<div>We have finally started to accept and adopt DTH for television entertainment and are on the verge of abolishing the cable. The next big thing, however, is online video streaming services where a monthly subscription gives you access to a variety of television programs and movies via the internet. India has not been very lucky when it comes to online video streaming services like Netflix, Hulu or HBO Now mainly due to two reasons. Firstly the average broadband internet speed and even mobile data services in India have been horribly slow and secondly the population of people who consume international TV shows and Hollywood movies is substantially low. YouTube </div><div>is probably the most consumed video service in India with over 70 million users a month and paid services like BoxTV and BigFlix have not been doing very well.</div><div> </div><div>The newest brand to enter into the Indian market is Hooq, a joint venture between Singtel, Warner Bros and Sony Pictures which has already started its beta program and plans to bring the service to consumers sometime later this month. After launching the service in Philippines and Thailand, the service will come to India at a low cost of just Rs. 199 to view all the content. Speaking of which the company claims that it already has a catalogue of over 15000 titles which includes Indian and </div><div>international TV shows and movie titles from Hollywood, Bollywood, South India, Korea, Japan and Thaliand. The company also said that anything that is uploaded on YouTube, will not be a part of Hooq’s catalogue. Some of the partners that will be providing content will include Sony, Warner Bros., Disney, Dreamworks, Miramax and a bunch of Indian studios including, Yash Raj Films, UTV Disney, Rajshri, Reliance, Shemaroo, Sri Balaji, AP International, Whacked Out Media and more.</div><div> </div><div>Coming down to the app, it has a fairly simple interface with movie and TV show titles available in different categories and languages. The best part is that the app lets you store up to five movies or TV episodes that can be viewed in offline mode i.e.; no need of the internet. There is also an option to reduce the quality (resolution) of the videos in case you are slow on connectivity or using small mobile device. The app also offers a resume feature which lets you continue playing from where you left off. With support of up to five devices and two simultaneous streaming, the app sounds quite promising. But is it really the video streaming service that you should look out for?</div><div> </div><div>Well, the catalogue is actually quite low, while there are a few good titles to indulge in; there is a huge scope to provide a larger quantity of titles. The connectivity is not very seamless as there were instances where the app would randomly disconnect even when you have a fast and stable connection. The service is in its early stages and should gain momentum once it is rolled out commercially. Hooq CEO, Mr. Peter Bithos has also confirmed that the company is in talks with a number of network providers and plans to bring in special coupons and sachet packs in the near future.</div>
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