Out of a total 14,400 titles, only 600 are available in Korea. The entry of Watch Play into the domestic VOD market already dominated by three mobile carriers - SK Telecom, KT and LG U+ - further dwarfs the American giant Netflix, which has spent less than a month here but is already drawing complaints about limited content in Korea. The more that users have rated, the better results users get. Launched in 2011, Watcha garnered its potential customers for Watcha Play by offering a service that recommended films to those who have signed up for the app and have rated and left reviews for films they have watched. “We plan to offer the best-quality recommendation service, based on the 240 million ratings data we have gathered so far,” he said. Park says the biggest distinction of Watcha is the “best-possible customization capability.”
The service will only be available on the web at both on Windows and Mac operating systems without requiring installation of any program, and a smartphone app will become available in April.
Park says the company plans to widen the variety of content and provide subtitles in Korean as well as a few foreign languages. About two-thirds of them are foreign content. Watcha Play has secured 4,500 films and 1,500 dramas. “We thought pricing was the most determinant factor behind attracting new customers - in their 20s and 30s, in particular - who consume a lot of VOD content,” said Park Tae-hoon, CEO of Frograms, the start-up that operates the Watcha service. The service, called Watcha Play, costs 4,900 won ($4.07) monthly, about a third cheaper than Netflix subscription fees which range between $7.99 and $11.99 a month.Įxisting Watcha users and those who have pre-registered for the service only have to pay an initial fee of 100 won. Watcha, a Korean film rating and recommendation app, launched a paid video streaming service on Sunday to compete with Netflix, which entered Korea on Jan.
The Unforgivable (2021) - Drama starring Sandra Bullock about a woman who attempts to rebuild her life after serving time in prison for committing a violent crime.Back to the Outback (2021) - Computer-animated adventure comedy about Australia's deadliest zoo creatures with a voice cast including Isla Fisher, Eric Bana and Guy Pearce.Anonymously Yours (2021) - Romantic drama from Mexico about a man and a woman who start crushing on each other over accidental text message without realizing they've met in real life.David and the Elves (2021) - Family fantasy comedy about a jaded, overworked elf who runs off to the real world where he tries to experience the magic of Christmas with the help of a newly befriended young boy.