Asian entertainment programmer, Celestial Tiger Entertainment (CTE), entered the streaming universe in August 2024 with standalone app, CMGO. CEO Ofanny Choi talks about the journey after 21 years in the linear pay-TV space. 

Celestial Tiger Entertainment’s (CTE) first-ever streaming platform changes the game for the 21-year-old Hong Kong-based Chinese entertainment channels operator. The CMGO Chinese movies app, launched in Singapore in August with a Malaysia roll out on the horizon, gives CTE a position in the streaming universe, embracing the delivery system of the future at the same time as keeping a firm hold on existing strengths. Which, of course, is all so very very easy to say.

New and exclusive movies on CMGO at launch included Andy Lau’s "I Did It My Way", Aaron Kwok’s latest action comedy "Rob n Roll" and "The Goldfinger", starring Andy Lau and Tony Leung Chiu Wai in their first movie together 20 years after the critically acclaimed "Infernal Affairs" crime trilogy. Coming soon is Hong Kong blockbuster "Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In". From China comes "Article 20"; from Taiwan the Golden Horse Award winner, "Old Fox"; and from Singapore, new food comedy "King of Hawkers". 

The content part was easy compared to the 18-month technical journey, says Celestial Tiger Entertainment’s chief executive, Ofanny Choi. “It’s not like you launch the app and then are able to leave it alone,” she says. 

Only weeks after the app’s Singapore launch, Choi spoke about the advantages of two decades of experience in the market as well as not being a first mover in the streaming space. 

“We could take all the benefits from the apps already launched. We know what audiences like in terms of user interface and product development,” she said. 

In addition to outsourcing data analysis and customer service, CTE kicked off CMGO in Singapore using existing pay-TV partners StarHub and Singtel, with their marketing platforms, bundling capability and payment gateways. But the telcos are marketplaces only; CTE is in full control of its subscribers, including customer service. This is the first time since CTE was established 21 years ago that the programmer has a direct line to its customers. Choi has plans to add a direct-to-consumer line, perhaps in 12 months. 

Still, she believes in the strength of partnerships, particularly with mobile and broadband operators. “You can enjoy more benefits by working with partners,” she says. It’s a long-held position supported by industry apps bundling trends, including price promotions and joint marketing campaigns.

“Look at the other successful streaming services in the market,” she says. “They are doing both – and I understand why.” 

The great unknown in the very early days was the direct audience engagement to the only collection of its kind – and how to respond. 

In the app’s first days and weeks, while she was waiting for data  analysis from third-party tech vendors, Choi said she was wholly focused on a good sign-on experience for new subscribers.  

More than 50% of the content available on the app is first-run and exclusive, with a new movie every week, including titles that do not meet traditional pay-TV content requirements. 

Choi talks about the opportunity to surface “hidden gems” across the Chinese movie universe that have never been available to audiences in other Chinese markets.   

“We can buy titles for CMGO that we would never ever have bought for our channels,” Choi says. Limbo, for instance. The raw and violent action thriller directed by Soi Cheang was named best film of 2021 at the annual Hong Kong Film Critics’ Society Awards, but its classification for violence makes it out of bounds for pay-TV channels.

Director’s cuts and original versions of films – including original language versions – are also a CMGO superpower. This means, for instance, that Singapore audiences will be able to access the Cantonese-language Limbo and other Chinese movies with their original dialect soundtracks.    

At the same time, CTE remains hyper-vigilant of content requirements in the markets in which it operates, and highlights the parental lock function.

“It’s not that we don’t care about censorship. We respect and listen to our platforms, business partners and subscribers. But we also monitor what other streaming services are doing in the market. And we pretty much follow.”

For some titles, CMGO benefits from scale in acquiring rights across multiple platforms. “It’s always challenging because other streaming services are also after content... so, yes, it is difficult, but so far we are good. We managed to get all the content we wanted on CMGO in the end,” Choi says. 

For now, CTE is buying regional movie rights for the app, but hasn’t ruled out a country-by-country approach depending on audience taste in specific markets. Choi says data will, ultimately, inform their decisions. “We will find the right content for the right market,” she says. 

CMGO carries CTE’s original productions into the streaming universe. “We are always looking at investment in content,” Choi says, highlighting creative collaborations for movies and series. Projects are in the works, possibly for 2025.

For now, CTE has no plans to add its linear channels to the app. “If there is the opportunity, we can always explore that, but not right now,” Choi says.  

Choi shrugs off notions of cannibalisation of core services by the new app, and says CTE remains fully committed to its linear services. Viewers like choice of how they watch, she says. “We still believe that in the next 10 or 20 years, people will still be watching channels,” she says. 

CMGO fills more than a demographic gap. “Two years ago, when we looked at the streaming apps in the market, we saw a gap for a dedicated Chinese movies streaming service. “Our research told us people wanted it. Platforms said there was demand. That’s our differentiator.”

▶ Published in ContentAsia's Oct/Nov 2024 Magazine