we collaborate with Wattpad to transform these stories that they love into another format not only to reach audiences who primarily consume video content but also to celebrate the stories that the youth create.”
