Smart Communications has partnered with Filipino streaming platforms Cignal Play, ABS-CBN’s iWant, Viva Entertainment’s VMX and Viva One, and Watchapp to make local entertainment more accessible through direct carrier billing and new content collaborations.
Through direct carrier billing, users can now charge their subscription fees to prepaid load or postpaid accounts, eliminating the need for credit cards, bank accounts, or e-wallets. The move aims to bring premium entertainment to millions of Filipinos.
“Through these respective strategic partnerships, Smart subscribers can conveniently access and stream content using Direct Carrier Billing (DCB), which instantly charges subscriptions to these platforms using their prepaid load or postpaid bill,” a Smart executive said during the launch held on Wednesday.
Cignal Play, the video-on-demand arm of Cignal TV, offers over 80 live channels and 1,000 hours of movies and series, along with microdramas available for as low as P20 per day. Viva One, run by Viva Communications, carries local and international content, including its original series lineup, with monthly subscriptions starting at P99.
“The quality of the signal of Smart can carry the quality of the content of Viva. Soon Viva will launch its own micro-drama called Viva Movie Box. These are mini episodes presented in vertical short formats. This will be big entertainment for a small screen for a smart price. Only with Smart,” said Ronan de Guzman, COO of VMX.
Watchapp, a web-based service by VOXP Technologies, allows users to watch vlogs, movies, shows, and sports without downloading an app, offering access for as little as P5. ABS-CBN’s iWant provides a wide catalog of dramas, variety shows, news, documentaries, and exclusive originals, with a basic plan starting at P35 per month.
Smart said it is also working with its partners on a data pack tailored for streaming and exploring exclusive content deals for subscribers.
During the press conference to introduce Smart’s partnership with these homegrown streaming apps, the telco also announced the launch of a new “pluggable eSIM” for phones that are not capable of taking eSIMs.
According to Smart, the technology enables non-eSIM-capable Android devices to store and manage multiple eSIMs.
While new flagship phones and many premium midrange phones are already capable of using eSIMs, older phones and most budget and lower-end midrange phones are still limited to physical SIMs.
With the Smart Multi SIM, users can download and install up to five eSIM profiles and conveniently manage and switch between them for personal, business, or travel use, the telco said.
