Heart-tugging ‘Miracle in Cell No. 7’ kicks off WeTV streaming service
WeTV, the newest streaming platform to launch in the Philippines, brings as its initial movie offering one of the biggest movies of 2019, Miracle in Cell No. 7, on Nov. 27.
A remake of the popular Korean film, it stars Aga Muhlach, Bela Padilla and Xia Vigor. Produced by Viva Films, Miracle was the top grosser of MMFF 2019 and will now be seen by a wider audience through the platform.
More local content is set to launch under WeTV Originals starting January, including:
Section St. Valentine: The Disappearance of Divine. A dark teen drama about senior high school students of Section St. Valentine, all of whom resume classes via Zoom except for “It” girl in school, Divine Concepcion. Her absence triggers an online investigation to solve the mystery behind her disappearance. Premiering January 2021.
BetCin. A GL story about lesbian couple, Beth & Cindy, who are on the verge of a break-up, until they find themselves joining an online contest to become social media’s most favorite And adored loveteam. Beth sees the cash prize as a chance to start a new life with her new girlfriend, Kate. Cindy on the other hand, has other plans.
B&B: The Story of Battle of Brody & Brandy. This romantic comedy stars Iza Calzado and Ian Veneracion. Brody is a charming guest staying at Brandy's B&B. At the end of his vacation, he promises to return. And he does, except this time, it’s to open up his own B&B right across hers!
B&B is written and directed by Mark Reyes, and co-produced by Sanggre Productions with Sunshine Dizon and Karylle Yuzon. Premiering February 2021.
The Anatomy of Loneliness. A simple guy, Mamon, has one dream: to win the heart of his muse, Nene. The series tells the story about two lonely individuals who unexpectedly find real connection amid the very impersonal platform of social media.
Apart from the Philippines, WeTV is also streaming in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and India. It is working with content producers in each territory to create original movies and series for its users.
Philippine country manager Georgette Tengco said local content is selected starting from a good story. “Whether it is just the seed of a story idea, I keep an open mind at every content pitch.”
From there, it is a collaborative process between the writers, directors and producers.
WeTV is owned by Tencent, one of the largest global tech and entertainment companies that brought gamers the RPG titles League of Legends, Fortnite, Clash of Clans, Path of Exile, Minecraft, and instant messaging platforms Tencent QQ and WeChat.
They have also expanded into music and film production with Tencent Music Entertainment, which has partnerships with top global music labels, and Tencent Penguin Pictures, which produces popular Chinese movies and series.
In China, their streaming platform Tencent Video is the leading OTT platform with more than 600 million users per month. In 2019, they expanded that reach into Asia, under the carrying brand of WeTV to deliver Asian premium content to a wider audience.
“It’s exciting for the Philippine market as we have fully embraced Asian content, making it part of our regular entertainment consumption,” Tengco said. “We have steadily introduced popular Chinese dramas, Korean dramas, Thai dramas and BL series, and so much more. As we add more Filipino content to the mix, we are poised to deliver on all your entertainment needs.”
Among the top Asian titles coming soon are Chinese dramas Oath of Love and The Golden Hairpin, the new Thai BL series Manner of Death, K-drama hits like Tale of the Nine Tailed and Flower of Evil, and Filipino rom-com James & Pat & Dave.
“As a streaming service, we have a distinct opportunity to offer our users the widest variety of content across genres. It also gives us a platform to work with really creative minds to tell unique and compelling stories,” Ms. Tengco explains. “Taking our cues from Tencent and Tencent Video, we have seen how well-crafted Chinese WeTV Originals are, and how they are gaining traction across Asia and other markets. WeTV Philippines carries on this DNA in creating quality original content designed to cater and appeal to the Filipino market.”
To stream the best in Asian premium content, download the WeTV app from the App store and Google Play. A monthly subscription rings in at only P59, quarterly at P159, and an annual subscription is only P599.