Is local original content king?

The deal seems to forge a strong partnership between Tencent and one of the biggest producers of local content in Southeast Asia.  The rise of local original content --------------------------------------------------------------- Hello {NAME} You know what could kick away our Monday blues? When you give us feedback about our newsletter revamp [here]( Do you love it or hate it? We can’t wait to find out what you think! In today’s features: Often mentioned as Malaysia's next unicorn, Iflix was snapped up by Tencent. What would this partnership bring to the streaming industry in Southeast Asia? Scroll down for a longer read. Your quick bytes for today: 🎥 We’re not done talking about Tencent. As if it’s not busy enough with its games, movies, and music industries, the Chinese tech giant is also quietly testing a livestreaming network [very similar to Amazon’s Twitch](. 🌱 Heads up to all the Singapore-based agriculture and aquaculture firms: Enterprise Singapore will be investing around [US$39 million]( to help this sector innovate. ☕ Luckin Coffee is not feeling too lucky as [Nasdaq is delisting]( the company, which has no plans to appeal the decision. The Chinese coffee chain’s board is also proposing to remove its chairman. 🛍️ Someone is ready for customers to do some “revenge spending”. As India gears up for Unlock 2.0, ecommerce platform Flipkart has enabled more than [90% of its sellers]( to resume operations on its marketplace. ☎️ If you want to work in a tech giant, Amazon India is looking to hire [20,000 temporary staff]( in customer service. 👟 How do companies join China’s Mid-Year Shopping Festival? US-based Allbirds and Supergoop shared their experiences as [participating brands in Tmall’s 6.18 sale Tmall](.  --------------------------------------------------------------- Tencent and chill? Tencent is huge! Movie and TV buffs in Southeast Asia, are you ready for more local content produced by Tencent? In a bid to to [grow its WeTV unit]( (🔒) in Southeast Asia and push out US titan Netflix and Hong Kong’s Viu, Tencent bought regional streaming service Iflix. Bigger and better? We all have that one friend with all the connections, and Iflix might be that friend for WeTV. In the region, WeTV is only available in Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines. On the other hand, Iflix is available in 13 countries across Asia - most of them markets where WeTV has yet to establish its presence, like Pakistan, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Another attractive factor is Iflix’s over 25 million monthly active users on its platform, not to mention its existing tie-ups with studios and distribution partners such as NBC Universal, Paramount Pictures, and Warner Bros. Local original is king? Just like how viewers binge-watch Netflix Originals, Iflix’s originals are also in demand. “Our most popular and impactful shows are predominantly local ones,” Iflix ex-CEO Mark Britt shared previously. One of them is Indonesian romance Magic Hour, which topped US superhero series The Flash and Korean drama Goblin on its platform. This info is music to Tencent’s ears because the company loves original content, which it says contributed to the growth of WeTV. The Untamed, an original series produced by Tencent Pictures, has also racked up more than 100 million views in Thailand. For a longer and deeper analysis, including Tencent’s video subscription figures and content production strategy as well as Southeast Asia’s video-streaming market, check out [today’s premium article](. (🔒).  --------------------------------------------------------------- Still into crypto? Two moods for bitcoins (BTC) investors this year: “It’s over 9000!” (referring to this [meme]( and “Annnnnd, it’s gone!” Trading crypto could be rather complex and risky for the average user. Singapore-based options trading platform Sparrow offers tools designed to make it easier for both professionals and beginners alike to manage and trade BTC and ether. To do so, the company recently raised [US$3.5 million in a series A round]( led by HDR Group, the parent company of cryptocurrency exchange platform BitMex. Show me the coins Set up in 2019, Sparrow settles cryptocurrencies using smart contracts. Each of these self-executing contracts contains the terms of the agreement between buyer and seller - they’re directly baked into the codes. This helps to automate the settlement of contracts and increases the transparency of the process. Since its launch, the company said it has seen options trading volume on its platform grow to US$150 million. Sparrow plans to use the new funds to: - Create new wealth management products and services - Rollout a smartphone app - Improve its financial reporting tools for users  --------------------------------------------------------------- A new side hustle: Get paid to read news Ever dream of being paid to scroll through news? US-based BuzzBreak is making that come true by rewarding readers with US$0.10 per article. We’ve unlocked this [premium article]( for you to read in full this week.  --------------------------------------------------------------- Misc Happening - [Tech in Asia x Braze: Humanise Your Customer Engagement for Today's New Normal]( on Tuesday, July 14. Hiring - [Product Manager]( at Aspire (Singapore, Singapore) - [Marketing Creative]( at Grumpy Kitchen (Jakarta, Indonesia)  --------------------------------------------------------------- Mondays can be tough. So why not share this with others to make their Mondays a little less blue and a lot more woke? Come on - you know you want to! Copyright © 2020 Tech in Asia, All rights reserved. Don't want to receive these emails anymore? [Unsubscribe](.